One of the most unfortunate things about festivals in India is that people ignore their pets and other animals around them. It is really important to understand that they need special care and protection during festivals, and especially Diwali.
Here’s how you can help take care of animals during Diwali season.
1. Keeping the animals hydrated can help them overcome stress.
Animals, especially dogs are extremely sensitive to the loud noise and lights from firecrackers. This causes anxiety and dehydration due to increase in salivation.
You can place some bowls of water in and outside your home. By keeping animals hydrated, you will not only help them calm their anxiety but also the aggressive behaviour that is attached with unease.
2. Cleaning the leftovers of burst crackers will protect the animals from consuming toxic materials.
Stray animals have a tendency to chew leftovers on roads. Crackers contain a lot of toxic materials and metals which when consumed can lead to poisoning in animals. Some leftover metal pieces can also cause fatal injuries to them.
3. Bursting crackers at a centralised location will ensure that animals are away from fire and noise.
It is not possible not to burst crackers during Diwali season. When you are doing that, you can try and restrict yourself to a centralized open location so that you are not disturbing the animals hiding in corners.
4. Ensuring that there are no loose electric wires can protect the animals from getting electrocuted.
Diwali is not just about crackers. There might be loosely hanging electric wires that can lure animals to touch them. They can accidentally get entangled in these wires and are at the risk of electrocution.
5. Keeping a list of local NGO contacts ready with you will let you help any animal in emergency.
Diwali is the time when animals can get injured easily. If you come across any injured animal, you should immediately contact NGOs or any other government body that can help them.
As far as the pets are concerned, you can also take your pet to a veterinarian a day before Diwali, and get an anti-anxiety injection administered to keep them calm.
The best thing that for your pets is to keep them indoors and play a familiar music inside the house. This will distract the animals from loud bursting crackers. You can also close the windows and doors during the few days of the festival to reduce the impact of the loud crackers.
Animals respond to aromatherapy just like humans and, according to doctors, the fragrance of essential oils or scented candles go a long way in helping them calm down.
Remember, animals are also sentient beings and deserve our care and compassion.
