Whenever we hear the word Diwali, there are a lot of things come to the top of our minds. Like lights, crackers, sweets, money, celebration, etc. However, being dog lovers, the topmost thing is about the problems for our pet dogs during Diwali.

Diwali is a festival of lights. The vibes of Diwali are just insane. It brings joy to our lives. It is an extraordinary festival for all of us.

However, the case is not the same with our dogs. Diwali is not a very special occasion for them. This is due to the problems that our dogs face during Diwali. Several things disturb our dogs during the Diwali festive season! 

Well! This blog is not about you and me during Diwali! It is about our dogs. About the problems that our pet dogs face during Diwali! 

Ever noticed

• why your dog gets scared and goes under the table or the bed during Diwali nights? 
• why your dog gets aggressive towards you and everyone else, specifically during the Diwali festive season?
• why your dog Is not very active and prefers to stay inside the house during festivals?

If you noticed, did you try to find out the reason for this behavior?

Problems our pet dogs face during Diwali

1. Dogs and Loud Sounds

It is a fact that dogs possess exceptional hearing abilities. They are capable of hearing minor noises as well. 

During the festival of Diwali, dogs are more exposed to loud sounds. These sounds may cause stress in our dogs. Also, aggression and abnormal behavior are common in dogs when they are stressed.  

The noise made bursting crackers is just unbearable for them. They have a very acute sense of hearing. These loud noises can adversely affect their hearing sense. There are many reported cases of dogs getting deaf due to the loud noises of crackers.

Instead, dogs even start biting their owners and other family members as a result of unbearable stress. 

This is the reason your dog may hide under the table or the bed. He trembles out of fear of crackers. Your dog has no other option left other than hiding under something, to protect himself.

The solution to the problem of dogs being exposed to loud sounds:

Follow these tips to prevent your dog from getting exposed to loud sounds-

• Keep the doors and windows closed.
• Cover the windows with thick blankets for getting extra coverage from the loud noises.

Do not let your dog step out of the house. Do not even let him go out on the balcony.

2. Dogs and Pollution created crackers is a problem for pet dogs

The nose of a dog is as sensitive as its ears are. Instead, the nose is the most sensitive part of a dog’s body. We all know that bursting crackers cause huge air pollution. Crackers leave various chemical residues in the air which make the air polluted. They exert a lot of smoke when put on fire.

That smoke can adversely affect your dog’s health. Also, inhaling smoky air will make your dog irritated!

Some of the after results that can be seen in a dog, once it inhaled smoky air are as follows-

• Unnecessary Biting
• Showing aggression
• Barking continuously
• Not eating anything
• Getting anxiety 
• Feeling Choked
• And WHATNOT!

Also, just like human beings, dogs develop various lung problems if they inhale smoky air. There are chances of your dog developing various asthmatic problems if openly exposed to smoke.

The solution to the problem of dogs being exposed to polluted air:

To protect your dog from inhaling smoky air, you can avoid bursting crackers. Or else, if you are fond of them, you may keep your pet away while bursting them. Keep them in a familiar room. This will serve two purposes. 

• You will be able to prevent your dog from inhaling polluted air
• It will lower the risk of your dog getting burnt from coming close to crackers.

3. Dogs and Diwali home decoration is a Problem for pet dogs

I am sure you were very excited about the festival of Diwali. You were eagerly waiting for Diwali to arrive. All the reasons for your excitement are valid.

Lights, Decorations, Sweets, Crackers, New dresses, and Money as well! 

I know you have started cleaning your house. 

Mummy ne kaam par laga diya hoga boss! Diwali ki safai jo karni hai bhai!

Wait wait wait!

Let us not go there. Let the main focus of this blog be DOGS and not us.

I know you must have started decorating your house! Beautiful flowers, hanging lights, and whatnot! But are those decorations dog friendly? Are they non-toxic for your dog?

I am sure that you must be knowing and consider the problems listed in the previous two points. 

This point is the one that you could not consider. This is the point that gets neglected while looking for the problems faced our dogs during Diwali.

It is not our fault that we are not able to pay proper attention to fur babies specifically during the festive season of Diwali. There is so much work for us to do! Cleaning the house, decorating it, buying new stuff, etc, etc. Our attention gets diverted to various things due to this.

During all this, sometimes our dogs chew or even swallow some decoration items. Either due to curiosity or boredom and even due to lack of attention, they do things like these.

However, the decoration items that we use for decorating our house are not pet-friendly. The plastic in those items may be toxic for our dogs. 

Chewing or swallowing non-dog-friendly plastic or toxic substances may result in

• Mouth lacerations
• Internal bleedings
• Stomach and liver infections
• Digestive obstruction
• External bleedings( if the substance is sharp)

Fingers Crossed!

The solution to the problem, dogs face being exposed to toxic substances during Diwali:

Use non-toxic plastic material for decoration. Using bio-degradable items or non-toxic decorating items will act as a savior in this situation. We all get busy with festival preparation and may not be able to pay attention to our dog.

Moreover, we can’t prevent our dog from stealing decorating items. So, if we use Non-toxic material, we can prevent our dog from chewing on toxic substances.

This was all about the general problems our pet-dogs face. I tried my best to put possible solutions.  I would like to know in the comment section if any specific problems your pet faces during Diwali and how you manage it.

We are dog lovers. Here, we talked about the problems faced our pet dogs. However, we also understand that stray dogs may also face similar issues. So, how to protect them?