Several studies have already told us that the humans living in Colorado are among some of the healthiest in the nation, but what about our furry friends?

To answer this question, researchers at Care.com compared data from four pet-care categories in order to determine which states in the country have the healthiest pets living in them. On a state-by-state basis, analysts looked at illness, access to vet care, healthy environment and total pet spending. According to their findings, Colorado comes in at #3 in the rankings for having the healthiest pets. Apparently, Coloradans are all for spoiling their animals, because we had the second highest ranking when it comes to spending money on our pets. The research also showed that our state had the second-lowest incidence of pet illnesses in the nation. The categories in which Colorado fell short, were for having a low score on air quality and having one of the highest amounts of animals in shelters compared to other states.

Top States for Healthiest Pets

  1. Montana
  2. Nebraska
  3. Colorado
  4. New Mexico
  5. Idaho
  6. New Hampshire
  7. South Dakota
  8. Wyoming
  9. Kansas
  10. North Dakota

You'll notice that almost all of the states that landed in the top 10 are in the West, and the folks at Care.com claim there are reasons behind this. For one, in areas such as the South, where the climate is warmer, it's more common for infectious diseases like heart worm, Lyme disease and hookworms to spread. Western states also offer more protected park land where pets can exercise, a high number of vets, and low cost pet insurance.

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