The festival is all fun and frolic for everyone except for our furry friends. Devanshi Shah shares tips on how to make it pet-friendly

The festival of colours Holi (Rang Panchami) is just around the corner. Sure, everybody loves to play with colours and coloured water along with water-filled balloons, but does your pet want the same?

These colours have chemicals and toxic substances that are injurious to pets. Human can wash themselves and the colour will run out. But with pets, the stains remain for a little longer. The pets go through psychological and physical trauma if exposed to these colours. If ingested while cleaning themselves, it can be hazardous to their gastrointestinal tract and if inhaled it may cause respiratory disorders.

Here are a few steps you can undertake and prevent discomfort caused to pets:

Posters: To create awareness about keeping pets away from colours, one can stick posters in their areas. These can state reasons to keep their pets away from colours or coloured water by making known the harm it causes to the furry ones.

Keep your four legged indoors: To prevent any risk, it is safest to keep the furry one indoors for a few hours. It will rule out all the chances of harm.

Keep sweets away: Although, the traditional puranpoli may look tempting, but it is essential to keep it away from your pets. Chocolates and raisins are equally harmful and need to be kept away from the furry ones.

The colour should be kept away from your dog’s reach: Store the colours in a place where your dog won't be able to reach them. It may cause nasal irritation on inhaling.

Don’t let kids near pets: Kids enjoy this festival more than anyone else. Make sure to keep the kids informed and away from your pets to avoid any mishaps during your celebration.

However, if you’re upset you cannot play holi with your furry one, you can enjoy your evening in a floatable pool and jump in and splash around! Soak in a cold baby pool under the sun without the colours being thrown around. The evening can call for a longer walk with your pet or extra time in to a fun play area.

Let us show some affection and spread some love this Holi season!

The writer is Founder-CEO, PetKonnect