How can I take care of stray dogs?

Accept it or not, but stray dogs become an integral part of a street/area.Tell us if we are wrong but a lot you might also have given them names. Now, if the love is so deep, you might want to take good care of them. Vasundhara and Kunal from the KVAAB Welfare gave us some easy ways to do that.

1. Feed them an age appropriate diet

Dogs require a protein-rich diet. You can include foods like boiled eggs, paneer,chicken khichdi, chhachh, soya nuggets, curd, or rice with mashed boiled eggs. Start with what you can sustain.

2. Deworm them once every three months

Since stray dogs eat from anywhere. It’s important to deworm. You can put a deworming tablet in their food once every three months.

3. Get them vaccinated and cater to their medical emergencies

Not only is it appropriate for them, but for all the residents in that area. 

To keep a record of the vaccinations and the deworming, you can set up reminders on the Sploot app. The best part- it allows you to manage a number of pets at the same time!

4. Sterilise after a certain age

It is advisable to get them neutered after they have turned one year old. 

Of course, there will be those who would be against you feeding the dogs. 

Here is how you can convince the neighbours who don’t support you:

1. Most complaints are about cleanliness, so get a food bowl.
2. Find a neutral spot where it will be appropriate to feed the dogs.
3. Convince your neighbours that you will be regular, and well, do that too.
4. If nothing works, you can always remind them that it’s legal to feed stray dogs. (Last resort, of course, because you need to choose your battles carefully)

Some things to avoid while taking care of the strays:

1. Don’t adopt or relocate if the dog is okay outside, i.e. if they have a pack, a mother, or if there is no threat or disease. A dog is any day happier outside with a full tummy than tied on a terrace.

2. Avoid brown bread and milk, if possible; because most of the dogs are milk intolerant, and bread is also gluten. But if that is all you can manage and the dog is skin and bones, anything works.