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Prevent Pets Neglect & Abuse
By peace | June 4, 2007
Many owners are not aware of how important affection is to their pets. Some owners have unknowingly neglect and abuse their pets in various ways. The following suggestions are ways to prevent neglect and abuse of pets.
1. Leaving you dog outdoors all the time is cruel and inhumane. All pets should be kept indoors with the family. Dogs should be supervised and under control at all times if they are allowed to go outdoors. Leaving a dog outside, especially chained or otherwise tethered, is extremely detrimental to a dog physically, emotionally, and behaviourally. Dogs need companionship, care, exercise, and attention. Leaving a dog outside for an extended period of time without supervision not only deprives him or her of these things, but can also lead to behaviour problems such as aggression. It can also put the dog in serious physical danger. A confined dog is unable to escape the harsh effects of weather, such as heat, cold, storms etc.
2. Not grooming a dog or cat, especially long-haired ones, leads to massive matting which causes terrible misery and sores.
3. Not increasing the size of the collar as the dog or cat grows can lead to injury and ultimately death if not dealt with in time.
4. Mange, caused by tiny parasites, forces pets to suffer from horrendous itching, loss of hair, and possibly sores caused by scratching and biting as the pet tries to relieve the incessant irritation.
5. Starvation is not just caused by lack of food, but by improper food, untreated disease, and parasites such as worms.
6. Leaving a pet in a car on a warm day can be a deadly mistake. The temperature in a car can reach 160 degrees in a matter of minutes, even with partially opened windows. The pet can suffer brain damage or die from heatstroke. Signs of heat stress are heavy panting, glazed eyes, rapid pulse, dizziness, vomiting and a deep red or purple tongue. You can do the following things to help an animal that has been in a closed up car:
- get the animal to shade and apply cool water all over his body
- apply ice packs or cold towels to the head, neck, and chest only
- give the animal small amounts of cool water to drink
- get the animal to a veterinarian right away
Sometimes we misinterpret what appears to be neglect seen from a neighbour’s yard. If you believe an animal is not being fed, or left for hours without water, or has no way to get out of inclement weather, look more closely during different times of the day to be sure this is not a single event. The water bowls may be under cover where you are unable to see them. Maybe the owner feeds the dog every morning before leaving for work — while you are still sleeping — and then removes the bowl. Maybe the dog has a pet door into the garage or shed that is not visible to you. Maybe the dog prefers to be outside no matter what the weather, so you never see him go inside the pet door.
If the animal is crying or barking, doesn’t get fed or given water everyday, and appears to need your help, do not hesitate to contact the proper authorities. Physical abuse is more immediately recognizable. Definite acts of abuse are choking, setting tails on fire, putting rubber bands around limbs or tails, dunking heads under water, and kicking or hitting repeatedly.
Contact your veterinarian or local animal hospital immediately if your pet is injured or ill. It is important to have your veterinarian’s phone number easily accessible in case of an emergency.
Topics: All Posts, Animals, Pets |
