With the coming summer and its share of voluntary departures or not, dropouts are increasing as every year. Dogs and cats are left behind for many reasons.
Abandonments are not just the result of abusers. Sometimes the cost of the trip greatly exceeds what we had planned or the departure is rushed and we do not have all the documents, vaccines, animal chip up to date. With the waves of successive post-Irma departures, the number of stray animals is increasing but we are no longer in an emergency and we have time to manage these departures. Indeed, leaving the territory with your animal requires a time of preparation and a certain budget but to leave it behind is to let it die slowly and above all we abandon the problem to those who stay and who no longer have any real means of action. Helping animals in difficulty today in Saint-Martin is an obstacle course. It is an area renowned for its roughness in normal times and whatever the territory, but after the ravages of a cyclone and the loss of reception structures, the mission is a miracle. By organizing well, it is easy to travel with your animal and avoid leaving it like an old bag. First of all, the legal obligations of vaccination, “microchipping” and passport can be managed over time. No need to do everything at the last minute and on the same day. The law imposes the microchip but without speaking of obligation, it is a relevant tool which makes it possible to find the owner of an animal. There, the gain is double. First, we find our fur ball and then, we avoid the congestion of reception structures. Once the chip is in place, you should also think about changing your contact details when necessary. Regarding vaccines, they are mandatory to avoid the proliferation of diseases as in humans. But talk to your veterinarian, he will explain which ones are really needed right away and which ones you can put off. Rabies, for example, is only mandatory when you leave the country. And then, for the argument "special cat" which consists in telling oneself that the cat is territorial and that consequently taking it is worse than leaving it, know that you are mistaken. Certainly, the cat is territorial but once it lives with us and that we interfere in its natural way of life, we can no longer take refuge behind nature. We took care of it, used to being fed, cared for, cuddled, it is not wild, this cat there. He needs his human.
On the other hand, moving can be difficult for him but there are tricks to simplify our life and to avoid that he is too anxious. Again, a veterinarian will gladly explain to you how to prepare for the departure of a cat or dog, how to avoid stress and panic for the animal and for the master! And you can also get valuable advice on the adaptation process in the new home. When we talk about abandonment, we must take into account the fact that life sometimes leaves us no choice. For these extreme cases, rather than wild abandonment, we prefer the use of associations which know how to accompany without judging in these cases. The animal will be taken care of in the best possible conditions and will not risk its life by wandering.
In the next editions, we will present you different professionals who will explain the risks, the actions to be carried out but also the good advice and the means to help. Finally, remember to sterilize your animals. Sterilization avoids many worries of wandering, fighting, injury, illness ... and also because, at least if you leave them behind and even if it's horrible to say that, there will be less to manage for those who will take care of your problems for you. _NB
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