Happy Diwali to You and Your Family from VSPCA!
Everyone in our team at VSPCA would like to wish our readers, well-wishers, volunteers, supporters, donors, and fellow animal lovers a very happy and prosperous Diwali! While Diwali is a day of celebrations and spreading joy, it can be a great cause of stress for your pets.
Loud noises from the firecrackers can frighten your pets, farm animals and street animals and cause them to act in ways that are harmful to them and others. Bursting crackers in the streets can injure many animals. The air which is thick with smoke can cause them to have breathing issues and other health problems. So, this Diwali and onward, let’s make a promise to make Diwali safe and an enjoyable holiday for everyone- animals and humans!
Few tips to keep in mind to keep your pets safe this Diwali:
- If you’re leaving the house, keep all the doors and windows shut to block out as much of the noise as possible. Draw your curtains, or put heavy bed sheets on the windows to block out the noise. You can also turn on the radio or TV to block off more noise.
- Keep your pets occupied with toys, treats, and other games. Make sure your pet knows that they are safe in the house and that they are safe with you.
- You can also take them out on extra long walks during the day to tire them out, and they can sleep during the evening and night.
- If you’re leaving the house on Diwali, make sure to keep a full bowl of fresh food, two bowls of clean and cold water and pee pads around the house if needed and available.
- Know that your pets look to you for everything. If you are calm, they will be too. However, it is always important to know the signs and symptoms of anxiety and stress for your pets and know ways to calm them.
- Create a list of things that are poisonous to your pets, and make sure those ingredients are out of their reach when making sweets, snacks, and other Diwali delicacies.
- Encourage your friends, family and neighbours that there are ways to celebrate this blessed festival without firecrackers. If our children were scared of firecrackers, we would find ingenious ways to make it a safe and secure Diwali for them. Similarly, we can make it a happy occasion for our animals too.
With recent firecracker bans in various cities across the country and in order to combat dangerous levels of air pollution in our country, let us try to have a safe and paw-some Diwali!
From our VSPCA family to yours, wishing everyone a happy, safe, and blessed Diwali!