FYI, it's possible to disable animations entirely in most major browsers, not just only stop them once the page loads -- I have them disabled in all of mine :)
Chrome requires an extension; in Firefox type "about:config" in the URL bar, look for "image.animation_mode", doubleclick it and set its value to "none" (no quotes); in IE go to Tools -> Options -> Advanced, uncheck the box in the Multimedia group labeled "Play animations in web pages"; in Safari you need an extension; in Opera press F12 and uncheck 'Enable GIF/SVG animation'.
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Chrome requires an extension; in Firefox type "about:config" in the URL bar, look for "image.animation_mode", doubleclick it and set its value to "none" (no quotes); in IE go to Tools -> Options -> Advanced, uncheck the box in the Multimedia group labeled "Play animations in web pages"; in Safari you need an extension; in Opera press F12 and uncheck 'Enable GIF/SVG animation'.