This Diwali, protect your animals from trauma

The city's animals are the silent sufferers in human revelry, so this season take a few precautions or send them to one of the city's many animals resorts  

Boom! Crack! Come Diwali and fireworks light up the skies, in celebration of the victory of good over evil. Young and old alike enjoy bursting firecrackers to celebrate the festival. The city's animal population, however, do not partake in the festivities.

They bear testimony to the fact that firecrackers are harmful, and not only to human beings.

With sound pollution in Mumbai already past permissible decibel levels, firecrackers just add to the already existing noise. Abodh Aras, the CEO of Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD) says, "Animal's hearing capabilities are much more sensitised (at least five times) than ours. They tend to get traumatised with these sudden and loud noises as they are unaware of the source of the sudden noise." 

He advocates giving them some medication to calm them down, but only on doctor's prescription. Some animals also tend to be genetically gun shy - as in they are very sensitive to noise. These animals, according to dog therapist Junaid Merchant, the founder of Canine Skincare, should be entered into a behaviour modification programme.

City veterinarians and animal lovers alike are of the opinion that animals should be given extra care and attention during the festive season. Dr Yuvraj Kaginkar, hospital manager at the BSPCA, says, "Animals who are scared stop eating, playing and just curl up and sit in a corner. They become restless and listless."

At such times, he advises, it is important to be with the animal and ensure they are comfortable. Smaller animals, like puppies imitate the behaviour of their owners when scared or upset. The best solution, according to Merchant is to just ignore the sound and the animal will learn to ignore it too.  The increase in noise aside, pollution is another major cause of worry for animals. The smoke affects animals as their noses are very sensitive. Since animals are closer to ground level, they tend to inhale most of the smoke that is concentrated there.

The best thing to do, according to the doctors, is to either go out of town or send the animals to resorts or safe houses that are away from the city. If not, the owners could follow a few simple rules like closing the windows to drown out the sound, keeping pets away from areas where firecrackers will be burst, putting on an AC to cut out the pollution, playing music or the television at a high volume.

Dr Kaginkar recommends changing the feeding pattern of animals, during the festive season. He says, "The best time to feed them is when they are calm. A drink of cold water before the meal helps to cut the acidity when the animals are scared."  

Sending animals to animal resorts is a viable option these days, considering the number of them available in and around Mumbai. One such place is Royal Kennels. Owners James Nazareth and Calvin Benedict also take in cats and birds, besides dogs. They have four branches: Borivili, Mira Road, Karjat and Pune. "The Karjat farm can take more animals, so during Diwali and other festivals we send some of the animals there," says Benedict. 

Vacation time, beginning from October 24 is a busy time for Aparna Sagar, who keeps dogs and cats at her Andheri home. During Diwali, "I time their walks so that it does not clash with when firecrackers are being burst," she says. Her other precautionary measure is to shut all the windows and put her music system on in order to drown out sounds from the outside.

Basic precautions if followed are enough to ensure that the festival of lights can truly be enjoyed by the entire family: Dogs, cats and birds included. 
l_joanna@dnaindia.net