The pictures of the animals are heart breaking.
As many in the midwest deal with the worst flooding conditions they have seen in more than 50 years both pet owners and farmers have been forced to evacuate, often without their pets or livestock. It is understandable then that pet lovers are animal advocates have been doing their best to come to the rescue. Videos of hay being helicoptered in to a horse barn where the animals are standing in waist high water show the desperation; photos of the airboats trying to rescue cats from a house that has water nearly to the roof indicate the pain.
As the residents of many of these midwestern towns deal with the fact that it may be days, perhaps weeks before it is safe to return to their homes, many are relying on the generosity of local vets and professional animal handlers who are traveling in from out of state, there is an increased level of concern while waiting for the waters to recede.
Veterinary Clinics Offer a Wide Range of Services to Many Kinds of Animals
As the nation watches the plight of both persons and animals in the Midwest, there are many high end and low cost vet clinics alike who are collecting donations to send to those most in need. Area animal care clinics that are outside of the flooded areas in the midwest are opening their doors to any stray animals that are found and are using the internet to try to reunite owners with their pets.
We often think of low cost vet clinics providing the most affordable way to make sure that a pet cat or dog gets its needed shots so that it can stay healthy. In times of crisis, however, the majority of these pet care providers look for a way they can contribute.
One of the reasons that so many people are sympathetic to the pets who are in peril in the midwest is that there are many pet owners across the country who worry about what they would do in the same situation. Did you know, for instance, that as many as 38,900,000 households own cats? Likewise, there are more than 75 million pet dogs in the U.S., a number representing more than in any other country. Both of these statistics represent a large number of pet lovers across the nation who are eager to help families, and their pets, in the midwest.