Monsoon is the time of the year where we would rather stay indoors gazing through the window at those tiny droplets kiss the grass. A cup of coffee, a perfect book and a four-legged baby snuggling on your lap makes it even more perfect. Let us face it, it is quite the opposite for most of us. Monsoon is the most challenging period of the year for any pet-parent. The first thing that crosses our minds are dirty paws, wet fur and of course the obnoxious odour, rings a bell, right? Here are some useful dos and don’ts that can make yours and your pet’s lives much smoother on those rainy days.

What happens in monsoon?

Monsoon is the time when most of a region’s annual rainfall occurs. Naturally, it makes the air humid and moist. This is the time when, even we are frequently exposed to the fungal, viral, and bacterial infections. If your dog’s fur stays wet for long hours it may invite bacteria, fungus, and other microbes to settle down onto their skin leading to other maladies. Despite us being super precautious if we are getting an infection, imagine the situation of our four-legged babies.

• Start the day with clean & freshwater

Provide them with sufficient clean drinking water and food. Since it is a difficult time never take chances with their health and hygiene. Monsoon and winter are those times of the year where they can be little fussy about drinking water. Which is why the possibility of urinary tract infections are high in monsoon. One other situation that you may come across is the site of these naughty ones drinking dirty water from the puddle. They should be discouraged firmly in such situations. Offering warm water in cold weather and ice cubes in hot weather could encourage them to drink more water.

• Boost up the immunity

Low immunity invites a plethora of issues both in the case of animals and humans. It is one of the root causes of any disease condition. Lower the immunity, more the disease susceptibility. Provide them with supplements that will help to shoot up their immunity. It will be very thoughtful if you could provide them with supplements before monsoon/winter. This will help them to fight most of the infections. If you think that your pet is going to face a stressful or tough period, give them supplements it will help to defend the body better and makes it much easier to cope.

• Cover them up

In this monsoon, you no longer have to restrain them in kennels or rooms. The easiest way to keep the dirt off from your pet is to cover them up. By covering them up I mean, help them to put on their rain gears (raincoats) and those tiny paw boots. Nowadays rainy wear for pets is easily available in all the pet stores as well as in online markets. Most of them are quite feasible too. Another interesting product available in the market is a leash umbrella, where there is a small umbrella attached to its leash. So, you can still take them for strolls even on a rainy day. These rain gears will reduce the chances of your pet getting wet in the first place.

• Dry them immediately

Despite wearing a rain gear, we still find ourselves, as well as our four-legged friend getting wet after a stroll. In such situations, the first thing to do is to dry them as soon as you reach back home. Try drying them with a clean turkey towel initially followed by a hairdryer. 50% of our pets take off when we switch on the drier due to its obvious blare. When we start using it, they often find it quite soothing as the warm air blows against their wet fur, especially in cold weather. Using a dryer is a much convenient option compared to towel drying. It is very necessary to eliminate any kind of moisture from your pet’s body, as moisture will attract fungus and other infections. The areas that we should concentrate on, is axilla (armpit region), inguinal region (stomach/abdomen region), behind the ears, under the neck and between the digits (paw area). These are considered as hot spots for the infection to flare up. It is always much easier to prevent an infection rather than treating them. So, make sure not to leave any remnant moisture in those hot spots.

• Thunder protection

Monsoons are incomplete without thunder and lightning. It is the sound that scares our doggies. Since they can sense and hear twice as louder than we can. It is not surprising, to watch them act frantic and hiding under the chairs, curtains, and tables in monsoons. For all the worried dog-parents, I have a perfect solution for this.

• The first thing to do is to insert cotton plugs into their ears, make sure it is dry. This will help to reduce the intensity of the sound entering the ears.
• Wrap a thick blanket around them covering their ears, chest, and legs. Some dogs may not approve of getting wrapped by a blanket. In such case avoid it.
• There are special collars and shirts available in the market that has a calming effect on pets. These products contain calming pheromones it helps to reduce the anxiety. These are best suited in case of thunder nights and fireworks.
• Certain herbal supplements have a calming effect. You may seek help from your vets in such situations. Such herbs are used as behaviour modifiers, it helps to control fear, anxiety, and emotional stress. It is economically feasible too.

• Scan through the body

Each time when your furry baby reaches back home, scan their entire body for any cuts, abrasions, or wounds. We often miss if there are any small wounds behind those bushes. If there is a cut or wound and if you were to miss it, it can attract flies and they can lay eggs and develop into maggots (myiasis). Wound with maggots always points out the negligence from our side because an attentive wound will never have maggots. As I mentioned earlier give special attention to hot spots too.

Paw is also an important area to check. Stepping on stagnant water or goofing around in the water for a longer duration makes the skin under the paw wrinkle and water sunken. This can invite microorganisms like Leptospira to penetrate the skin. (an organism which causes Mud fever/Weil’s disease. This disease has the potential to spread from animals to humans) These microbes tend to penetrate even an intact skin if it is water softened. This could progress into a systemic infection. Therefore, clean the paws well with warm water. Add a skosh of salt or potassium permanganate (easily available in all pharmacies) then dry them with a clean cloth. Paw butter is also a good option for regular paw hygiene. It can be bought from a pet store or DIY recipes are also available on the internet.

• Keep out from ticks and fleas

Monsoon is a favourable time for ticks and fleas to flourish. They can hide in cracks and crevices which makes them hard to eliminate from the premises. Ectoparasites like ticks and fleas irritate the skin which can lead to dermatitis. It can be very itchy and irritating for them. More often these can end up as rashes, reddened area, swelling in the region, or even hair loss from those areas. Check for ticks and fleas regularly.

• How to check for ticks and fleas?

First, take a medium to large-toothed comb untangle the fur. Then take a fine-toothed comb brush it against the fur in the opposite direction of the hair growth. Comb slowly so that you can appreciate if there are any parasites. Fleas are long legged; therefore, you can often find them jumping here and there as you brush through. Ticks comparatively move slower and once they start to feed on the blood they hardly move, and they increase in size. Taking them off manually will traumatise the skin more, so avoid pulling them with hands or forceps.

There is a wide range of products under different trade names to keep these parasites away. Most of them are highly effective and affordable too. It is available in the form of powders, shampoos, lotions, sprays, pour-on, and even collars. All of them are useful, (Fipronil) preparations are one of my go-to solutions for ticks and fleas. Most of the pet parents are almost successful in getting rid of these ectoparasites but not completely. We often find ourselves questioning why it recurs or didn’t we use it well? Or is not it effective enough etc? This is mainly because they are clever enough to hide in cracks and crevices. In such challenging situations use the anti- ectoparasite solutions on kennels and in the surroundings. There are solutions specially prepared for this purpose. If you simultaneously take care of your pet’s body as well as premises this will no longer be a challenge.

Dear paw-rents let this monsoon be free from all your worries. Prepare your pets for those rainy days. Kiss goodbye to the monsoon blues. Make sure you enjoy this season like every other.

Happy monsoon!

Please follow and like us: