World Veterinary Day 2020: Promoting Better Animal Health to Save the World from Another Pandemic

We are living in mad times – a quarantined/isolated life, a work-from-home regime, and even worse, a time where going out of our homes can cost us our lives! The outbreak of COVID-19 or, as we know it, the Coronavirus pandemic, has taught us the value of the blessed lives (not just human lives but animal lives too) that we often take for granted. The virus first emerged in animals and has now found a home in us humans, and is causing a loss of thousands and thousands of precious lives on the earth. The way this contagion has passed on to the lives regardless of the species, is enough to give us a reality check – a realization that human health and animal health is more interconnected with each other than we think. Taking care of the animal health is what we need to have a better human health, and ultimately a better environment.

Every year on the last Saturday of April, World Veterinary Day is celebrated to promote the veterinarians who work on improvement of the animal and human lives, the environment, food safety, and practices of animal transport for they know that human health, animal health and environment are inextricably linked to each other. This year’s theme of World Veterinary Day ‘Environment Protection for Improving Animal and Human Health’ also revolves around the extremely important link between these three entities. On World Veterinary Day, let’s explore how we can make an impact on animal health and welfare on individual level, so that the world can be saved from facing another deadly contagious.

Adopting Vegetarianism 

The feeling of compassion is a human tendency and is an important humanely trait for survival. The care for environment comes only if you have compassion for nature. Just like the flora, the fauna is also nature. So, showing compassion towards the fauna is quite essential to save the environment. As we all know, many of us consume non-vegetarian food for various reasons. So, to start with taking care of animal health, one should a feeling of compassion towards animals that they eat. Adopting vegetarianism is the first step towards saving the world. 

With this, not only can we promote animal welfare, but also save human health. In most of the slaughter houses, these animals are ill-treated, and eating them could adversely affect the human health too! So, if there’s a lack of compassion for those animals, then maybe compassion for your own life could also make it better for both species! 

Take Pets to Vets for Vaccination Regularly 

Another thing we can do to ensure a better animal health is to take our beloved pets to Veterinarians to vaccinate them and take them for routine checkup. Getting your pets vaccinated is important because it can save your pets against deadly diseases.

Even if you find any stray dog or animal who needs some help, you must take them to the veterinarians whenever possible. If they are already vaccinated then well and good, but if there’s a need for vaccination, you could be able to help not only the animal but everybody who comes in contact with the animal. 

Giving Proper Nutrition to Animals & Livestock 

If you’re a farmer or cattle rearer, then keeping your livestock fed with proper nutritious food, good ventilation, appropriate housing and other measures designed to protect animal health and ensure food produced from animals is your duty. Keeping your livestock vaccinated for every disease is the key to maintain a better animal health. A high-quality diet is important to ensuring healthy animals, and farmers must note this. A balanced diet and access to fresh water are some of the most essential elements for animals kept for food.