7 Reasons Why We Should Not Play Holi With Our Four-Legged Friends

India is going to celebrate one of its favourite festivals soon and we genuinely can't contain our enthusiasm. The festival of colour is right around the corner and while we're gearing up to make it even more epic than usual, there are some dos and don'ts we need to keep in mind. The four-legged community definitely detests celebrating Holi with you because let's face it, they're not immune to the chemical induced gulaal! So, if you have pets at home or are a pet parent to a few streeties around your colony, here are some precautions you can take to prevent them from the toxic colours we usually play with. © Thinkstock While watching out for your pets, it's important to remember that some breed of dogs are more susceptible to damage than the rest. Dogs and puppies with not-as-dense fur coating are more predisposed to colours affecting them toxically than dogs with furrier coats. This is because the sparsely coated region is more open to allergic reactions and other ailments due to the chemicalised Holi colour. Keep Your Pets Away From Colour Of Any Sort Most of the colours available in the market (even organic) are a combination of various toxic chemicals such as zinc, lead and mercury sulphate. Humans can still survive after ingesting Holi colour but unfortunately animals cannot! Your dog or a pet at home can lick the colour off the floor or lick its own body and fall fatally ill. It's advised to keep your pets in a secure location while you're playing with colours. Keep Your Pets Away From Water Balloons Water balloons can cause grave injury to your pet's eyes and besides that, the impact of a water balloon is not very pleasant. If the balloon does hit your pet's eye, wash the eye with clean water. You can keep some eye wipes handy for your dog or cat, in case they get hit. If the irritation persists, it's time to take them to the vet. © Thinkstock Keep Your Pets Away From Little Children Little kids love playing with pets, and a little too much during Holi. They will try and put gulaal on them or play with water balloons. If the child is an eager beaver, then it's advised to keep him or her away from your pet! Take Your Pet Out For A Walk At Wee Hours On the day of the festival, take your pet out for a walk early in the morning, before people come out to play. This way, your dog gets his/her morning walk and is not cooped up in the house all day. It's safe to take your pet out in the evening but you must make sure he or she doesn't lick the colour spread out on the roads or parks, post Holi. Use a muzzle on them if you can. © YouTube Do Not Use Anything Other Than Shampoo In case your dog gets colour on his or her coat, do not use kerosene, spirits or hair oil on their coat in order to remove the colour. A normal dog shampoo will work wonders. No Sweets Please! This is a cardinal rule! Feeding your dog or cat sweets during Holi or any other festival is a big no no! Sugar is their mortal enemy! © YouTube If The Damage Is Done, Here's What You Can Do If your pet starts vomiting, excessively salivating, displays reduced consciousness or seems a little too lethargic or becomes unknowingly aggressive then be alert. It could be because they've swallowed the colour and it's affecting their system. Rush them to the nearest vet if you see anything unusual. © YouTube