Help street animals during the monsoon!

The rainy season is upon us, here's how to help street animals:

1. Ask your security guards to let animals take shelter during the monsoon. Even better, make a small shelter for them! A group of young people from Navi Mumbai formed a group called Urvari and made a shelter home for street dogs, by using innovative ideas such as using plastic to make bottle bricks.

2. If street dogs are used to sleeping on a blanket /sack put out for them, make sure that it is not damp as this will create fungal infections.

3. Watch out for fungal infections, and if present, apply an anti-fungal cream such as spectrazole or wokazole.

4. Moisture and wax can accumulate in dogs' ears and cause fungal infections. Clean dogs ears using cotton wool and a veterinary ear cleaner that contains salicylic acid. Don't use cotton buds as they can cause injury and dogs generally object to the feeling of a cotton bud.

5. De-worm street dogs every 3 months.

6. Trim off any matted fur on friendly street dogs with a good pair of scissors, this will help reduce wet fur and fungal infections.

7. Keep ticks at bay with a Spot-on pipette or a spray containing Fipronil. Use bolfo powder for puppies.

8. Water bowls may breed fungus and bacteria, so make sure to clean them out regularly.