CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF DOGS DURING RAINY SEASON

Pashu Sandesh, 24 August 2020

Dr Priya Kalla 

Rain after intense summer heat is a welcome relief for us and also for our pets too. Pet plays an important role in our lives. Pets are considered as the most loyal member of the family. Like kids pets also require special care. With the change in seasons, your dog’s routine and diet need to be changed. Every dog pet has got different specifications depending on their breeds. However, this is also the time we need to take extra care of pet’s hygiene.”Pets are most prone to water-borne diseases, Dermatitis, Ear infections in dogs”. Most of these diseases are caused by aggravated by contaminated water and high humidity.     

Protect those Paws: During monsoons, your canine companions are exposed to moisture, which makes them susceptible to Pododermatitis. "Do not leave your dog's paws wet for long. Use blotting paper to wipe them clean time and again. Rinse with clean water.  If you have a long-coat pet, keep the fur between the paw pads trimmed. This will keep the stubborn mud that can cling, off their paws.

Keep their Ear clean: During monsoon, you need to clean their ears with a cotton bud every day.

Keep their coat dry: To avoid damp coats, and the accompanying odour, you will need to wipe them dry every time they get wet.  Brush your pet religiously at least twice a day and keep their coat dry. Don’t allow them to sit on the wet surface for a long time to prevent skin diseases.

Stop Tick, Fleas Attack: Monsoon is the breeding season for Ticks, as a result, the chances of a pet becoming infested with Ticks or Fleas are high.  These pesky parasites can transmit a number of deadly diseases to the canine. It’s important to keep your dog’s sleeping spot clean and free of ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and other bugs. Give them a bath with anti-tick shampoo and rubbed with anti-tick ointment. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Keep them away from dirty water; make sure they drink clean water. Cases of Gastroenteritis characterized by diarrhoea, vomiting is a common ailment found among dogs and cats.      

Offer A Diet rich in fibre: With the change in season, your pet’s diet plan needs to be changed. Monsoon affects your pets exercise thus provide him with fibre rich food. Do not allow overeating.      

Diseases During Rainy Season:                                                                                                                            

1. Canine Distemper: rainy season lowers the defences of our pets, so senior dogs could be vulnerable to this virus, which is aggressive as the one that attacks puppies.
2. Kennel Cough: Factors like rain, and humidity, added to other factors like low defences and stress, can cause, both in dogs and cats, the development of the disease known as kennel cough  
3. Respiratory Distress: If your dog is suffering from cold during the rainy days, the chances of him contracting a bacterial, viral or fungal infection such as Pneumonia is high.                                                
4. Diarrhoea: Diarrhea is one of the common diseases during rains. It can be defined as the fast movement of undigested food in the intestine; as a result, frequent loose motion can happen in your dog. If diarrhoea is accompanied with reduced appetite and vomiting, it can cause other infections such as bacterial, viral and fungal infections in your dog’s digestive system.
5. Leptospirosis:  a bacteria-like spirochete carried naturally by wildlife. In high rainfall situations, it is prevalent in the environment. More often, the leptospira are washed by rains into standing water. Pets wading, swimming or drinking the contaminated water develop the disease.  

Deworm &Vaccinate them before Monson: Proper Vaccination can prevent many of the disease, puppies above one month should be vaccinated and followed by booster doses Deworming and Vaccination will provide immunity and help your pet to fight against many diseases.

Dr Priya Kalla (Teaching Associate)

College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, 

  RAJUVAS, Bikaner, Rajasthan