Animal lovers! Here's how you can keep your pets and community animals safe this Holi

It's Holi! A festival where, as they say, even enemies embrace and celebrate. With gulal, ghujiyas and iconic Holi songs on loud speakers, no other Indian festival can quite match the Holi vibe, can it?

Going a little overboard with our celebrations, we tend to forget that our pets, or even community animals for that matter, can suffer because of the harmful, toxic Holi colors, or even deep-fried sweets we're all too glad to offer them. Now is the time for change, and we're here to spread the word about keeping pets and community animals safe.

This time around, let's make Holi safe for animals, as much as it is for humans, with these simple tips and things to watch out for.

• Avoid splashing or smearing colors on your pets or community animals as a majority of Holi colors have heavy metals in them that can cause irritation, allergies and other skin problems.

• It is a good idea to keep your pets indoors. However, if you do decide to take them out on Holi for a walk or play, make sure you apply natural oil on their skin. After all, the neighborhood kids are in no mood let anyone go on Holi. The oil helps you get the colour off quickly

• A majority of pets are allergic to sugar. So, as much as you're tempted to feed some ghujiyas to your little pooch, it would be best to avoid doing so keep your pet safe on Holi.

• Keep an eye on your pets and give them a nice and thorough bath if you see colors being splashed on them.

• Reserve a thought for stray animals that don't have anyone to look after them. Try to sensitize your community, especially kids and youngsters, to not bother stray animals by chucking water balloons on them or tease them using the many unique ideas people come up with on Holi.

Hey, don't get upset just because you can't feed those delicious ghujiyas to your furry friends! Feel free to experiment, prepare something delicious for your pet using ingredients that they aren't allergic to. Or, simply take some time out of the festivities to play with your pooch, something you're rarely able to do due to your busy lives.

So, a very Happy Holi to you in advance! Give our best to your pets and the neighborhood strays you adore. Let's make this Holi safe for all of them.