India’s once-reliable monsoon is now disruptive. Unpredictable rainfall patterns (intense storms followed by dry spells or abrupt shifts in timing) are affecting animal health and reproduction. From pets to aquatic species, this shift is creating challenges, endangering biodiversity and animal welfare across the country.
Unusually wet and unsanitary conditions during prolonged or heavy rains foster illness among domestic animals. Moisture fluctuations and water contamination worsen these problems, sometimes leading to serious outcomes.
Dr Riddhi Mahesh Sonigra, a veterinary surgeon at the Tata Trusts Small Animal Hospital, says, “Monsoons are associated with decreased immunity and an increase in infectivity. Erratic monsoons increase the window of infection and severity of infection for gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses, as well as skin ailments, in domestic animals such as dogs, cats, and cattle.”
She adds that veterinarians are seeing more cases of diseases like feline panleukopenia virus and canine parvovirus in puppies and kittens, presenting as vomiting, diarrhoea, high fever, and anorexia. Cases of protozoal infections such as giardiasis and helminthic infestations, respiratory conditions such as kennel cough in dogs and feline upper respiratory infections (including herpesvirus and calicivirus), and dermatological conditions like malassezia dermatitis, pyoderma, and flea allergy dermatitis are showing high incidence too, according to Dr Sonigra.
All Is Not Well
Animal welfare goes beyond treating illness; it includes the stress faced by caregivers and pressure on veterinary systems.
Dr Kiran Ahuja, senior manager of vegan and corporate projects at PETA India, says, “The effects of a warming climate on dogs, cats and other domesticated animals are many. They include heat stress, conditions that favour ticks and mosquitoes, the consumption of water contaminated by pathogens, the potential effect of inhaling mould, and skin issues like ringworm and yeast infections.”
Dr Sonigra warns that besides direct health impacts, extended periods of humidity and waterlogging lead to more frequent and prolonged outbreaks of diseases. She says, “Traditional seasonal disease patterns are becoming unreliable, while fluctuating environmental stress is weakening animals’ immune responses, reducing vaccine
efficacy, and increasing susceptibility to opportunistic infections. All these lead to poor health of animals, more expenditure on veterinary care and a loss of productivity amongst farm animals.”
Amphibians and fish rely on stable water systems for breeding. Sudden dry spells dry up pools before eggs hatch; flash floods destroy habitats or wash away young. Amphibians, with their sensitive skin, and fish, dependent on specific flow conditions, are especially vulnerable.
Hrushitaa Murali, environmentalist and researcher, says, “Several fish and amphibian species contribute to more than the food webs they engage with. Some fish species are known to keep otherwise dying corals alive by residing in or near them and providing the much-needed seabed vegetation to prevent their gradual decay and death.”
She adds, “Lesser frog and toad populations can easily lead to a decrease in reptile populations due to starvation and can also lead to the overpopulation of insects and rodents in the process, as not enough species populations are around to regulate their populations through the interlinked food webs.”
Reduced breeding success among these species disrupts food webs and harms agricultural pest control and predator populations.
Dr Anish Andheria, president of the Wildlife Conservation Trust, says, “Early rains can prematurely trigger breeding in frogs and salamanders, causing them to emerge from aestivation. While millions of eggs are laid, they require consistent moisture for successful development. The erratic nature of current weather patterns often leads to mass desiccation of these eggs, sometimes wiping out entire generations. Given the crucial role frogs play in the food web, their decline has cascading effects on the populations of several other species.”
The erratic monsoon reveals deep links between climate, animal health, and ecosystem stability. India’s biodiversity and rural livelihoods are at stake. A coordinated approach, scientific research, policy change, and grassroots action are vital.
Murali says, “Projects like the extension of the Coastal Road in Mumbai are targeted at destroying the ecology of areas rich in naturally occurring mangrove plantations in the city. These measures and the intended deforestation of mangroves will only lead to more disturbed patterns in flood regulation in the city and endanger the marine species populations further.”
According to her, the first step is a coordinated response among the people. She says, “Signed petition campaigns and in-person confrontations with the decision-makers are the first steps towards making real, tangible and positive change happen. Prevention is the first step of mitigation, and moving forward, integrating more community-driven protests, confrontations and campaigns led by the people to protect marine habitats is crucial.”
Solutions must include climate-resilient agriculture, wetland restoration, and increased public awareness. In that context, Dr Andheria recommends restoring degraded rivers and catchments, building fish-friendly river infrastructure, blocking sewage and pesticide runoff, breeding endangered species off-site (if needed), designing roads to allow amphibian crossings, and protecting and preserving natural wetlands.
The monsoon’s impact on animal life is not just ecological; it’s a call for collective responsibility. Dr Ahuja says, “As climate change intensifies, India must reconsider how animals are treated, not as property or economic units, but as sentient beings capable of suffering — before it’s too late.”
Monsoon Animal Care Tips
• Keep animals in dry, well-ventilated shelters
• Avoid stagnant water; dry paws and fur thoroughly
• Provide boiled or filtered drinking water
• Maintain a clean, dry diet
• Deworm regularly and control ticks/fleas
• Watch daily for signs of illness
