You’re walking back from the metro when you see a dog lying at the edge of the road.
Cars are whizzing past a few feet away. She tries to get up, but one back leg just won’t work. A small crowd forms. Someone says “give it water”. Someone else is already bending down to pick her up. And you’re standing there thinking, what am I supposed to do?
Here’s the short version: if you find an injured street dog in Delhi-NCR, keep yourself safe, don’t move the dog, and get trained rescuers involved as fast as you can. You don’t need to know any first aid. You just need to know who to call and what to tell them.
This guide covers exactly that for Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and the areas around them.
The 30-second version
Get safe, look without touching, note the location, call a rescuer, and stay close if you can. In Delhi-NCR, you can report an injured animal to Kannan Animal Welfare on WhatsApp at +91 9999670042. Send photos, a short video and a location pin.
Step 1: Look around before you go near
Your first instinct will be to rush over. Don’t, at least not yet.
A dog in pain can snap at anyone, even if it’s normally the gentlest dog on the street. So take a few seconds to check the scene. Is the dog in moving traffic? Are other dogs getting aggressive? Is this one drooling, staggering or snapping at the air?
If it isn’t safe for you to get close, don’t. Call for help from where you are, and warn people nearby.
And please don’t let a crowd form around the dog. A frightened animal needs space, not ten people leaning over it with their phones out.
Step 2: Work out how serious it is
Not every dog lying on the ground is hurt. In a Delhi summer, plenty of them are just flat out in the shade, sleeping it off.
But some signs mean the dog needs a vet urgently:
| What you see | What to do |
| Heavy or non-stop bleeding | Get emergency vet help right away |
| Can’t stand or walk | Don’t move it; it could have a fracture or spine injury |
| Struggling to breathe | Get urgent vet help |
| Unconscious or barely responding | No food or water; call professionals |
| Seizures, staggering or odd behaviour | Keep well away; it could be poisoning or rabies |
| Deep or maggot-infested wound | Don’t touch it; arrange an urgent vet visit |
If you think the dog was hit by a vehicle, assume it’s worse than it looks. Dogs hit by cars can have internal bleeding or broken bones and still manage to stand up or limp a few steps. Don’t make it walk. When you call the rescue team, tell them it may have been an accident.
Step 3: Don’t move the dog unless a rescuer tells you to
This is the hardest part, because every bone in your body wants to do something. But lifting an injured dog the wrong way can turn a fixable injury into a permanent one, especially if the spine or pelvis is damaged.
So don’t pull the dog by its legs or lift it by the neck or collar. Don’t drag it, don’t make it stand, and don’t tie its mouth shut or hold it down while it struggles. Even a dog you’ve fed every day for years can bite when it’s hurting.
If the dog is in immediate danger, tell the rescue team exactly what’s happening and do what they say.
For more on this, KAW has a list of common mistakes people make around injured animals.
Step 4: Call a rescue service
Once you’ve had a proper look from a safe distance, get in touch with a rescue group or emergency vet.
Kannan Animal Welfare rescue contact
Phone / WhatsApp: +91 9999670042
Covers: Mainly Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad and nearby NCR areas
Report a case: kannananimalwelfare.org/contact
KAW advertises a 24-hour emergency helpline, but whether a team can come depends on where you are, how urgent it is and whether a team is free. If it’s critical and you don’t hear back quickly, don’t just wait on one message. Try your municipal vet service or another emergency vet.
What to put in your message
The better your report, the faster the team can decide what to do. Send a Google Maps pin plus a landmark (“outside the Mother Dairy booth, Sector 18”), along with one or two clear photos and a short video if it’s safe. Describe what you can see, like bleeding, a dragging leg or a wound. Say whether the dog is conscious and breathing normally, mention if it’s near traffic, and include your number.
Here’s a message you can copy:
“Hi, I’ve found an injured street dog near [landmark], [area]. It can’t walk and may have been hit by a vehicle. Photos, video and location attached. Can you send help, or tell me where to take it?”
Step 5: What to do while you wait
You can still help without touching the dog. Stay nearby if it’s safe, and ask people not to crowd it or try to lift it. If it’s near the road, flag down a traffic cop or warn drivers, without stepping into traffic yourself. And if the dog moves, send the rescue team its new location straight away.
Should you give it water?
Not automatically. A dog that’s unconscious, vomiting, struggling to breathe or badly hurt shouldn’t be given food or water, because it could choke or inhale it. If the dog is alert and calm, check with the rescuer first, especially since it may need surgery. And never pour water into an injured dog’s mouth.
Things that seem helpful but aren’t
Haldi, mirchi powder, coconut oil, toothpaste or Dettol on an open wound might feel like the desi thing to do, but they irritate damaged tissue and make the vet’s job harder.
Human painkillers like Crocin or Brufen can be dangerous for dogs, so never give any medicine without a vet’s go-ahead.
If a leg is bent at a strange angle, don’t try to straighten it. That’s a job for a vet with an X-ray.
And don’t sit on an emergency waiting for a reply. If the dog is bleeding heavily, can’t breathe or might have a spinal injury, and your first contact isn’t responding, try someone else.
KAW’s injured dog first aid guide goes into more detail on what’s safe to do.
Who to call in different parts of NCR
NCR is a patchwork of cities, and a group that covers one area can’t always reach another. In Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad, you can contact KAW, your municipal authority’s animal services or a local emergency vet. In Ghaziabad, check first whether KAW covers your spot.
Not every NGO has a free team at 2am. If nobody picks up, try another rescue service or an emergency vet, and keep your photos and location ready. Posting on Instagram can help, but calling people directly is far more reliable.
If the dog bites or scratches you
Treat it as a medical emergency, even if it’s tiny.
Wash the wound with soap under running water for at least 15 minutes. Then see a doctor the same day, even if it barely broke the skin. The doctor will decide whether you need the anti-rabies vaccine, immunoglobulin or anything else. Don’t wait to see if the dog seems healthy.
According to the World Health Organization, rabies is preventable with timely treatment after exposure, but it’s fatal once symptoms appear. India’s National Rabies Helpline is 15400. It can guide you to treatment centres, but it isn’t an animal ambulance. KAW’s guide to rabies myths and facts explains what happens after a bite.
What happens after the rescue?
People often think the job’s done once the dog reaches a clinic. Honestly, that’s where most of the work starts.
First comes a vet check, often with X-rays. Some dogs recover with medicines and dressings, others need surgery. Then comes recovery, which can take weeks or months. Here’s what the dog rescue recovery process usually looks like.
Once a dog has healed, it might be put up for adoption, returned to its own area where the law allows, or kept on for lifelong care if it has a disability or ongoing medical needs.
How Kannan Animal Welfare helps injured dogs
KAW handles rescue and medical treatment across Delhi-NCR, from emergency pickups to diagnostics, surgery, rehab and long-term care. It also runs a medical and treatment centre in Noida. Most cases involve road accidents, fractures, deep wounds, infections and paralysis.
Take Rosco. KAW found him lying on the road after what looked like an accident. He couldn’t stand, and his back legs weren’t working properly, so the team was worried about his spine. It’s exactly the kind of case where a well-meaning person forcing the dog to stand, or scooping him into an auto, could make things much worse. You can read Rosco’s story on KAW’s site.
How donations help
Rescue is just the first bill. Tests, surgery, medicines and rehab follow, whether or not a case goes viral.
KAW’s medical treatment page lists these suggested amounts:
| Donation | What it can help with |
| ₹500 | Emergency medicines |
| ₹1,500 | Tests and wound treatment |
| ₹5,000 | Critical surgery |
| ₹10,000 | Long-term rehab |
Actual costs depend on each animal’s condition.
Donate to KAW’s Medical Treatment Programme, or back a specific dog through KAW’s current rescue campaigns.
Quick answers
KAW says it covers parts of Delhi-NCR, including Noida and Greater Noida. Message them to confirm for your specific location.
Some NGOs, including KAW, treat street and abandoned animals using donations. Whether they can take a case depends on capacity and location.
You don’t have to be a rescuer to save a dog
Finding a hurt dog can leave you feeling useless. But helping doesn’t mean picking the dog up or playing vet. Most of the time, it means spotting the emergency, sending an accurate location and getting the right people there.
Stay safe, don’t move the dog, report it fast, and follow what the rescuers say.