Supposedly funny or cute animal pictures and videos circulate en masse on various social media platforms. But is this always funny for the animals shown? Animals suffer for much of this content. However, this is not always obvious to everyone. In this article, you will learn how to recognize animal suffering and how to behave in the best case scenario.
Hedgehogs wearing hats, rabbits in costumes, dogs that are drunk, provoked, or doused with ice water, shocked cats, and cheetahs on the sofa generate clicks and likes on social media platforms. To achieve this, animals are placed in situations that cause them stress or fear and sometimes even put them in danger. In the viral "cucumber challenge," for example, a cucumber is secretly placed behind a cat. The cat jumps away in fear, mistaking the cucumber for a dangerous snake. Many people find this funny, but the cat is terrified. Even animal rescues are sometimes staged and filmed. An animal is deliberately put in danger in order to then supposedly rescue it.
Animals bred for cruel purposes (see related article), some of which suffer from serious health problems, are portrayed uncritically. Animal obesity is trivialized in "cute" posts. Costumes can lead to overheating and interfere with animal communication. Forced, unnatural postures cause stress.
More and more content also revolves around wild animals. However, in most cases, the needs of wild animals cannot be met in private ownership. Yet social media normalizes and "promotes" the handling of these animals.
Owners of so-called "petfluencers" (pets with a large online fan base) sometimes make a lot of money with their posts. However, their animals do not always enjoy their "job," which they did not choose for themselves. Pictures and videos should only ever show spontaneous, natural behavior of an animal.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (Welttierschutzgesellschaft e.V.) divides social media content relevant to animal welfare into three categories:
As soon as an animal freezes, tries to flee, shows discomfort, stress, fear, threatening, aggressive, or defensive behavior, it is suffering. You can recognize this by the following signs or behaviors:
The most important thing: no interaction, no attention. The more often content is viewed, shared, commented on, liked, or even disliked, the more the reach of the post increases. If you see posts that violate animal welfare laws, report them immediately to the respective platform so that the platform can delete them. At https://welttierschutz.org/leitfaden-melden/, you can find out how to submit a report for the respective social media platform. If it is a post from Germany that actually depicts animal cruelty, save the material, save the link and the creator's profile, and notify the police or veterinary authorities—because animal cruelty is punishable under animal welfare law.
A visit to the vet is stressful for many animals—not only for the patient, but also for the pet owner. Medical training allows you to prepare your pet specifically for treatments and examinations. It helps to reduce anxiety, build trust, and make vet appointments much more pleasant.
You feel a lump in your pet's skin and wonder what it could be? There are various types of skin tumors, but there are also many non-tumorous causes for lumps in the skin.
Radiation therapy is used to treat tumors. Precise administration of a radiation dose kills the cells in the area being treated. The aim is to spare the surrounding tissue as much as possible. Radiation has also proven effective in relieving pain associated with osteoarthritis.
Your pet suddenly starts behaving differently. But are these really signs of old age? Animals can also develop brain tumors, which are more common in dogs than in cats. Depending on the size of the tumor and its exact location, it can lead to the failure of various bodily functions.
Inflammation of the brain and/or meninges is common, especially in southern Europe. However, it is also becoming increasingly common in Germany due to the rise in travel with dogs and cats and the import of small animals from Eastern Europe. Disease-carrying insects, which are spreading further north as a result of climate change, are also contributing to this.
Just like humans, animals can get all sorts of tumors. Almost any tissue in the body can be affected. But how and why do tumors start? And is a tumor the same as cancer?
Imagine your dog limping after a walk and your vet uttering the word that makes every pet owner cringe: surgery. Or your cat stops eating and needs an X-ray or blood test, maybe even a stay in the hospital. In moments like these, you want only one thing: to help—immediately and in the best way possible. What you don't want to do is calculate on your calculator whether you can afford it. This is exactly where pet health insurance makes all the difference. It takes away your fear of the bill so you can focus on what matters: your pet. In this first part of our three-part article series "Pet Insurance," we'll show you why insurance is worthwhile for your pet.
Zoonoses are infectious diseases that can be transmitted naturally from animals to humans. They pose a health risk, especially for children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. However, zoonoses can be transmitted not only from animals to humans, but also vice versa, from humans to animals.
