ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
​​
​
In this theme, topics covered to think about animal health and well-being.
​​
​
I- Animal captivity - health effects
​
​
Most domestic animals live in captivity. Some live in cages, others can be walked. The restriction of freedom of movement impacts the health of animals.
Indeed, captivity limits the self-regulation of the body's health through its various health mechanisms:
- Blood circulation is slowed down, and therefore the circulatory-respiratory system maintains the overall health of the animal's body less effectively (elimination of toxins, drainage of fluids, respiration and cellular energy);
- The musculoskeletal system deteriorates, the animal adopts bad postures, presence of muscular tension, osteoarthritis, which can in the long term change the shape of bones and joints (calcifications, osteoarthritis, etc.).
- The neurological system is impacted, nerves can be compressed by bad postures, also decrease in nervous stimuli, which can cause dizzy behavior and increase the risk of injuries/accidents;
- The animal's psychology suffers, depression, appearance of mental disorders such as tics, which can affect the physical health of the animal, and loss of motivation, which impacts the complicity and the relationship with its owner;
- The metabolic system functions less well as a result of the slowing down of the circulatory-respiratory system;
To conclude, offering pets as many walks as possible is important in order to allow them freedom of movement and thought. If your pet lives in a cage, increase the size of it as much as possible.
​
​
​
​
​
​
II- Importance - hygiene - animals
​
​
Like all living beings, cleanliness is essential for animal well-being.
Indeed, animals also like to be clean. Let's take animals living in the wild as a reference. They can bathe at the watering holes that they also frequent to drink. If unfortunately it is too cold, it is very likely that they use the morning dew present on the surface of the vegetation in contact with them to maintain the hygiene of their fur/skin/feathers. The passage of wild animals among dense humid vegetation or bathing in water-soaked grass are examples. Some animals also take mud baths, earth baths, etc. We can deduce that even if an animal's tongue can help it maintain its grooming, many phenomena in contact with the external environment (presence of water on the vegetation, sun, etc.) are essential for the hygiene of a wild animal.
In conclusion, the environmental conditions of wild animals allow them to stay clean. Hygiene is vital for the health of living beings and this importance translates into a dependence of well-being on cleanliness. A clean animal will be healthy and happy. Do not hesitate to wash (baths or showers) your pets as frequently as possible to achieve a level equal to the conditions of wild life.