Taiwan’s aging population issue doesn't only apply to humans. It's also affecting the country’s pets, and animal shelters are struggling to cope with the long-term care of their elderly residents.
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00:00 [dog barking]
00:02 with limited mobility and suffering from dementia.
00:06 16-year-old Lilu eats mush through a syringe,
00:09 just one of dozens of animals in need of constant care,
00:13 living at this government-run shelter in New Taipei.
00:16 When he's lying down, we'll help him move his hands and feet.
00:20 We help him urinate every day.
00:22 Just like their human counterparts,
00:24 Taiwan's pets are facing a crisis of age,
00:27 as fewer caregivers try to cater to a growing number of animals
00:31 requiring long-term care.
00:33 The biggest difference between a normal animal and a pet
00:36 is that their mobility is reduced.
00:40 I think it's more difficult to take care of
00:42 those who are paralyzed or have a limp.
00:44 We need to help them get up or help them get up,
00:48 at least take turns to move a little.
00:51 Staff at this shelter,
00:52 one of just eight such government-run shelters in a city
00:55 that's home to over 300,000 pets,
00:58 craft their own solutions to their residents' needs,
01:01 such as homemade wheelchairs for animals with mobility issues
01:04 and collision guards for pets with visual impairments.
01:08 But scarce resources limit how much help staff can give on site.
01:12 We will do our best to help people.
01:15 If we need to do more,
01:17 we will send people to the animal shelter
01:20 to get a nose job or a nose job.
01:24 To help cope with an aging pet population,
01:26 the new Taipei Animal Protection Office
01:28 is planning to build a municipal long-term pet care hospital,
01:33 though some veterinarians recommend pet owners and shelters
01:36 consider more humane options for ailing animals.
01:40 We have met the owner that want to postpone
01:44 as long as the animals can live.
01:46 We actually have a scale, the quality of life scale,
01:51 that we will perform, which is the 5H to 2M scale.
01:56 The 5H is the hydration, hurt, hunger, hygiene and happiness.
02:02 2M means mobility,
02:04 and does the animal have more good days than the bad days?
02:09 And if the point is under 35,
02:12 then I will suggest to do the euthanasia.
02:17 As Taiwan's four-legged residents age alongside their owners
02:20 and shelters begin reaching capacity,
02:23 animal lovers will be forced to consider
02:25 when's the right time to say goodbye.
02:28 Andy Shue and Rhys Ayres for Taiwan Plus.
02:31 (dog barking)