As families deal with limited finances and with many animal shelters at capacity with abandoned pets due to bankruptcy and foreclosures, many must get creative with how they manage money in order to properly care for their pets.

According to a recently published article in the Sacramento Bee by veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and journalist Gina Spadafori, there are some steps that can be taken to help keep a pet healthy on the cheap.

In order to ward off any potential health problems, exercising a pet regularly can prevent it from getting overweight or weakening its joints, both of which could potentially lead to costly diseases such as arthritis and diabetes later in life.

Additionally buying food in bulk can prove to be much cheaper than buying food individually at a supermarket. Also, working with a veterinarian to stay up-to-date on a pet’’s vaccinations while perhaps working out a payment plan can also help to keep costs down.

In a recent contribution to USA Today, Miami veterinarian Patty Khuly added that many medications that veterinarians suggest at pharmacies for a premium price can be found online at discounted rates that may be more affordable.

If cutting down on costs still does not allow one to responsible care for a pet in need of special dieting or medical treatment, one may also consider taking out a payday loan to manage any onetime expenses that may exceed one’’s budget limits.

While high cholesterol is usually thought of as a problem that most affects middle-aged adults, a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that younger children may be suffering from it in increased numbers as well.

According to the study, which studied adolescents from 1999-2006, the prevalence of abnormal lipid levels – which indicated high cholesterol – among 12-19-year-olds was 20.3 percent.

Additionally, while only 14.2 percent of those at a normal weight were found to have high cholesterol, 42.9 percent of those who were considered "obese" had at least one abnormal lipid level.

"Obesity may be linked to these high levels," said Ashleigh May, an epidemic intelligence service officer with the CDC and the author of the report, according to Healthday News. "Forty-three percent of obese youth are eligible for therapeutic lifestyle counseling, and 22 percent of overweight youth were also eligible," she added.

Because of the high predominance of children who may already be suffering from high cholesterol, they may stand an increased risk of falling ill to other medical problems associated with having high lipid levels.

If families are concerned they may not have the funding to allow for children who may be at risk from getting tested properly, taking out a payday loan may be able to finance a potentially lifesaving trip to the doctor.

The Indoor Tanning Association is coming under fire from numerous lawmakers who are taking issue with the dangers involved with indoor tanning and many companies” deceptive ways in which they are covering them up.

On Tuesday the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement with the ITA prohibiting them from running any more misleading advertisements that proclaimed using ultraviolet tanning machines to be safer than tanning outdoors, approved by the government, and beneficial to one’’s health.

Additionally, all indoor tanning locations will now have to post warnings that tell of the dangers of skin cancer that come with using indoor tanning machines too often.

The FTC announcement came two days after U.S. Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Charlie Dent introduced the Tanning Bed Cancer Control Act to the U.S. Congress. Under the proposal, federal regulation of tanning beds would be expanded to limit the amount of UV rays emitted from them in order to reduce their risk of causing skin cancer.

"Melanoma is a devastating disease that has impacted many American families, including my own. But it is also a disease that is often preventable," said Dent. "The World Health Organization confirms that tanning beds are a cause of cancer, and tanning bed users put themselves at a 75 percent higher risk of developing melanoma."

For those who may have used tanning beds in the past, or were drawn to them due to deceptive health claims, there is an increased chance of developing certain skin cancers. If health insurance refuses to cover any necessary treatments, or is simply lacking, taking out a payday loan may be able to fund any essential one-time procedures.

While Illinois residents may be safe from the dangers of smoking indoors, after that they”re on their own.

The American Lung Association released its State of Tobacco Control 2009, grading various aspects of the state and how well it attempts to mitigate smoking and keep its residents healthy.

One state that ranked closer to the bottom in three of the four categories – Tobacco Prevention Control Spending, Smokefree Air, Cigarette Tax, and Cessation Coverage – was Illinois, which received failing marks in two categories and only one grade higher than a "C."

The Prairie State received an "F" for its tobacco prevention control spending, as the $11.8 million that was put forth by the state government for anti-tobacco programs was below the recommended amount of spending from the Centers for Disease Control.

The state’’s low cigarette tax earned them a "D," while their lack of Medicaid coverage for counseling earned them a "C" for their cessation coverage. Only their smokefree air earned an "A" because of the statewide ban for smoking indoors.

While many smokers may be well aware of the health consequences associated with regularly smoking tobacco, not all may be able to afford the medical costs that they will eventually face, especially if it is not covered by their health insurance. In such instances, taking out a cash advance to pay for a medical visit may allow for the medical attention that is needed.

Walmart has pulled certain children’’s jewelry items from their shelves after learning they may be contaminated with cadmium and a danger to customers.

Following reports that some toy manufacturers in China had begun using cadmium in some of their products that had previously used lead – and that some charm bracelets sold at Walmart contained up to 91 percent cadmium by weight, the retail giant made the move to do away with any of the dangerous jewelry.

"I would highly encourage all of you to ensure that toy manufacturers and children’’s product manufacturers in your country are not substituting cadmium, antimony, barium, in place of lead," Inez Tenenbaum, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, told an audience of children’’s products manufacturers, exporters and regulators, in Hong Kong on Tuesday after learning of the dangerous bracelets, the AP reported.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, cadmium poisoning most often occurs through ingestion and can almost immediately cause nausea and vomiting for up to 24 hours.

Inhaling cadmium flames had the potential to cause severe inflammation of the lungs that can cause kidney or liver injuries, loss of smell, and death in some cases.

For families with children who may have come into contact with the affected charm bracelets, there is a risk that medical care could be necessary. If money and/or health insurance coverage is not available in the event of an emergency, taking out a payday loan could help alleviate money problems while allowing for proper care.

While HIV/AIDS may dominate the headlines with statistics documenting how serious each condition is, a new report from the Institute of Medicine suggests that similar attention must be given to the equally dangerous Hepatitis B and C viruses.

According to the report released on Monday, between 800,000 and 1.4 million Americans have chronic hepatitis B while between 2.7 million and 3.9 million have chronic hepatitis C. However, because they do not carry the same stigmas and notability that HIV/AIDS does, resources and treatments for the two viruses are not on par with how devastating they can be.

The report found that both viruses are often referenced as a cause for liver cancer or liver disease – adding that many times patients only learn they are carrying one of the viruses after developing liver problems. In total, Hepatitis B and C accounted for almost half of the liver transplantations performed every year.

"Although hepatitis B and C are preventable, the rates of infection have not declined over the past several years, underscoring the conclusion that we have allowed gaps in screening, prevention, and treatment to go unchecked," said committee chair R. Palmer Beasley, professor of epidemiology and disease control, University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston.

Because the report found that health care for Hepatitis B and C are currently "sparse and fragmented," those who think they may have symptoms consistent with either virus may need to be proactive and independently to prevent a potentially deadly situation. If insurance will not cover such needed care, taking out a payday loan may be an avenue allowing for medical care to be paid for.

A new report is supporting the opinions of many medical officials past and present that the chickenpox vaccine is effective and should be given to children to prevent them from being seriously harmed by the illness.

The report, published by researchers from Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Research, has found that children are nine times more likely to come down with chickenpox if the vaccination is refused by their parents, while 5 percent of virus cases were attributable to vaccine refusal.

The primary reason for the vaccination’’s refusal is because many parents simply feel the vaccination is not worth it, as chickenpox can very easily be spread from child-to child at school.

However, according to epidemiologist Jason M. Glanz, a lead author of the report, the vaccination is both safe and can help prevent the 100,000 hospitalizations and 100 deaths that occur every year and are attributed to the illness.

"The common perception among parents is that they don”t believe chicken pox is a serious illness, and they don”t believe their children are at risk," Glanz said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "This study shows that they are wrong on both counts."

For families with limited funding available, choosing to pass on the chickenpox vaccine because of its supposedly questionable effectiveness may be as much a financial decision as it is a personal one. In cases such as these, taking out a payday loan to cover the medical costs so one’’s children can be vaccinated against the virus may be one that saves money, and maybe a life, down the road.

Owners of a certain type of pet frog may be at risk of falling ill to salmonella infections, according to a warning from the Centers for Disease Control.

The warning, which was released on Thursday, said that an outbreak of 85 salmonella infections had been documented among owners of domesticated African dwarf frogs spread across 31 states.

Even though the CDC said that pet reptiles have previously carried salmonella that has led to outbreaks, one centering on the two-inch frogs had never been seen before.

"This is a unique investigation," said report coauthor and CDC epidemiologist Shauna Mettee, according to BusinessWeek. "This is the first known outbreak of Salmonella due to contact with frogs – especially African dwarf frogs."

According to WebMD, salmonella infections – or salmonellosis – can last for four to seven days and cause severe abdominal pains that sometimes require medical attention. There are approximately 40,000 cases of salmonellosis in the U.S. every year.

Because many hospitalizations of pet frog owners have already been documented by the CDC, those who come into regular contact with African dwarf frogs may be best served by proactively getting medical care or at least preparing to do so. If health insurance is not an option, taking out payday loans may be able to fund any needed medical care.

A new study has found that a unique treatment of patients suffering from Alzheimer’’s disease may yield better results than many that are currently being offered.

According to a recent study conducted on mice by researchers at Johns Hopkins University’’s School of Medicine, combining a number of therapies instead of administering them individually, helped to preserve memories in patients with minimal side effects.

"The idea is if you can identify compounds or drugs that inhibit these enzymes, you’ll be able to slow down the progression of the disease," Philip Wong, a professor in the pathology and neuroscience departments at Johns Hopkins and author of the study, told Bloomberg.

The Johns Hopkins study has resulted drug makers looking to replicate the success, and is yet another sign that progress is being made in curing a disease the Centers for Disease Control estimated killed 30 million people in 2007.

For those who must tend to friends or family members suffering from Alzheimer’’s disease, there may be new treatments that could possibly lead to the preservation of memory and treatment of the disease that may not be covered by many health insurance plans. In such cases, taking out a payday loan may help fund the costs to provide the progressive care.

Families under financial duress who are considering giving up a pet they cannot care for properly to a shelter may want to reconsider their position, as more shelters are already finding themselves struggling to care for the extra pets they have been given because of the economy.

Instead of giving up a pet to an overcrowded shelter, considering a payday loan to get it the proper care and medical costs it needs to live a healthy life while keeping it with its family may be a better solution.

According to LakeGenevaNews.net, the Lakeland Animal Shelter in Elkhorn, Wisconsin is one such place that has seen numerous examples on the toll that the economy has taken on house pets.

Currently 50 more dogs and 100 more cats than they are accustomed to caring for as more families unable to properly care for their pet have left them in the shelter’’s hands; Director Kristen Perry said that any open space has needed to be converted into space to house the extra pets.

"We always have the worry that there will be a greater need for more homeless animals than we can provide for because of space and financial constraints," she said.

Additionally, Perry said that pets at the shelter who had not received proper care from their families often suffered from poorer coats and worse teeth than other pets.