How to Identify Signs of Animal Abuse
Identifying Potential Pet Abuse
We all have a role to play in prevention. All too often, animal cruelty remains undiscovered. By many estimates, 4 out of 5 cases remain concealed, leaving animals to suffer in silence.
Recognizing and reporting animal abuse is especially important, due to the link between animal abuse and domestic violence. A correlation between animal abuse, family violence, and other forms of community violence has been established.
- If a person keeps changing the story about their pet’s history
- Listen to children’s responses to questions about their pets
- Ask about other household pets
- Observe how family members interact with each other
- Observe how an animal acts around certain family members
Warning signs that could raise suspicion a.k.a. red flags:
- Pets with chronic injuries or medical conditions that go untreated
- Other injuries that are healing, in addition to a new injury
- Pet owners who use the services of several veterinarians
- Pet owners who constantly have new puppies or kittens, but not adult or aging pets
- Injuries attributed to unknown causes, i.e. someone tells you that their pet has many accidental injuries
- Multiple injured animals at the same house
Suspect animal cruelty, neglect, or abuse? Call (617) 426-9170 x110 or email cruelty@arlboston.org.
Your calls are confidential; however we will require some information to file a valid police report.
Not sure if it’s animal cruelty? Learn the 7 warning signs.
*Portions of this blog post have been reposted from an article called How to Recognize Animal Abuse and What to do About it by the Veterinary Team Brief by Lisa Bourazak, DVM, MPT, Kate Creevy DVM, MS, DACVIM, and Karen Cornell DVM, PhD, DACVS.