Animals are not toys: how irresponsibility of owners kills pets

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-13 00:26

In a healthy society, animals are treated humanely. But with us everything is different.

This article is part of the Auto-da-fe project. In it, we declare war on everything that prevents people from living and becoming better: breaking laws, believing in nonsense, deceit and fraud. If you've come across a similar experience, share your stories in the comments.

They believe that the animals should be fed enough

For a pet to be healthy, it is not enough to provide it with food. The animal must receive all the necessary nutrients from food. If they are not enough, vitamins are needed. You will also have to conduct regular check-ups with a veterinarian and get vaccinated. Often, thoroughbred pets have their own characteristics and vulnerabilities, so that health concerns will be even greater. All this, of course, is not cheap, but it is extremely important: neglected diseases will not only worsen the quality of life of the animal, but can also lead to premature death.

It is necessary to realize how much effort, time and money the pet will require. Not everyone adequately evaluates their capabilities, and when problems begin, the animal is blamed for everything. For example, a puppy may be indulging simply because the owner does not pay enough attention to him. For normal mental and physical development, the baby needs games, exercises and walks.

People often maintain an idealistic view of animals: they dream of getting an exemplary pet without any effort on their part. They are not ready to deal with him, they do not know what his basic needs are, they simply don’t think about the fact that this is a living being with his own needs and character.

Myths and traditions make the situation worse. For example, fish is believed to be the best food for cats. In fact, this is not the case. Red fish contains the enzyme thiaminase, which leads to vitamin B deficiency and, as a result, serious health problems. And you also need to spend a lot of time with a cat, play, although many are sure that the animal will occupy itself on its own.

Putting a dog on a chain is not the norm, but cruelty to animals, and in some countries it is officially recognized. The dog from the aviary needs a walk, even if the owner thinks that the pet is already "walking".

A separate problem is exotic animals.

Sofya Zotova Candidate of Veterinary Sciences, practicing veterinary surgeon.

People give birth to fennec foxes, raccoons, hedgehogs, lemurs, flying squirrels in their homes, absolutely not understanding how to feed, maintain and care for them. At the same time, the owners are not ready to pay specialists to explain what to do with the animal so that it does not die and get sick.

Often they bring raccoons and chanterelles scared, afraid of any movement, because their owners constantly punish them when they have done something. Although this is quite expected: the animal is hyperactive and constantly gnaws at something. The beast does not do this out of harm. It's just wild, and in nature there are no mobile phones and shoes for 20 thousand. He needs a special attitude, understanding, his own space and a mountain of toys that he cannot hurt himself.

Or they bring an absolutely emaciated lemur with the words: “Doctor, do you not understand that special food costs a fortune for him? We are feeding baby purees. And the lemur has persistent diarrhea for three weeks already, he is lying on the receiving table, he does not even have the strength to open his eyes.

You tell the owners that they are obliged to take care of the animals, and you get in response: "Why do we need this hemorrhoid?" All that remains is the panic, anger and despondency that you experience both as a doctor and as a person.

They perform surgery on pets for their own sake

Surgical interventions are necessary when life and health are at stake. A banal case of appendicitis can lead to death if a doctor with a scalpel is not nearby. With animals, the situation is the same: a veterinarian can save a pet from suffering, prolong its life and improve its quality.

However, the achievements of surgery are not always used for the sake of health. There are many types of mutilation that are presented as a way to avoid pet-related problems. This can make life easier for the owner, but significantly worsen it for the pet. This is what is done most often.

Remove vocal cords

The operation is called a ventriculocordectomy. In cats and dogs, the vocal cords are cut out without evidence, just so that they do not bark or meow - they don’t get bored. The intervention is performed under general anesthesia, which in itself carries risks, as well as postoperative discomfort. In addition, bleeding, acute airway edema, infection, coughing, vomiting, and aspiration pneumonia are possible. There is a risk of scar tissue and narrowing of the glottis. Finally, the operation deprives the animal of the means of communication - the voice. Although barking or meowing is normal. This is how pets express their emotions, communicate with the owner and with other animals. And excessive volume is corrected by education.

Cut off the claws along with the phalanges of the fingers

The operation with the delicate name "soft paws" (aka onychectomy) involves the removal of a cat's claws along with the extreme phalanges of the fingers. This changes the life of the animal forever, as it turns healthy paws into stumps.

The cat is forced to learn to walk again due to the changed support area. It just hurts. It is more difficult for her to be as dexterous and courageous as before, and this will not work: the animal will not be able to defend itself from the enemy or climb a tree if it finds itself on the street. In addition, after the operation, inflammation may begin, due to which the following phalanges will have to be amputated.

Docked tail and ears

The point of such manipulation is solely to adjust the appearance of the dog to the requirements of the breed. In many European countries, this operation is considered crippling because it has nothing to do with health.

People forget that the tail is the dog's way of transmitting information. For example, it matters whether he wags his entire tail or just the tip, lifts it up or lowers it. You can't understand this from the stump. Ears also participate in the dialogue (if they were not cut off).

Fangs removed

So they try to fight a biting animal. How it will eat after that, the owner cares little.

Get tattoos

Although this is not an operation at all, there is a lot of crippling here. Without the use of anesthesia, the procedure is painful for the animal, with it it is dangerous. If in the previous paragraphs you can at least try to make out the meaning, then here it is not initially. This is done solely for the entertainment of the host.

Sofia Zotova

Animals are forced to endure bullying to keep the owners happy. And the biggest problem is not even that people carry their pets to these operations, but that then they do not take care of them and do not provide the necessary maintenance.

In my practice, there were several cats after the operation "soft feet" with terrible complications: the animal's paws rot, it refuses to eat and cannot get up from pain. And all because the owners did not process the pets' fingers and did not do dressings, did not give the necessary drugs. There were also cats torn apart by dogs that could not escape. Although everyone is warned that the animal, after removing the claws, should not be released to free range. This is an extremely sad picture.

Naturally, FGM has its supporters as well. In their opinion, interventions make the animal comfortable and reduce the risk of the owner wanting to get rid of it. And here we smoothly come to the following points.

They confuse euthanasia with murder

Euthanasia is intended for terminally ill animals, which are no longer saved from terrible pains even by strong medicines. The owner has to choose what is more humane: to put the pet to sleep and save him from suffering, or to save a life full of suffering. Usually the former is chosen.

But sometimes healthy animals are brought to veterinarians with the requirement to euthanize.

Sofia Zotova

Often they turn to the clinic with a request to euthanize absolutely healthy animals because they have ceased to be comfortable. The owner cannot rent an apartment or is moving to another city, or has made repairs and bought expensive furniture, started living with a person who does not like wool. Of course, we refuse and immediately hear threats that the pet will be thrown out into the street and it will be on our conscience. Usually, in such cases, veterinarians take the animals and put them in good hands.

It happens that a pet's disease is curable. If you look after him and follow the instructions of the veterinarian, the animal will be fine. But owners often refuse treatment because they do not want to burden themselves. Ask for euthanasia. The worst thing is to hear from a person: “I don’t need a burden! I took a healthy cat, not a disabled one. Easier to put to sleep!"

They expose dogs to the streets and condemn them to death

When it comes to stray animals, irresponsible people are often blamed for their fate: if the pets were not thrown away, there would be no problem. There is some truth in these words, but not everything is so obvious.

Irina Kupriyanova

Today stray dogs are a separate species, not in any way related to domestic ones. A dog raised at home on the street is doomed. Someone will hold out less, someone more. But without the help of a person, his death is a matter of time. The opinion that homeless flocks are thrown away animals is a myth, and a rather harmful one.

Dogs, for many generations of which have lived and live independently, do not need the presence and help of humans, they mostly avoid it. They live in groups of more or less constant composition on their territory, where they find food and shelter. These animals have formed a complex self-regulating system-population, the smallest link of which is the flock.

This is supported by research. Domestic dogs have virtually no outdoor survival skills. There they suffer from hunger and thirst, are attacked by stray animals, they can catch the disease and not cope with it. Therefore, by law, the owner is obliged to find a new owner for the pet or transfer it to a shelter if he no longer intends to keep the dog. True, the possible punishment for the violation is under discussion. It is also unclear how the implementation of the law will be monitored.

The "do-gooders" that feed the stray dogs only exacerbate the general situation. The population of stray dogs is increasing, the chances of the survival of the offspring increase. This ultimately harms both people and dogs, including pets, who become unintentional victims of dog hunters.

They don't want to work on themselves

Cruelty towards animals is condemned in society, and an irresponsible attitude is accepted much more calmly. Moreover, sometimes people are confident that they are doing everything right. The reasons must be sought not only in personal characteristics, but also in mentality and historical context.

Irina Kupriyanova

Analysis of the status of pets in different eras and in different countries shows that there is a certain relationship between the attitude of people to animals and the level of spiritual development of society. This is an indicator of the moral health of a nation. That is why we need to do something to foster a humane and responsible attitude towards nature and, in particular, towards animals.

The humane treatment of animals requires psychological maturity and relative well-being. In Russia, over the last century, there has not been such a period when several generations in a row were well fed, felt safe and not afraid for tomorrow. In a society where life and human rights are not considered a value by everyone, sometimes it just doesn't get to animals, and this is wrong.

People still wonder why responsible pet owners vaccinate them, buy vitamins and expensive food. “Over there, my grandmother's cat ate from the table, and sometimes caught mice on the street. She was not sick at all, she lived for 10 years,”they say, without thinking that without a veterinarian's conclusion it is impossible to say whether she was healthy.

The correct attitude towards animals must be cultivated in oneself. However, not everyone is ready to accept that they were mistaken before and reconsider their views.

Irina Kupriyanova

Each life story has a different psychological profile of people who treat animals like toys. At the same time, they all have disturbances in the emotional sphere. The majority are characterized by psychological and emotional immaturity, infantilism, the presence of complexes and fears, a low intellectual level and low self-esteem.

So people do not treat animals irresponsibly because of their great intelligence.