2023-04-16 20:41:32
Given the choice of which of our five senses is the most valuable, most of us would choose sight. In Mexico, according to data from the Mexican Society of Ophthalmology (2020), there are 416,000 blind people, which places it among the 20 countries with the highest number of people affected by visual impairment.
In the case of people, there is no doubt that medical care for this problem is an inalienable and universal right, which is disadvantaged by the cost of highly specialized medical services. But what about pets?
In Mexico there is an approximate census of 80 million pets: 43.8 million of them are dogs, 16.2 million cats, and 20 million a miscellaneous variety of other small pets (2021). Although there are no updated data or census bases on how many pets are totally blind, if it were 1% we would be talking about 800,000 pets in this situation, only in this country.
Animal welfare in blind pets
Animal welfare, elevated to a universal declaration, establishes five freedoms. Enunciated in 1965 by Roger Brambell and widely recognized, they describe society’s expectations regarding the conditions to which animals are subjected when they are under human control. And they are:
Free from hunger and thirst.
Free from fear and anguish.
Free of physical and thermal discomfort.
Free from pain, injury and disease.
Free to express natural behavior.
In the case of a blind pet, three of these freedoms are violated, specifically those that have to do with health, emotional well-being and the freedom to express oneself.
When this occurs, the veterinarian has two options, which he normally explains to the patient’s owner. Or you can practice assisted euthanasia (considering the attention capacity of the owner or owner combined with economic capacity). Or the animal is not euthanized because the owner agrees to care for it carefully, aware that it will require 24-hour care. In the latter case, even if the intention is good, the owner does not always have the resources to provide quality care.
Provide the right care
To what extent does the veterinarian, in this circumstance, support, respect and promote the survival of the animal in the sense of well-being? Is the attachment of the owner unilaterally imposed on the interest of the pet, without measuring the psychological, emotional and physiological consequences, ignoring that animals can suffer from depression? How many pets are actually properly cared for in our scenario of 800,000 vision-impaired pets?
It may not be enough to preserve the lives of blind animals just for human affection and attachment. The Humane Society of the United States organization exposes a series of tips for handling blind pets. These include being very strict with schedules and routines, using sound cues to help them orient themselves, talking to them before touching them, and incorporating tactile markers throughout the house.
It would be convenient for the trade associations of veterinarians, civil organizations defending animal welfare, associations of specialist veterinarians and other related organizations to reach agreements on the matter. Because the problem is not solved just by making it easier for the owner to sacrifice the pet or work animal: we owe respect to all those beings that depend on us.
#blind #animals