The Need for Low Cost Veterinary Care
Having an animal can bring great joy to an individual or a family, however financial difficulties can force many families to give up their animals. The American Kennel Club (AKC) projects the average cost of owning dog at 3085 dollars for the first year. The most expensive part of raising a dog was 650 dollars going towards veterinary care (How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Dog?). For a family or individual with low income or unexpected finances these cost can be the difference between keeping an animal and giving them up to a shelter. Shelters in America are making great strides in adopting out animals, however, according to the ASPCA, there is still 7.6 million companion animals entering shelter each year (Shelter Intake and Surrender), and millions of strays living in the streets (Pet Statistics). To lower the overpopulation of pets in America, shelters need to focus on implementing preventive measures, particular low cost veterinary care programs. Low cost veterinary programs would reduce shelter and stray populations, because they reduce the cost of basic veterinary care, like vaccines and flea and tick medications, help reduce the
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This is dangerous thinking, because it puts so many animals’ lives on the line. The Front Street Animal Shelter in Sacramento focuses on keeping the homeless and their animals together. In one case the shelter kept a homeless woman and her pets together, and within a month were able to stable the owner’s finances and find them all a suitable home. As a local advocate for the shelter says, “Some people will say, ‘Well, the homeless shouldn’t have animals.’ Well, whether they should or they shouldn’t, the fact is they do.” So instead trying to incarcerated every homeless individual who has an animal, it’s better to focus on getting the animals and the owner stabilized so they can continue to live
Have you ever wondered how much it costs to have and maintain a pet? Burkhard Bilger, the author of “The Last Meow”, explains how Americans spend a lot of money on their pets and that people's “love affair” with their pets has gotten out of control. An observation I have made is that in many movies dogs are treated very well. When I was younger, I watched a movie called Bratz and one character would always have her dog inside a dog purse and they would even get manicures and pedicures together. The dog always had shiny clothes on and it was always very clean. Therefore, I agree with Bilger's argument that Americans “love affair” with their pets has gotten out of control.
Thousands of animals are put to sleep each year due to not having any available homes for them to be adopted. According to Jennifer Sexton and Tom Warhol in Domestic Animal Overpopulation, “The average female cat can produce two litters of six kittens per year, a female dog can produce one litter of six or more puppies per year, making pet overpopulation a significant problem.” Animal overpopulation is costing money and you can help the pets with spay and neutering programs. A new solution is mandatory contracts for breeders and spay and neuter programs. This paper will talk about spay and neuter programs, contracts for breeders, and why some people don’t think animal overpopulation is a problem. Thankfully there are solutions to this issue of animal overpopulation.
Killing and disposing of animals because there is no room available for them is unnecessary and inhumane. A shelter is usually a place where something or someone is offered protection and refuge. But what happens when a shelter does the exact opposite of giving something protection? Sadly this happens to various animals each year that are brought to Kill Shelters. The ASPCA has stated that three to four million animals are euthanized in shelters in the United States: an absolutely shocking 60% of all animals that belong to shelters(McLellan). Many of these animals that are irrationally killed are completely worthy of adoption.The main reason for all these senseless killings is overpopulation. Generally when shelters can no longer locate homes for animals they can no longer keep do to overpopulation the first and simplest option that comes to mind is to euthanize them. The animals could be in perfect condition physically but the shelters still kill the animals regardless of the conditions of the animals. Also, in many cases the animals may also be completely worthy of becoming adopted but the shelters still euthanize these animals who cannot possibly...
Ideally, pet supply would be equal to the demand for wanted pets. There may never be enough caring homes for all the pets as is evident by the fact that only about 25 percent of the pets in shelters are ever adopted. F...
In veterinary medicine, there are a few different positions you can undertake within the profession. In those positions, you can also specialize in close to 40 different specialties. Here are the 3 main positions:
about 65% of pet owners [get] their canine or feline friends for free, or at a very low cost”(Vasilescu 2). When a pet is bought from a pet store, they usually cost about $500 to $1,000 and do not have any of their vaccinations. An article was published about one family’s experience with their store-bought pup, who was around 12 weeks old when they got it, and the article states, “... [the] $2,300 puppy [Torro] collapsed nine days after being bought from a pet store in Perth [Australia], [and] his heartbroken family began asking questions”(Buyers ‘deceived’ over puppy farms 1). After the puppy’s collapse, the family took Torro to their local vet, but it was too late to save the small, fragile animal and the vet had to euthanize him. The owners of the puppy had already paid the money for the puppy in addition to the vaccinations and neutering. One of the best things about animal
"Pet Overpopulation : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. The Humane Society of
Have you ever wondered, how it feels to be in a place where is overcrowded, and you are next in line to be euthanize? This is the life of the shelter animal when no one adopts them for a certain period of time. According to American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or known as ASPCA, each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized, which are 1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats. I am sure; most of you have some point in your life, owned a dog or a cat. Whether you are an animal lover or not, you don’t want to see innocent animals losing their lives. I personally have adopted a dog from a local shelter. There is no doubt that pet adoption from a shelter is a satisfying decision that will save innocent
from $50 to $200, depending on whether the pet comes from the city shelter or a
As stated in the article Alarming Facts About Pet Homelessness, lots of animals end up in the animal shelter or the pound. Normally they don’t get out, meaning they die. As sad as it is, there are lots of places that kill animals to make space for new ones. The animals that end up in the shelter or pound, were probably abused or stray. It is actually a good thing to get animals from shelters because other wise they will probably die soon. When I lived in Texas, my family got our dog from a sale where they were selling abandoned dogs that they rescued. We got a black pekingese cocker spaniel mix, named Luna. Since we rescued her, we have had her for nine years. Rescuing a dog can do a lot for the shelter and your family, so I deeply recommend rescuing a dog. Sadly three million, dogs are killed at animal shelters every year. Breeding farms are taking away the activity going on at the shelters. Since no one is
“Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge. I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics. I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.” (The Veterinary’s Oath).
Six to eight million animals enter shelters each year. Out of the 6-8 million animals, 2.7 million are euthanized each year. 2.4 million of the 2.7 million animals that are euthanized were treatable, healthy, and could’ve been adopted. That leaves about 700,000 “legitimate euthanizations” (“Pet Statistics”). Fifty-six percent of dogs that enter shelters and 71% of cats that enter shelters are euthanized (“Animal Shelter Euthanasia”). Even though a significant number of animals are killed each year, the no-kill movement is slowly stopping the issue. There are currently about 14,000 no-kill shelters and rescue groups in the U.S. No-kill shelters are animal shelters that do not use euthanasia. 20 million dogs and cats used to be put down each year. Today, only 2.7 animals are euthanized
Growing up I was one of those kids that would find abandoned or lost animals on the street and run home crying and begging my mom if we could please keep it, the answer was usually no but we would always check for a collar or tags then take it back home or call the animal shelters to come pick the lost pet up. The older I got the more I began to realize how many animals the shelters in my community and surrounding area had to take in and care for and how much of a financial and emotional drain it could be on the workers, of course I wanted to do my part to help these poor innocent animals and I began volunteering after school and during the summer whenever I had the chance. This experience showed me both the good and the bad of what animal shelters have to handle and deal with everyday, from feeding, cleaning, adoptions, medical care, general upkeep, and how expensive it was to protect and help these animals. I began to see that as the years progressed less people wanted shelter dogs and the shelters quickly became over populated and had trouble finding ways to lessen their load. Many of the animal shelters in the United States face this same exact problem and are overwhelmed by the number of unwanted pets. There are many things that could lessen the strain such as mandatory spaying and neutering for pets that will not be used for breeding, tougher penalties to cut back on the number of dogs brought into shelters because of animal abuse, and having shelters hold adoption days at least twice a month to spread the word about older pet companions and to show the community how many animals the shelter takes in and cares for.
Most people in the United States do not believe or even realize a problem exists in the animal population. “Of the 6 million to 8 million dogs and cats that enter the United States shelters each year, 3 million to 4 million are euthanized according to the Humane Society of United States (Banton 2).” 78% of the 10,00 pets that enter the Humane Shelter receives annually are euthanized. These statistics are not an exaggeration. The animal population effects more than just the animals and the shelters that take them in. It impacts local cities and communities, because of the federal taxes being paid to shelters to euthanize animals. The tax money , also covers the food and board of the animals while in the shelter. “ Each dog and cat costs about $10 a day to care for; the average stay for an animal is five days (Anderson 2).” Spaying and neutering animals is not only essential for domesticated animals(pets) , but also for feral animals that live in the wild and reproduce without restrictions. “Two unaltered cats and their offspring can produce 420,00 cats in seven years. Two unaltered dogs and their offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in six years (Lobeck 1).” Many ...
Picking a decent veterinary facility is the same than picking the right specialist for your own wellbeing. However there are less centers around than specialists so cautious thought must be given so as to guarantee that pets get the quality pet consideration they merit. In the event that you are a pet proprietor searching for a decent veterinary center, attempt the accompanying tips. They will help you discover a veterinarian that both you and your pet would be OK with.