Pets and street animals are also affected by air pollution
Every evening, Sneha Bhattarai sees 8 to 12 street dogs when she goes to Sankhamool via Thapathali, Norvik Hospital after taking German classes from Putlisad. She carries some packets of biscuits in her bag for that purpose. The ever-present dog was in a different state on Friday. He said, 'That dog didn't come running to me like other days.'
She said that her favorite dog was in a very agitated state, saying, 'He was coughing, sneezing, and refused to eat biscuits . He seemed to be having trouble breathing .'
Bhattarai, who was wearing a mask herself, thought at that time - 'This must be the effect of pollution .' As experts later confirmed, his guess turned out to be correct.
Kathmandu's sky has been filled with thick clouds for the last one week. Air quality measuring Swiss According to IQAIR, Kathmandu is among the most polluted cities in the world. Reports are being made public about the impact on human health due to air pollution. Problems such as red eyes, sore throat, skin allergies, and headaches have started to appear.
So what is the effect of air pollution as predicted by Sneha Pets and street animals are also suffering from it ? "The dogs who were always happy to see me looked lethargic", said Bhattarai, "some had red eyes and they were not even willing to eat". They looked tired, the way I feel after long walks outside in the pollution .'
Veterinarian of Animal Services Office Lalitpur Dr. Nitesh Karki said that the health problems of animals are increasing in recent days and the reason for this is pollution . He said, 'Even now, there have not been many cases of animals falling ill due to pollution, but it is certain that such cases will increase as air pollution worsens.' He also shared his experience last year when the air pollution increased and the rate of animals getting sick increased.
According to him, existing pollution can cause various problems in dogs. Like- viral infections, breathing problems, eye infections, digestive disorders, fever, skin problems, parasitic infections like ringworm etc . He said, 'Most of us think about the effect on humans, but the effects of climate change and pollution are equally affecting animals.'
Samir Rai, a resident of Shankhamul, said that the impact of air pollution has directly affected his dog Sami. 'Thursday morning I took Sami for a walk . The wind felt different from other days . That evening, Sami began to sneeze frequently,' he said.
80 percent of the problems that come to animal health offices seem to be related to pet dogs. Street dogs are often taken to non-profit animal service organizations after rescue. Karki said, 'Since most of the cases that come to us are pets, it is difficult to say exactly about its effect on street dogs.'
Srijana Shrestha, a member of Street Dog Care, said that there are reports of street dogs having problems like coughing, difficulty breathing, and eye infections. He said that even though the street animals are used to hostile environment, the level of toxic air is unhealthy for them too. Rajan KC, a veterinary technician from Voice of Animal Nepal, said that the dog has problems such as difficulty breathing, coughing, red eyes, and excessive salivation.
A preliminary study conducted in March 2024 showed pulmonary disease in street dogs in Kathmandu Valley. Due to prolonged exposure to polluted air, smoke, dust, or carbon particles entering the lungs through inhalation were found to cause their lungs to appear black . When 76 dogs were tested, symptoms such as rapid breathing, difficulty breathing, sneezing, fever, and reluctance to eat were observed.
