Have you ever seen a wounded animal on the side of the road? Would you be inclined to help it or find a way to? Would one’s answer vary with their definition of ‘wounded animal’? Many people often think of common household pets like cats and dogs, but in reality, any animal has the potential to be disabled. According to dictionary.com, being disabled means to be physically or mentally impaired, injured, or incapacitated in some type of way. Many efforts have been made so that these animals can live comfortable lives, but what else could be done to help?
What could be considered a disabled animal? Animals with missing limbs, joint issues, or other mobility problems can be considered. Or those who are deaf, blind, or may have any invisible disabilities such as mental disorders. Any other general injuries or illnesses may render an animal disabled as well. This can happen to any animal, but there are those with higher chances of this occurring. Studies show that white cats are highly susceptible to being born deaf with chances increasing if they have blue eyes or even a single blue eye!
Many efforts have been made to help these animals. As more information is learned, people have been able to make several types of prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, and medicine is able to be produced to help these animals. There has also been progress in making hearing aids for dogs (albeit expensive). Similarly, there are hospitals and centers that are put into place that can help these animals. There may be other external ways to help like having ramps and owners be trained or having training to help these animals.
This, of course, raises the question: How can the average person help? The easiest way to help is to preserve the environment. While that may seem obvious, it is an important thing to do. Recycling, picking up trash, saving energy, and leaving regular wildlife alone can help.
One can also volunteer to help protect different habitats. Knowing the contact information of local animal shelters and hospitals can help one find help when necessary. Due to current technological setbacks, it is impossible to completely prevent these issues, but even just helping in little ways can make an enormous impact.
Overall, it is clear that there are many ways to help these animals in need. Modern medicine and prosthetics can help domesticated animals, but also helping protect habitats can help protect wild ones. All in all, the most important goal out of this is to help any animal live long, healthy, and happy lives!
