Emergency situations - Pets: Rescuers receive thousands of emergency calls
If a pet is suddenly unwell: similar to the emergency number for people in a serious medical situation, there are emergency numbers in Germany for quick help for sick and injured dogs and cats. According to the aid organization Tier-Notruf.de, it wants to establish a special emergency number nationwide in Germany. It has already set up one.
It had received around 2000 emergency calls by the beginning of December, said animal rescue paramedic Patricia Picker. The number is on a par with the previous year. "Anyone who has an animal emergency can seek help there." The organization says it sees a need for a uniform nationwide number.
Contact points in the animal emergency rescue service
So far, there are various animal emergency rescue contact points in several federal states, some of which are concentrated in individual cities. In some cases, volunteers or specially trained experts drive emergency vehicles to the injured or seriously ill animals.
In Thuringia, for example, the State Chamber of Veterinarians has set up an emergency call service to direct pet owners to the nearest veterinarian in an emergency. Around 20,000 calls are received each year, said a spokesperson. There is one vet per district who is on standby if a pet is unwell in the evening or at night. Veterinary clinics are also a point of contact.
More calls in summer than in winter
In the experience of Tiernotruf.de, most emergency calls are received in the summer months. "It's simply because people are more active with their animals and it's light for longer," said Picker. The animal rescuers based in the north also go to emergencies themselves.
"We are only responsible for pets, wild animals are not included," she said. They take care of animals that are poisoned or have accidents, for example. In the aid organization's experience, its rescuers are called out more often in rural areas than in cities. The organization also sees differences between urban and rural areas when it comes to the missions themselves. "In a big city, dogs and cats sometimes fall out of the window. That happens less in the countryside."
Stefan Bröckling from Tiernotruf in Düsseldorf manages a maximum of ten calls a day. He catches injured animals, for example, or rescues them from awkward situations.
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Source: www.stern.de
