Animal Care

Animal care is the well being of all non-human mammals. Such animal welfare focuses on animal rights and the protection of animals in captivity, as well as their social and psychological needs. Strict formal criteria of animal care vary between various contexts, however, are commonly debated by animal rights advocates, politicians, and researchers. An essential feature of animal rights advocacy is animal sanctuary; a place of refuge or comfort for animals and a place where animals are cared for without any discrimination on grounds of age, sex, breed, or situation.

People who care about animals advocate for the right of shelter, health care, food, and habitat. They also advocate against cruel and neglectful treatment of animals and seek to ensure that pets and other pets in their custody receive all of the medical attention, veterinary care, food, and home comfort that they would otherwise receive if they were residing in an animal care center. In the United States, there are a number of such organizations dedicated to animal care. Many of these organizations have members that have personally adopted pets or are personally caring for sick or neglected pets. These individuals know all about the challenges that pets face in day to day life and have strong compassion for pets that are suffering from disease or disability.

Other organizations that are dedicated to animal care include animal hospitals and clinics. These animal hospitals care for both animals that are suffering from disease and injured pets as well as animals that are simply maimed, homeless, abused, neglected, or suffering from an accident. At these animal hospitals, patients receive medical treatment ranging from preventative care to emergency care. Some of these animal hospitals also perform surgeries, administer vaccinations, perform microchips, perform heart worm testing, and assist in the placement or rescue of animals that are mistreated, abused, neglected, or suffering from an accident.