July 4, 2024, 12:03 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
A visit to the vet is often an insurmountable obstacle for pet owners enduring hardship because treatments are just too expensive. This is where associations such as “Bunter Hund” in Leipzig support pet owners in need.
From a broken paw to a sealed eye and deworming treatment, veterinary treatments can be very expensive. Charitable organizations such as „Bunter Hund“ in Leipzig step in to help people in need, such as individuals that are homeless, suffering from addiction, or otherwise in need of help with the costs of veterinary care for their pets. They do this in many of the major German cities.
“Even when people are impoverished and facing challenging life circumstances, they still deserve the companionship of a pet,” says chairwoman Becky Wehle. This is why the association, in collaboration with five veterinary practices in Leipzig, provides support through consultation appointments once a week.
“It’s a different practice every Wednesday,” Wehle clarifies. There are always ten free appointments for the pets of people in need. Owners have to register with the association and then receive a referral slip. The association has existed since 2011 and was originally the idea of two veterinary students from Leipzig.
Costs for pets have risen sharply recently
The cost of keeping pets is on the rise in Germany. Veterinary costs rose sharply last year due to the adjustment of the fee schedule in November 2022. Prices for electricity and food are also rising due to inflation. According to data from the Industrieverband Heimtierbedarf (IVH) e. V. and the Zentralverband Zoologischer Fachbetriebe Deutschlands e. V. (ZZF), pet owners spent 1076 billion euros more on pet food than they did in 2021.
Looking forward, it is likely that not only individuals in dire need, like the homeless or those with addictions, will depend on complimentary veterinary care for their pets, but also those with low incomes. Animal shelters have also reported to PETBOOK that there is an increasing trend of people giving up their pets due to financial struggles.
Who can benefit from the help of these associations?
To qualify for assistance in Leipzig, being in financial distress alone is not sufficient. Pet owners have to be in a special situation, explained Wehle. “If someone is homeless, this can be a reason for assistance, (or) if there is a history of addiction or mental illness,” says Wehle.
In Berlin, the service is primarily aimed at homeless people. There are several services in Berlin, such as free veterinary consultations for homeless pet owners run by Berliner Tiertafel e.V. and KUBUS, or the HundeDoc project, which mainly treats the animals of destitute young people and young adults living on the streets or in public spaces (squares) who also receive socio-pedagogical support. In Bonn, there’s a dedicated service for the elderly. There, the mobile veterinarian from the association Einsatz für Tiere in Not (Help for animals in need) is used for people over 60, especially.
Survey on the new schedule of fees Due to increased costs, many dog owners are waiting longer before going to the vet
Office dogs, puppies, training problems The sobering result after the dog boom
Veterinary medicine What is the difference between castration and sterilization?
Voluntary work
Veterinary practices frequently perform this service on a volunteer basis. In Leipzig, however, they are dependent on donations for medication and emergency operations, says vet Sabine Zimmermann-Kuhn. Her small veterinary practice is one of five practices that, on a weekly basis, treat the pets of people in need, such as the homeless and addicts.
The organization undertakes this work to help both people and animals facing social hardships. “Animals provide support, motivation, and security,” explains Wehle. Zimmermann-Kuhn also says that animals are an important source of support, especially for people who are financially or socially disadvantaged or suffer from mental illness. “We see how important animals are as partners for people every time we have a consultation,” says the vet.
In Darmstadt, the local animal shelter, together with the specialist advice center Teestube Konkret of the Diakonie, offers a so-called underdog consultation hour, where animals of homeless people receive free emergency veterinary care. Hesse’s largest veterinary practice at Frankfurt’s Hauptwache offers consultation hours for homeless people and people who collect unemployment benefits every first Saturday of the month. In Hamburg, according to the news magazine Hamburger Abendblatt, vet Karen Voelkel and her team work with the homeless charity of the German Red Cross (DRK) to care for dogs whose owners would never be able to afford a visit to the vet.
Content includes material from dpa