To many pet lovers, our pets are priceless. Sometimes, our pets need our help to protect them from pain and sickness. Smoke inhalation in pets can be very dangerous for their health, so keep reading to find out how to keep your pets safe!
Wildfires are increasingly common in California, and this can pose a problem for our health and our pets! Smoke and pets don’t fit together. It is a problem when it comes to our pets. You may wonder how you can keep them safe. Thankfully, a lot of the precautions we take for ourselves also work for our pets!
Wildfire Smoke Hurts
Firstly, there are several reasons why wildfire smoke and pets do not go together. Just like other kinds of smoke, wildfire smoke can harm human lungs and the lungs of our pets too! Smoke inhalation in pets can lead to a host of problems. Pets with asthma, older pets, young pets, and pets with short snouts are all at higher risk for the following symptoms:
- Trouble breathing
- Abnormal sneezing, coughing, vomiting or loss of appetite
- Open-mouthed breathing, especially in cats
- Swelling of the mouth, nostrils, eyes, skin, or upper throat
- Weakness/lethargy
- Loss of balance/inability to stand
- Increased salivation
How to Keep Your Pets Safe
Secondly, it is important to know how to keep your pets safe from smoke inhalation. There are many ways to do this.
One of the best ways to keep your pets safe is to keep them at home! Keep your doors and windows closed as often as possible if the air quality is bad. Our homes have air filters, which you should change more frequently during fire season.
Another great way to keep your pets safe is by limiting their time outdoors. Just like you wouldn’t go for a run with bad air quality, your pet shouldn’t be running outside either!
Keep an Eye Out!
Lastly, you should keep an eye on your pets during bad air quality days. It is best to monitor your pets often in case they inhale too much smoke. It is better to know early if they are showing any symptoms of distress.
Going somewhere once the smoke moves on?
Schedule our professional and reliable pet care services for the newest member of your family for your peace of mind!
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Check out our Pet Care Services for your beloved pet and then reach out to us via email or by calling 530-219-3656 today.
Additional Reading:
National Fire Safety Day from Bark Magazine
Smoke can cause serious health issues for pets from Koin
How do wildfires and smoke affect dogs? From American Kennel Club
Image Credits (In Order of Appearance):
Burst from Pexels
Pixabay from Pexels
Helena Lopes from Pexels
Matthias Oben from Pexels