India, Oct. 23 -- Diwali is one of the most beloved occasions on Delhi's festive calendar, but for veterinary clinics, it also marks one of the busiest and most demanding periods of the year. As diyas are lit and celebrations take pace, a familiar parade of cases begins to arrive: noise-phobic dogs that have bolted through open doors in panic, paws and tails singed by fallen diyas, skin flare-ups that owners insist appeared "overnight", and gastric upsets after a few too many sweets mysteriously vanish from the festive spread.

In a conversation with HT Lifestyle, Dr Diu Somani, a specialist in veterinary dermatology and the founder of The SkinVet, says, "What frustrates me most is that almost all of it is avoidable. Most pet parents alre...