It is rainy season again and as much as we love taking walks in the cool breeze or splashing in the puddles, I am always wary of the related infections that it brings to my little fellow, Smokey.
Just like we come down with fever or flu during this season, our dogs too are prone to catching infections. This is a time when ailments in dogs increase. As pet parents, we must be clued to the symptoms early on for a quick treatment and to ensure that it doesn’t spread to anything major.
Gastroenteritis
One common problem that dogs face in rainy weather is gastroenteritis. Usually, the first symptoms you will notice are dullness and refusing meals. This can be accompanied by vomiting or diarrhea. If your dog doesn’t recover with home remedies like curd in a couple of days, pay a visit to the vet without delay.
Skin Infection
Fungal infections on the skin, especially the paws are common. You may notice that your dog is continuously biting or scratching a particular area. Ensure you check the area for ticks or cuts or rashes and clean it well. The idea is to keep it clean and dry. You could use special powder to dust the area. Make sure your dog doesn’t lick the area after you apply the powder. You can use a cone collar or a mouth guard for some time for protection.
Tick Fever
Fleas and Ticks are common in pets, especially in the monsoons. It is important to check your dog’s coat and paws for ticks. In case these are not regularly checked & removed, they can quickly multiply and lead to severe infections of the skin. In some extreme cases can turn fatal too. You can learn more about tick fever in my earlier post by clicking here.
Respiratory Infections
Respiratory issues are also common due to the cold damp weather. You may notice your dog coughing with choking-like sounds, sneezing, or having difficulty breathing. Do visit the vet at the earliest, as it can turn into pneumonia if left untreated.
Ear Infections
These are also common in monsoons as there is some amount of moisture that gets retained in the ear. Make sure you clean their ears regularly with appropriate wipes. If you notice them scratching their ears or shaking them continuously, these could be signs of an infection. You could try treating them with canine ear drops and if these don’t help, seek medical help.
Here are some general tips you can follow to ensure your pooch’s good health, especially in the rainy season.
- Don’t leave your pet unattended outdoors on the lawn or balcony in the rain. They will obviously get wet and come down with infections and ailments.
- Don’t take them out for walks in the rain. Try to keep your dog dry during the rainy season. Accessories like raincoats and shoes are good buys for this season
- After a bath, ensure their coat is dried well using a towel or blow dry so that there is no residue moisture.
- Don’t allow your dog to lick or drink from puddles.
- One of the ways that dogs understand the world is by smell. They love to sniff. Keep an eye out for inadvertent licking during walks as these can spread infection too.
- After a walk, ensure you clean their paws and check them for worms/ticks. To keep away ticks, use spot-on drops or collars or injections (only on the advice of your vet)
- Finally, if your dog is friends with other pooches and is unwell, please be a responsible pet parent and do not allow them to socialize until full recovery.
To read more on how you can care for your dogs especially in the monsoons, click here
Do let me know if you found this blog useful. If you are a pet parent and have any health tips that you think will help others, do share them in the comments below.
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
Very helpful Vasumathi and well written.
Our dogs depend on us to look after them, and we want nothing more than to help them to live full, happy, and healthy lives. These are some great steps we can take to reduce the risk of our dog becoming ill from some health issues. This is a beneficial topic for all paw parents.
Monsoons are hard on everyone and our pets aren’t spared as well. We must take good care of them.
The post clearly narrates how much you are in love with your pet and furry moms are like that. I am aware of it because my mom in law is a furry mom to and in absolute love with our pets well-being everytime. Yes, its true our pet is also not doing well this monsoon and mom is very worried about female puppy. I strongly this post of yours will be very helpful and insightful for her and I am right away sharing it with her. Thanks for this informative post
Wht is the hoodie fella not hvin a face lol…
But back to pets bird also the same weather can effect them drastically. Iys really nice to put up these points.
Very informative and useful Post for dog owners…I’ll share your blog post with my bestie…she would love to read this. Thanks for sharing this.
I never gave much thought about this matter before reading this article but you have a point. Our adorable pets can also be under the weather like humans especially during monsoon. Being vigilant on what your pet is feeling and going through is needed as they can’t talk and tell what they are really feeling. It is important for pet owners to know about this.
This is really good for pet(dog) parents Vasu. I hadn’t even thought about all these precautions until I read your post. Usually we become cautious only after something happens, but ‘prevention is always better than cure’.
and I really like the useful topics you write about.
Very useful indeed. My dog is paranoid about rain and wind. She refuses to step out for her walk even if it’s drizzling and will slink under the bed if it is windy. Her name is Vodka, and she is a real character. I used to hate dogs until last year. She forced me to love her. Now that I am away from her as I am travelling, I miss her to bits.
We don’t have a pet but there are many dogs in our society. Monsoons are tough since walking them everyday is an issue due to fear of infections. Good tips to keep them safe.
I don’t have pet because I know the pet is like our baby. We have to take care of him like small baby. By reading your post I can understand how sensitive dogs are. They do face same kind of infection. Vasumati, it clearly shows how much you love your Smokey. Like the new information I got through your post.
Our dog used to love the rains. And then come up with all these infections. We need to be careful with our pets during rainy season. They are very similar to children in this regard.
I’ve been wanting to get a dog since some time now, and I am reading up on what it takes to have a pet. Bookmarking your post for reference.
I am so glad some one is writing about the difficulties the digs face during rainy season. Their nature is so inquisitive that while roaming in the garden or lawn and sniffing around they catch more bacteria than humans and plus they cannot even tell us about it. This is a great post on how to identify their issues and health problems.
Very useful tips Vasumati. It’s a good reminder that just like our kids we need to keep a check on these symptoms and act quickly for our paw pals. Going to schedule a check up for my girl soon. If you know recommend and home visits by vet/apps for grooming please suggest.
Monsoons do a number on all of us, including our pets. Prevention is always better. Hate to see our pets suffer. You have suggested some simple yet effective tips that go a long way.
These are such amazing tips for pet owners. Thank you for sharing
I don’t have pets but this is a very helpful post. Sharing this with my pet parent friends.
This is really important and helpful post for all pet parents as monsoon needs extra care and attention for pets
Taking care of dogs is just like taking care of kids. Thanks for sharing this, I will pass on to all my friends as most of them have dog at home.
I had a dog, he died when I was 25. He lived more than his normal age, but I never saw him facing issues except tick fever that’s too in 2 or 3 years during monsoon. Your post is really educative for me.
I have heard of some of these health issues from my relatives, who are dog owners. I have also seen that some of the dogs even get Type 2 diabetes. My mother’s cat passed away from Fibrosarcoma last year.
Very useful tips for pet parents!