Did you know that animal shelters play an important role in One Health? I saw in the Cleveland Plain Dealer Metro section that Summit County (where Akron is located) just opened an animal shelter and it reminded me to talk about this.
Bing was a stray but now has a home
Animal shelters are a place where animals and people interact in an environment. Not only that, they are an important part of keeping people and other animals healthy. How do they do that? Let me count the ways.
- People can adopt one of their cats or dogs (sometimes other kinds of animals). Studies have shown that owning a pet can lead to improved emotional health, and a loving home for the pet.
- If the shelter also participates in providing spay and neuter procedures, they reduce the number of unwanted animals. A community can be overrun with unwanted animals living on the streets, leading to a variety of problems.
- By taking or keeping strays off the street, they reduce the number of animals that are prone to disease and exposing pets and people to those diseases.
However, if a shelter is not run properly, it can be an unhealthy environment.
- If a shelter does not have a good infectious disease control program, it can lead to the spread of animal-specific diseases among its furry residents, and/or to the spread of zoonotic diseases to the people who take care of them or who take them home.
- If euthanasia is not performed on vicious animals, it can lead to people getting bitten increasing the risk of infection at the bite site or worse.
I am encouraged to see how many animal shelters have veterinarians and veterinary medical technicians on staff to help provide a safe environment for the animals, as well as for the people who interact with them.
Do you have a pet who you took home from a shelter and provided a safe environment for them? Good for you!
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