5 ways veterinarians make the world a better place

VETERINARIANS are an important part of our lives. The impact that veterinarians make in the lives of various animals is immense and contributes to maintaining adequate animal population levels and preserving the delicate balance of our ecosystems in India and around the entire world. The veterinarians that we might commonly come across are medical doctors who treat our pet animals but on World Veterinary Day, we learn that their work expands to the prevention, treatment and eradication of illnesses and diseases of street animals such as dogs, working animals such as horses and camels, livestock animals such as hens and wildlife such as elephants and tigers. 

 

This makes the work of veterinarians around the world important since animal migrations take birds and other species across national borders and continents for breeding and restoring their health in better climates. The crucial work that veterinarians do, apart from giving animals medical care, include advocating for laws that ensure animals are not harmed by pollution and heavy industrialization and also raising awareness among general populations on animal welfare. World Veterinary Day is observed on April 26th to celebrate veterinarians as essential health workers and honoring their important work in animal welfare.

 

Street animals

The most common street animals are cats and dogs who live outside and survive on food from the garbage or from scraps of food that people give them. These animals do not have shelter from the harsh weather and are also victims of mistreatment from people who beat, kick, burn or run over them with their cars or bikes causing broken bones, burnt flesh, blindness and severe wounds.

 

The compassionate veterinarians of NGOs for street animals rescue dogs and cats from the streets and give them emergency medical treatment, surgeries, medicines, nutrition and a safe place to live to help them heal from the injuries sustained on the streets. Once healed, these animals live in the warm and loving home of the NGO. This World Veterinary Day, help veterinarians care for wounded street animals: 

 

Help Street Animals

 

Working animals

In tourist places such as beaches and hill stations, working animals such as horses, mules, donkeys or camels are used to carry people and goods across long distances for trade or tourism. Even though laws and guidelines limit the weight these animals can carry and the number of hours they can be used for work, working animals are still forced to overwork without food, water or rest leading to injuries and death.

 

The result is broken legs, deformed limbs and exhaustion. Furthermore, once these animals can no longer work, they are abandoned but cannot survive on their own. NGO veterinarians for working animals nurture and care for these animals with rehabilitation, surgeries, nutrition, clean water and safe shelter. This World Veterinary Day, help veterinarians care for injured working animals:

 

Help Working Animals

 

Livestock animals

For animals that are raised for slaughter, there are still conditions to be met and criteria to be followed to avoid excess suffering, even though animals such as hens and chickens are livestock animals. This includes not cramming them into crates that are too small to move around, breaking their beaks or legs and killing the animals through painful and unnecessary torture. 

 

The veterinarians of NGOs that care for livestock animals work with poultry farms across India to make sure that hens and chickens are not kept in inadequate conditions and have the space to move around, eat nutritious feed and live in cage-free environments for as long as they are alive. This World Veterinary Day, help veterinarians care for mistreated livestock animals:

 

Help Livestock Animals

 

Wildlife animals 

In areas with human settlements located near animal habitats, human-animal conflict becomes a problem that results in the deaths of both people and wildlife. Elephants are often electrocuted, leopards and tigers are hunted and exotic snakes and birds are trafficked into the illegal wildlife trade. This disruption in the ecosystem has severe consequences leading to animals becoming endangered or extinct. 

 

There are veterinarians that are specialized in tending to the needs of injured wildlife animals and giving them the medical support needed in an environment that resembles their natural habitat and natural food sources, while equipping people living near animal habitats with alternate livelihood sources and safety mechanisms. This World Veterinary Day, help veterinarians care for endangered wildlife: 

 

Help Wildlife Animals

 

Pet animals

In homes across the world, pets such as dogs and cats are often kept in conditions that are harmful to their health, environments that are not ideal for their breed, abused and mistreated or even abandoned when they become too big or too old to be kept inside the house. This causes pets to suffer from malnutrition, distress, diseases and even a broken heart after being abandoned on the side of the road. 

 

NGOs for mistreated or abandoned pets have veterinarians that are trained to care for such animals with a safe and loving home, regular and nutritious meals, medical support to nurse them back to good health and the care and patience to rebuild their trust with humans once more. This World Veterinary Day, help veterinarians care for abused and abandoned pet animals:

 

Help Pet Animals

 

Support veterinarians who care for animals

It is said that it takes a village to raise a child. In a similar vein, the 2025 theme for World Veterinary Day is Animal Health Takes a Team. This theme reflects our need to come together as citizens, educators, government authorities, NGOs and veterinarians to ensure that all animals have the care and support of veterinarians to meet the legal guidelines of animal welfare. This World Veterinary Day, your charitable support to these organizations can help veterinarians care for the needs of street animals, working animals, livestock animals, wildlife and the pet animals in our homes. Happy World Veterinary Day! 

 

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