Diwali is one of the most beloved occasions on Delhi’s festive calendar, but for veterinary clinics, it also marks one of the busiest and most demanding periods of the year.
As diyas are lit and celebrations take pace, a familiar parade of cases begins to arrive: noise-phobic dogs that have bolted through open doors in panic, paws and tails singed by fallen diyas, skin flare-ups that owners insist appeared “overnight”, and gastric upsets after a few too many sweets mysteriously vanish from the festive spread.
Walk dogs early in the evening and always on a leash, as most festival-related disappearances happen during precisely those hours. Make sure every pet carries an identification tag with a current contact number, and if your pet is not yet microchipped, now is the time. Dr Somani recommends asking guests, especially children, not to share food with pets, and keeping every sweet box well out of reach. “A sudden rich or unfamiliar meal can set off flares in animals with an underlying cutaneous adverse food reaction, showing up as itching, redness and recurrent ear or paw inflammation . These are frequently blamed on the weather or a change of shampoo, when the real culprit was last night’s snack,” she emphasises. The skin is remarkably responsive to psychological stress. Dr Somani explains, “In the weeks around the festival, I regularly see animals licking, chewing and scratching far more than usual, which can escalate to pyotraumatic dermatitis (hot spots), lick lesions, and secondary bacterial or Malassezia infection. Atopic dogs are especially vulnerable, since stress, seasonal change and a heavier environmental allergen load can all tip them into a flare. The post-Diwali dip in air quality only adds to the burden on sensitive skin and eyes. Moreover, she highlights that human shampoos are formulated for human skin and are not appropriate for dogs, and repeated use can compromise the skin barrier. “Choose a veterinary-recommended product, always. Itching or redness that linger beyond a few days deserve proper clinical evaluation, not another home remedy. Waiting gives secondary infection time to settle in and makes the underlying cause harder to treat,” adds the veterinarian. “For millions of households in India, a dog or a cat is now an integral part of the family. A little pre-event planning and a few small changes at home mean our pets can enjoy the festivities right alongside us,” concludes Dr Somani.
Dr Somani recommends, “Designate a quiet interior room before the first cracker is lit, with curtains drawn, familiar bedding and low-level background sound to take the edge off the noise.
