No vaccination, no food, pet owners have reasons to worry

While most of the canines miss out on their regular walks and pedigree food, their owners are more worried about them being unable to give them the regular vaccination and check-ups.

For Udhaya Praveen, a resident of Nanganallur, the main issue is transportation, even if she manages to find a vet who can help her out with vaccination. With eight dogs in her home, the 32-year-old said it is difficult to carry all eight canines at once. “While some of them need to take their booster shots, one has to get her vaccination done for the first time. For each one, it is a five to 10-minute process, and going by the number of dogs I have, one trip will stretch to over one hour. The issue is the difficulty in keeping myself outdoors for that much time when there is a lockdown to stop any risk of one getting infected,” she said.

Another pet owner in Tiruvanmiyur, who has two dogs, is concerned for the general health of his neighbours.

“Dogs need to get their vaccination regularly for two years, and then booster doses every month. While I do trust my dogs, there could be occasions when they jump at people during their walk, even in a friendly manner, but leaving them with scratches. Without them getting vaccinated, there could be a risk involved,” he said.

Besides, several pet owners also rued that with most pet shops closed in the city, they are running out of canine food with no viable alternatives.

“I have been feeding my two dogs with a pedigree for the past several years and they don’t eat anything else. With no pet shops around and supermarkets rarely stocking these pet foods, I have no clue how to

manage when I run out of food,” said Varsha from Maduravoyal.