Monsoon Care Tips for Dogs

Who doesn’t like a good spell of rain after stuffy, scorching summer? Cool, windy days with zero pollution. You are not alone! No one more than your pooches after being tucked in houses for ages (for them). For our furry friends, like us, monsoons come with a sigh of relief and a chance to let loose.

As exciting as a rainy outing for our canine buddies sounds, it comes with extra responsibility for their parents. High humidity and contaminated water can affect your fur baby’s health negatively. Your pet can fall prey to a host of waterborne diseases, gut problems, and infections.

Not to mention those infernal ticks and fleas!

Here, at Hiputee, we care deeply about your four-legged friend’s health. So we have put together a guide to take care of your furry darling’s hygiene, so that they, and you can enjoy the seasonal showers without any worry or pain.

• Keep their paws dry.

What fun to take our furry friends to watery streets and let them splash and enjoy there with abandon! But beware, this fun activity can cost you your pet’s paw health. Prolonged exposure to stagnant water and damp streets can result in weakened follicles on your pet’s paws. This can lead to a condition called pododermatitis, in which paw skin can get inflamed and injured. Some dogs may fall to further diseases if they are in habit of licking their paws.

Veterinarians suggest simple tactics to shield your pet against this. Simple, do not leave your fur baby’s paws wet for long, especially after coming back from a walk in the rain. Wipe them off, rinse with clean warm water, wipe again, and remove mud and other debris. Use anti-fungal powder to stave off any allergies or fungal attacks.

You can also ensure that your pet’s fur is trimmed between paws to avoid retaining dirt. But do not clip their paw nails too close to the skin! This can result in bleeding and even worse, infection. If your doggie allows it, put on some dog boots on their paws.

• Keep them away from dirty, stagnant water.

This one is a no-brainer after the first. No matter how many puppy eyes you have to steel your heart against, remember that your fur baby’s health and hygiene come first. Contaminated water can ail your pet badly, with diseases like diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and other gut problems.

In addition, keep their troughs filled with clean water and change it timely. This will keep them hydrated and discourage them from drinking from dirty puddles. Do not ignore warning signs like lethargy, nausea, excessive urination and fever. If they fall sick, give them bland food like rice and curd. If their health worsens, do not hesitate before contacting your pooch’s doctor.

• Clean their ears once a day.

Monsoons can become the breeding season for several micro-organisms and germs, which can make their home in your furry companion’s ears. Although ear cleaning should be done dutifully once a month at least, amp up the scale for the rainy season. Whip out a cotton bud once a day and use it to clean your pet’s ears. Make use of Hiputee’s herbal ear cleanser to ensure that your pet’s ears are spotless.

In case you notice signs of ear infection, rush your pupper to the vet immediately. Dogs having longer and close ears are at greater risk of catching ear infections.

• Conditions and Diseases

Keep them away from frogs and lizards.

Rainy season means visits from many unsavory and toxic guests, including frogs and lizards. Their crawling and darting motion may attract the attention of your pet who may want to play with these curious objects.

If you find your pet with a frog or lizard in their mouth, make them drop these creatures at once. Induce vomiting by giving them vinegar. You can also sprinkle some salt on the back of their tongue to flush out toxins.

• Keep their coat dry.

Rainy days are high on humidity and moisture. These can be bad news for our lovely pets. A wet coat can result in your four legged friend catching bacterial or fungal infections. In worse cases, it may also lead to pneumonia or other respiratory problems.

Make sure their coats are dry and clean. Use a towel to dry their coat. Ideally, brush their coat at least twice a day, particularly after a day outside. For an exceptionally irresistible day, bring out a waterproof pet raincoat and go for a long walk with your furry friend (of course, avoiding the waterlogged streets).

If an odour accompanies the wet coat, give them a bath (and dry them afterwards properly). If the smell persists, invest in a dog powder or deodorant.

• Give them a bath with a Tick & Flea Shampoo.

Ticks can make life hell for your poor pooches- and for you. Monsoons can aggravate the tick and flea infections to serious degrees. To avoid them, it’s time to bring out effective Tick and Flea shampoo and give them an all-cleansing bath.

Moreover, ensure that their bed or resting place is clean, dry and free from ticks, bugs, mosquitoes and other parasites. You should keep your pet’s coat clean by plucking off the offending ticks. Make sure to throw these pesky parasites into a container of kerosene or detergent-mixed water.

You can also buy some anti-tick collars, sprays or powders to keep the infection at bay. If an infection develops nonetheless, or an allergy manifests itself, do not hesitate in getting the required medical help.

• Vaccinate before the rainy season begins.

Before the onset of wet season, make sure that you have your canine buddy de-wormed and vaccinated. Rain and moisture can bring a plethora of infection-causing bacteria and virus with them. Leptospirosis and giardia are two such fearsome diseases. So it is better to take preventative measures beforehand for your pet’s safety.

Keeping your doggie inside the house during rainy season can be heartbreaking for both of you. Of course, in extreme weather conditions, keep them indoors and busy. Especially during thunder spells, when they may want to rush into your bedroom and under your bed.

But as the rainy, cool, pleasant opportunity presents itself, do not curtail their fun. Let them run and play to their heart’s content during the next overcast day without any fear of elements with these few handy tips.