Many people know just how harmful addiction can be. The stories of the lives touched and tortured by addiction are endless. There are letters written to family members in treatment by loved ones who have had to suffer through their addiction. However, there is a whole other segment that is affected by addiction in profound ways, and yet they are never heard from or heard about. They are the true silent majority in the casualties of addiction; they are pets.

Pets are supposed to be honored and honorary members of the family, but more often than not they are the first living beings to suffer when their owner is incompetent, and they are the ones that suffer the most because they don’t have a voice. When their owner finds themselves in the throws of their addiction they can barely care for themselves and thus caring for a pet is the last thing on their mind. Of course, if there isn’t another responsible adult or even child around to make sure that they are being taken care of, the pet could find themselves in harms way.

Pets that are not cared for are prone to suffer from malnutrition and are subject to being abandoned. These pets are often left alone for days at a time without food or water, and are often left out in the cold. If you are aware of someone who is suffering with addiction, and has a pet, it is vitally important that you nip the situation right in the bud. The owner needs to surrender their pet to someone else who can care for it until they have their addiction under control, or they need to find a rehab facility through a website like Rehab-International.org that is welcoming not just of them, but of their pet as well. Finding help for an addict is always a top priority, but finding help for an addict with a pet is of monumental importance.