All about caring for street dogs or community dogs

CARING FOR COMMUNITY DOGS is easier when you team up with other dog lovers, but these are the basics to help our furry friends:

- Vaccinate. At the bare minimum, dogs should be vaccinated against rabies every 1-3 years depending on the vaccine. If your budget extends, get them vaccinated for distemper and parvo virus also, ideally when puppies.

- Spay & Neuter. This is the only way to humanely control the street dog population, and prevent problems caused by having too many dogs in one area. Team up with a local NGO to get your community dogs fixed.

- Reflective Collars. This simple low-cost intervention reduces the risk of traffic accidents. Collars cost from ₹ 50 each from organisations such as Pawsitivity. Do not collar puppies, if the collar is the right fit it starts to hurt as the puppies grow, and if it's loose it comes off anyway.

- If you Feed, Feed Responsibly. Street dogs live by scavenging/begging from food stalls, garbage dumps, and dog feeders. If you start feeding, be careful that you do not make them dependent on you, and keep within your budget. Have a back up plan for if you go away. Dispose of any waste properly. Never throw plastic jars or cans as animals including wildlife can get stuck and die. Feed away from shops and residences so that dogs will not create a nuisance to others.

- De-Worm. De-worming is one of the cheapest and fastest ways to improve a street dog’s welfare! Worms can lead to discomfort, disease, and even death! De-worm dogs once every three months using deworming tablets available at your local vet or pharmacy.

- Flea and Tick Control. External parasites cause discomfort, lower immunity, and broken skin can become infected. Fleas and ticks can be eliminated in several ways: Apply either a ‘spot-on’ pipette, a spray containing Fipronil, or a powder containing Propoxur such as ‘Bolfo’. For puppies over 2 months old you can use flea powder.

If you do all these steps, you will truly be a Saint for our Streeties!!