Have you ever wondered why animals or your pets look like they never get sick? Some people claimed that animals never get sick. However, is this a hundred percent factual or not? Let me give you a factual answer.
Why do animals never get sick? Animals do get sick. However, they don’t get sick as often as humans. That is why it seems like they never get sick. The reason why is because animals are genetically stronger to fight their illness than humans. When animals get sick, they become their own doctors.
There are other things you can learn about our topic. We are going to answer different questions related to our subject. If you are ready, let’s go!
First, let’s answer the question about if animals in the wild get sick.
Do Animals In The Wild Get Sick?
Yes, animals in the wild do get sick. They can get various illnesses like cancer.
However, wild animals genetically have a stronger immune system than your pets and you. When animals are born and live in the wild, their metabolism gets used to living in that exact environment and its possible health risks.
It is like a human being that lives in a country that has a hot climate. A human being that was born in a hot climate can tolerate hot weather better than someone born and used to live in a cold country.
However, this doesn’t mean those wild animals will never get sick. There is one discovery that struck me. That discovery is about animals that get sick. When animals get sick, they become their own doctors. They don’t go to some veterinarian. They have their own ways of treating themselves.
Animals in the wild rarely get sick. When they get sick, recovery is not always possible. Why? Because that sick wild animal might be living far away from its medicine plant, or they might get hunted by healthy predators before they have a chance to recover from their sickness. Some illnesses require a vet, which they don’t have.
Do Animals Avoid Sick Animals As Humans Do?
Yes! Animals may also avoid their sick friend, family, or children.
Yale scientists have found out that healthy animals can detect sickness among other animals and have the guts to avoid them. They can recognize and stay away from other animals that have a viral infection that could infect them. Professor David Skelly said:
“Biologists had long speculated that animals might gain an advantage from being able to avoid diseased animals, but there was no experimental evidence.”
“If these behaviors are widespread, they could be important in making accurate predictions of the spread of disease.”
Animals have brains. That is why they can think. They know what to do to keep them safe and live a longer life. If there is an animal that has a deadly sickness that can infect them, they will avoid that sick animal if it’s the only way for them to survive.
Why Do Animals Do Not Get Sick Too Often As Humans?
There are three things where animals and humans differ from each other. That is why they don’t get sick too often as humans. The three things are:
- Diet
- Lifestyle
- Environment
Diet
Before, our ancestors did not get sick often. This is because of what they intake inside their stomachs. Our ancestors eat healthy and natural foods only, no preservatives.
However, today, we humans are intaking lots of processed foods inside our bodies that cause cancer and other diseases. Animals before are also healthy because they also intake healthy foods as our ancestors do.
Even today, animals are still healthy because their diet never changes. However, except our pets. Our pets eat lots of processed foods, like dog foods. We disregard feeding them some natural foods, like steamed chicken or fish.
Most pet owners usually just pour dog food or cat food on their pet’s bowl, then done. They don’t give some time to cook fresh meat or fish for their pet. Why? Because they are too lazy to cook!
This is the reason why wild animals are much healthier than humans and pets. Pets and humans are intaking more processed foods than natural and healthy foods today. While wild animals still have the same diet as our ancestors before.
Lifestyle
The other reason why animals don’t get sick as often as humans is because they have a healthy and less stressful lifestyle.
Humans get stress more often than animals. We have lots of things that we worry about that causes stress to us, like our daily jobs, home expenses, and more! While animals only think about how to survive and what they should eat later.
Animals have a healthier lifestyle than humans, especially animals living in the wild. Wild animals always run and walk around the jungle, while humans are always sitting in front of their computer monitors. See the difference?
This is the reason why people that exercise is much healthier than people who are always in front of their gadgets. Lifestyle is one factor that will determine how healthy and away from sickness a living thing would be. If you have an unhealthy lifestyle, don’t expect to be healthy in the coming years.
A healthy lifestyle is eating healthy foods, exercising always, limits the use of gadgets, socializing with other people, and limits the intake of processed or fast foods like Mcdonalds.
Environment
Animals living in nature are healthier than animals living in zoos and reservations. Wild animals are eating and living as they should be, and they bloom in an environment where they are meant to live.
Humans and domesticated animals are living in an environment where pollution is abundant. The air humans and domesticated animals breathe are not healthy like the air animals living in nature breathe. Radiation, microbes, and chemicals are plenty in urban places than in rural.
The environment is another factor that will determine how healthy a living thing would be. If an animal lives in an environment full of toxins and microbes, it will often get sick. But if they are living in a healthy environment, they will never often get sick.
What Animals Never Get Sick?
Have you ever wondered if there is an animal that is so healthy where viruses don’t affect them? Who is that animal?
What animal never gets sick? The shark is an animal that has a strong immune system. They are the only ones that rarely get sick. Sharks are immune to any diseases, and their cause of death is usually because of old age.
The other animal that most likely never gets sick is the ostriches. Ostriches are one of the oldest species on Earth. They have ancestors millions of years ago, which is the age of dinosaurs. Ostriches are one of the animals in the top ten that have the strongest immune system.
What Animals Have A Weak Immune System?
Now that we are done talking about the two animals that have strong immune systems, let’s talk about next the animals that have a weak immune system. Who is that animal?
According to sciencedaily.com, cheetahs are the animal that has a weak immune system. They are vulnerable species. Cheetahs are prone to various diseases because of their weak immune system.
Why Don’t Animals Catch Colds?
Have you ever seen an animal that has colds? If not, do you know the reason why? Let me tell you the reason.
Why don’t animals catch colds? Animals can catch colds, but they will never get your colds. The common cold humans get is specifically for humans only. In simple words, the colds of humans are different from animals. Animals can’t catch human colds and vice versa.
What Do Animals Do When They Are Sick?
There are many ways animals do when they are sick, depending on their sickness. One common thing they do when they are sick is sleep. Sleeping is one of the best ways to recover and heal yourself from your sickness.
All animals will do everything they need to do to increase their chances of survival, for example, dogs. Dogs will eat some grass when they have some digestive problems. Chimpanzees that are sick eat plants. Animals know what their sickness and what cure should be done.
But how do they know how to heal themselves? Scientists believe that it is because of evolution. Evolution gives animals the ability to choose the right things they need to do when they are sick. They know what kind of herbal medicine they should intake and how many hours they should sleep.
Animals that know what herbal medicine they should intake in the wild are more likely to live longer. Based on other observations of scientists among primates, this is a skill that can be taught and learned. Mommy chimps will swat out the leaves from their baby’s hands to say that it is not the right herb.
Why Don’t Animals Get Sick From Eating Raw Meat?
The reason why animals don’t get sick from eating raw meat is that they have strong stomach acids. Crocodiles are the animals that have the strongest acid among other species of animals. Strong stomach acids help animals destroy pathogenic bacteria.
You can check my article here if you want to know why animals don’t cook their food. In that article, I also answered this question more broadly. Try checking it out!
Why Don’t Animals Get Sick From Drinking Dirty Water?
The reason why animals don’t get sick from drinking water is that they are already used to it. Animals are always drinking in the same water spot. That is why their bodies already developed resistance against the virus in the water.
Humans need clean water because we already polluted our planet’s water, which is why it is not fit to drink as found in the wild or forest. However, before, we didn’t need clean water.
But because many viruses and diseases have formed because of pollution, humans started to clean water before drinking it.
Final Words
Animals do get sick, but they don’t get sick too often as humans do. That is why it seems like they don’t get sick at all. Animals have stronger immune systems than humans because they have healthier lifestyles compared to us today.
Before, both of our ancestors and animals are healthy because both of them have healthy lifestyles. But today, everything is different.
Source: sciencedaily.com, didyouknow.org, news.yale.edu
