Animals face breathing issues too

Mumbai: The Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Parel revealed that between November 1 and December 25, the animal hospital recorded around 200 cases of respiratory ailments in dogs and cats, mostly pets, and nine deaths too. The post-mortem of the dead animals — six street dogs and three cats —revealed that they succumbed to cardio-respiratory failure. “Usually, in the winter the death toll for strays goes up as there is no shelter and no basic treatment for them. We have witnessed an unusual increase in cases this season. While some minor cases include coughing, sneezing, and breathing troubles, bronchitis, asthma, chest congestion, upper respiratory infections and other pulmonary disorders have also been recorded,” said Lt Col Dr J.C. Khanna, the CE0 in charge, BSPCA. Inhaling dust particles while walking near traffic junctions over a long period of time is leading to congestion or respiratory infections, he said.