Indie Dog Care: Is the Desi Dog India's Healthiest Dog?

Indies, also called desi dogs, Indian pariah dogs or INDogs, are the dogs of India’s streets and villages. They aren’t a breed made by breeders but a landrace: a population shaped over a very long time by living alongside people here. The Primitive and Aboriginal Dog Society, a US enthusiast group, recognises the INDog, and the Kennel Club of India published an INDog breed standard in its Kennel Gazette in 2015. Many indies in Indian homes were adopted from the street or a shelter.

Are indies healthier than pedigree dogs?

People say so often, and it may be true, but no study has compared the health of indies with pedigree dogs. Indian vet studies include indies among their patients, but not in a way that answers the question. The closest evidence is from studies of mixed-breed dogs in other countries, which are not the same as indies:

• A University of California study of 27,254 dogs with inherited disorders found no difference between mixed-breed and purebred dogs for 13 of 24 conditions, including hip dysplasia. Purebreds were more likely to have 10, including elbow dysplasia, cataracts and a heart muscle disease (DCM). Mixed breeds were more likely to tear a knee ligament (Bellumori et al., 2013).
• A UK study of more than half a million dogs found a median lifespan of 12.5 years overall, with mixed breeds at 12.0 years and purebreds at 12.7 (McMillan et al., 2024).

So the honest answer: indies are not proven to be healthier, but they have practical advantages here. They are medium-sized, they have short coats that suit Indian weather, they don’t need professional grooming, and they don’t carry the problems of a few breeds bred for a flat face or a sloping back. They still catch tick fever, parvo and rabies like any dog, and they need the same vaccines and tick prevention.

What to feed an indie

The simplest healthy diet is a complete dry food as the base, with a little plain home food added. Indies are usually medium-sized, so a medium or “all breeds” adult food suits most of them; see the dog food comparison for prices.

Good home additions: plain boiled chicken or fish without bones, boiled egg, cooked rice or ragi in small amounts, cooked pumpkin, carrot and beans.

Never:

• Onion and garlic in any form, raw, cooked or powdered. They are in most Indian cooking and damage a dog’s red blood cells (Merck Veterinary Manual). That is the real reason not to share your dal or sabzi.
• Grapes and raisins, chocolate, xylitol (a sweetener in sugar-free foods) and macadamia nuts (ASPCA).
• Cooked bones, which can splinter.
• Salty, fried or restaurant leftovers.

Milk and curd: adult dogs make little of the enzyme that digests milk sugar, so dairy can cause loose stools (ASPCA). If you give curd, start with a spoonful.

Exercise

Indies are active, curious dogs. Most need at least two proper walks a day, in the cooler morning and evening in Bangalore, plus play or a sniffing game. A bored indie often becomes a noisy or destructive one. Let your dog off the leash only in a fenced area; see the off-leash dog parks in Bangalore.

Health care: what every indie needs

• Vaccinations: the core vaccines, rabies and leptospirosis, on the vaccination schedule.
• Tick prevention, all year: tick fever is common in Bangalore; see tick fever.
• Deworming, on your vet’s schedule.
• Sterilisation, if the dog isn’t already sterilised.
• Teeth: chew toys and, if your dog will let you, brushing.

Adopting an adult street dog

Many indies are adopted as adults, often a community dog someone in the lane already feeds.

• Talk to the feeders first. They know the dog’s temperament, its health history, and whether anyone else is looking out for it.
• Check the ear. Under the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, a “V” shaped notch on the right ear marks a community dog that has been sterilised and vaccinated (ABC Rules 2023). Dogs sterilised before 2023 may carry a different mark, so ask the feeders. The vaccination may be old, so ask your vet about boosters.
• First vet visit: a check-up, deworming, a tick check and tick prevention, and vaccinations. For an adult dog with an unknown history, WSAVA’s vaccination guidelines say a single dose of the core vaccine is very likely enough, plus rabies (WSAVA 2024).
• The first weeks: give the dog a quiet corner and a steady routine, use a well-fitted harness with an ID tag on walks, and expect it to take time to trust the house. A street dog may slip out of a door or a collar in the first days.

Bangalore shelters that rehome indies include CUPA and CARE (Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre). An adult dog from a shelter comes with a temperament the staff already know, which helps if you have children or other pets.

FAQs

How long do indies live? No study has measured it. For comparison, dogs in a large UK study lived a median of 12.5 years, and medium-sized dogs generally outlive large and giant breeds. Good food, vaccines, tick prevention and keeping your dog safe from traffic all help.

Are indies good with children? It depends on the dog, as with any breed. Adult dogs from shelters have known temperaments; ask the staff. Supervise young children with any dog, and teach them to let a dog come to them.

Can an indie live in an apartment? Yes. Indies are medium-sized and adapt well, as long as they get out for proper walks every day.

Do indies need grooming? Very little: a weekly brush, a bath when they’re dirty, and regular nail trims.

Are indies easy to train? They’re quick learners and independent thinkers. Reward-based training, with treats and praise, works best, as it does for every dog; harsh corrections tend to make an independent dog wary.

Do indies cost less to keep? Usually on food and grooming. See the cost of raising a dog in Bangalore.