CHENNAI : As summer temperatures soar, three city-based naturalists tell us ways to help the paws and claws survive the heat.
Menaka Bapuji, Naturalist
● Leave small bowls of water in the cool areas of your terrace, and in and around premises
● Keep your pets indoors as much as possible. If you have a bird cage that is under direct sunlight, shift it to the shade or cover it with a wet cloth during peak heat.
● Feed them with electrolytes mixed in water at least once a day. Give them ice cubes or ice cube made from meat broth.
● Constantly check for ticks and fleas, take precautions to keep them away with tick powder.
● Most people do not realise the roads get really hot even as early as 8 am during peak summers. Taking your dogs for a walk can really be harmful/hurtful to them. Their paws can suffer from burns. The owner should put their palm on the ground for a good 30-40 seconds and see if they can withstand the heat before walking their pets.
● Don’t leave your dogs or cats inside closed cars even for 5-10 minutes.
● Metal collars and leashes can get really hot and uncomfortable. So replace them with rope or fabric collars and leashes — especially if tied in the open.
● Don’t let them lie down for too long in wet patches of soil as they are bound to pick up ticks and maggots. Constantly check the insides of their ears for maggots.
Archana Stalin, Founder, My Harvest
● Leave a large-sized vessel of water on your terrace or any open space around the house so that birds can also take a dip in it.
● Leave some food for the birds on your terrace, and reserve any extra food for street dogs.
● Pick a day in a week and use banana leaf plates to eat your meal. This can be kept in a bin outside the house for stray animals to feed on.
● Rice water can also be kept in a large vessel outside the house to help animals.
Gayathree Krishna, Member, Madras Naturalist’s Society
● Help neighbourhood animals by providing them water bowls. Animals, especially dogs, cows, goats, squirrels, crows benefit from it and at odd times monkeys too.
● Pets at home need to have proper ventilation. Use water cane shades to help them keep cool.
● The summer heat take a toll on puppies and kitties. Try to help them by putting up shelters.
● Keep a water bath for birds in the terrace along with grains. One can also make bird feeders.