patna it is a challenging time for the household pets and even stray animals and birds reeling under the intense heat the sweltering weather conditions are harsher for exotic breeds of canine and feline with thick fur coats and the owners need to pay more attention to their diet to keep them safe from ailments like heatstroke and gastrointestinal issueexperts advised that the pet owners should watch out for signs of exhaustion such as laboured breathing panting an increased heart rate and no response to external stimuli and even dehydration vomiting and diarrhoea which are common among furry animalsdr bipin kumar of medicine department at bihar veterinary college said unlike human animals cannot express their discomfort during the extreme summer conditions the owners should keep their pets away from direct sunlight and avoid long walk in day time it is important to keep animals hydrated by keeping water filled vessel at homes spraying with water and sponging their furry bodies with wet clothes will help them keep cool he saidhe added if the pets show excessive sign of drooling or panting and exhaustion and loss of appetite due to stomach infection the owners must contact their veterinarian for consultation and checkups maintaining basic hygiene and proper grooming can also prevent many diseasesa citybased veterinarian dr dn prasad said cases of bacterial infection and gastro issues increase among feline and canine during summer a proper dietary plan should be followed to avoid summer health ailments apart from plenty of water to keep them hydrated the pet lovers should provide wellbalanced nutritional food feed fresh homecooked meals with protein and add yogurt in their diet and frozen treats dr prasad saiddr manoj kumar associate professor of bihar veterinary college said they should be given bath in a fortnight to avoid fungal infections and their coats need to be brushed regularly to avoid ticksas far as diet is concerned ample water should be given to pets in an interval of every 12 hours dr manoj said adding that the pet owners should avoid giving hard or fried food as it can cause gastro problem energy content food should be given to pets including readymade food and liquid diet should be preferred with vitamins and minerals he addedmany pet lovers are consulting veterinary doctors to keep their furry friends healthy and cool in summer gaurav agarwal a resident of bakerganj who owns a german shepherd said his dog has become lethargic due to intense heat i keep him at home between 11am to 4pm to avoid direct exposure sunlight i take him for a walk only after 8pm when the temperature falls he said