ANIMAL ABUSE    PART 1

Today I stand on my soap box, in atwo-part article, in an attempt to prevent even just one animal, and maybemore, from needless suffering as the result of unintentional abuse by theirowners. In my 40 years of practice of veterinary medicine, I have been witnessto, or have read about, examples of these various forms of inadvertent animalcruelty.

Husbandryof our animals includes many things, but nutrition, traumatic injuries,poisoning, and disease protection by vaccination are areas that needaddressing. Poor quality or inadequate feed, inadequate water, and lack ofproper de-worming all can lead to absolute malnutrition and can be seen in allspecies. Granted, accidents happen, but seeing a horse starve or die from lackof feed or water, or seen limping in a muddy small paddock is a simply a sin.Improper use of shoes or no hoof trimming can lead to a painful irreversibleleg or foot condition, leading to unsoundness and possible demise of a horse.How many times have you heard the owner say, “Oh, we put shoes on and they willfall off after we don’t need them after hunting season?” Diseases can easily andeffectively be prevented in all species; dogs and cats as well as horses,through an annual vaccination program.

Howmany dogs have you seen today with its head sticking out of the vehicle windowgoing down the road? What happens when a bug hits you in the eye at 70 milesper hour? Owners wonder or complain about their dog’s eyes watering or havingexudate collecting in their eyelashes. Dogs’ cornea and conjunctiva arejust as sensitive to trauma, punctures and ulcers as our eyes are and they experiencepains just as we do. Their eye damage could lead to loss of sight or theirentire eye.

How many dogs have you seen ridingloose in the back of truck in a rain or snow storm and just hanging on for dearlife? Have you heard an owner say, “The clumsy dog ‘fell’ out of the truck” or“I don’t need a dog that can’t stand up in the back of my pickup”? Shame on theowner, not the poor dog that has to put up with this life-threatening conditionin order to ‘earn’ a meal. If a dog lives after falling/jumping out of atruckbed, and is not hit by oncoming traffic, often times teeth arefractured off, eyes are damaged, legs are broken, and nerves areirreversibly damaged in the legs leading to the need of limb amputation.Internal organ injury varieties could include: collapsed lungs, brokenribs, ruptured liver and spleen, bruised kidney and broken backs.

How many dogs have you heardbarking in a parked vehicle with the driver nowhere in sight? In the sun, carinteriors can reach over 140 to 160 degrees; quickly leading to a bodytemperature over 105 degrees and heat stroke. How many times have you seen petssuffering the extreme climates of Montana? Most can do OK if given adequate shelter from rain/snow andthe wind in winter, shade in the summer, and are given decent food and water.The very young and the very old or ill animals need more protection by theirowners. This pertains to all species – small and large.

A cute little puppy can soon becomea 120 pound eating and pooping machine and owners may try to save money bybuying cheap food. The filler in cheap food is mostly indigestible cereal,(since dogs are not cows) which results in excessive stool and could result inan unbalanced diet resulting in one of many health conditions associated withmalnutrition. The pain associated with gum infections and abscessed teeth, earinfections, and skin diseases does not need to be tolerated by the pet. Is itdenial, or lack of proper understanding that leads owners to resist havingthese maladies corrected?

Poisonsaffect thousands of pets yearly. In 2007, human medications made up more casesthan all other forms of pet poisonings combined. Other toxic chemicals causinganimals’ illness or death include human over-the-counter pain medications,rodenticides and insecticides, cooking chocolate and toxic plants (tulips,oleander, hyacinths, poinsettias, azaleas, lilies, onions, grapes and raisins.)Toxic household chemicals include bleach, deodorants and lawn fertilizers.Antifreeze poisoning is becoming less seen today, but its sweet taste attractsand kills thousands of dogs and cats annually.

Seldomare these abuses to animals intentional. Rather it is from ignorance, lack offorethought, a temporary unconsciousness mental lapse, and accidents. AnimalShelter workers see unintentional abuse in many ways; environmental, toxic,physical and denial that there is a problem – all due to lack of knowledge ofwhat it takes to be a responsible pet owner. We have a long way to go toeducate the public regarding their responsibilities as owners or care givers ofour animals. All individuals with an interest in healthy animals need to helpwith this education process. The next time you see a “dumb” animal facing aquestionable condition, I challenge you to “step up to the plate andeducate”…for the sake of the animals.

Mitch Childs has been a Veterinarian for 40 years and iscurrently the contract surgeon at Stafford Animal Shelter. He is trying toretire so he can fish and travel more. Childs lives in Big Timber with his wifeGwen and two cats.