Diwali is the great Indian festival of lights. Everyone across India celebrates Diwali surrounded by their loved ones, munching on snacks, making rangoli lighting up the sky with firecrackers.
However, this festival of love light can cause trouble to our very beloved pets. While the sound of firecrackers gives us festive vibes, it makes the pets panic hide, in search of shelter.
The non-stop bursting of crackers can bother your pets a lot, it can cause them anxiety panic. Hence it is necessary to set up a safe environment for the pet before the festivities begin so that they feel safe and protected.
If your pet is going to witness Diwali for the first time, the tips to be shared here will be of great help to you.
This year, let’s ensure our pets have a happy, safe a Pet Friendly Diwali, by following these simple steps:
1) Avoid going out during the celebration
Taking pets out during the Diwali celebration can make them nervous panicky. This panic will cause them to run around frantically and they will end up hurting themselves by trying to dig, hide jump to escape.
If taking them out is unavoidable, make sure you don’t leave the leash and also mark their collar with your contact information.
If your pet loves spending time in the backyard or outside the house, don’t forget to call them indoors before the celebration. Also, during Diwali take them on walks only early in the morning, not in the evening or night.
2) Don’t forget to keep them hydrated
When pets are afraid or are feeling anxious they pant salivate a lot. This leads to loss of water in their body.
Also in the fear of bursting firecrackers, pets might forget to drink water, so ensure that you keep their water trays filled and track their water intake during the night.
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3) Create a safe environment for them
For a pet-friendly Diwali, it is important to create a safe environment in a room for the pets. How to do it? Simple, shut all the windows and cover the windows with dark drapes.
Doing so will minimize the sound coming from the outside it also keeps the light outside. These steps will help you in creating a safe haven for your pet.
If your pet is more anxious in comparison to other pets, you can also choose to place them in a crate during the celebration. Using a crate will not provide them with enough space to move in panic will also keep them cozy and protected.
Besides these two things, you can play white sound on the speaker, white noise is every sound at every frequency played at random, which stops these abrupt noises from startling the pet. This will soothe and calm down your pet, help them relax.
4) Keep treats toys handy
It is difficult to mute the sound of fireworks completely. Shutting the windows and drawing the curtains will reduce the frequency of sound but it can’t eliminate the sound.
Keeping treats like biscuits, bones and chewy toys handy during fireworks will be helpful in distracting your pet if there is a loud blow of fireworks outside the house.
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5) Give them an anxiety sedative
If in the past you have experienced your pet panicking more than usual at the sound of the fireworks then it might be a symptom of anxiety.
Other symptoms of anxiety in pets are heavy shedding and excessive yawning. If this is the case it is advised to provide your pet with an anxiety sedative during Diwali after consulting with a Vet.
In the long run, to treat the problem, you can also see a veterinary behaviourist, who specialise in studying animal behaviour and can help with the condition.
6) Cover their nostrils
Noses of dogs and cats are highly sensitive, the smoke emitted by the bursting of crackers can cause them severe allergies and breathing problems.
So, if you have an air purifier at home, it is advised to keep it running to ensure the pet’s safety during fireworks.
Though it is not necessary to invest in an air purifier for this particular purpose, there are dog masks available in the market, which can protect your pet’s nose, by not letting them inhale the harmful smoke.
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7) Trim their fur
Dogs are usually playful, and they might stumble upon a diya around the house and get a burn.
Plus, if you have a furry dog, it is highly advised to trim their fur during Diwali, because their fur might catch fire and end up hurting them.
These were the tips to ensure pet safety during fireworks, but what about stray dogs cats? We also have a responsibility towards them.
Mentioning here a few tips that will help you, help stray dogs and cats.
1) Provide them with shelter
If you have a good garage or garden in the house, invite the strays to stay there for a while, until the festivities are over. You can also draw out some blankets to cover them, this will make them feel safer.
2) Provide them with food and water
At night during the bursting of firecrackers, dogs can’t go to fetch food and water for themselves. So, if you can provide them with a tub of water and biscuits, it’ll be a great relief for them.
These are the steps that must be followed to ensure a Pet Friendly Diwali, but isn’t Diwali incomplete without a gift? Complete your ‘Pet friendly Diwali’ by gifting your pet their twin, gift them a Digital Pet Painting.
