Blog Post

How Can You Protect Your Pets During Wildfire Season?

Sep 28, 2020
When wildfires approach, you should ensure the safety of your family. If your family includes furry friends, then their safety is of paramount importance as well. Keeping your pets safe during a wildfire can be challenging, but you can take steps to ensure that they remain happy and healthy no matter the situation. 

As with most emergencies, the key is to prepare and to recognize the signs of danger. The three tips below will help you to protect your animals, especially if you live in an area that's currently under threat from fire or smoke.

1. Keep Animals Indoors and Maximize Indoor Air Quality
Your pets may be especially sensitive to particulate matter from wildfires. Even if the fires are not close to your home, you may still have a significant degradation in your yard's air quality. Allow animals outside only for short periods and only as necessary. If the fires are nearby and outdoor air quality is low, avoid letting animals out at all. Never allow your animals outside unsupervised during fires.

Air quality inside of your home can also be a concern. You should keep windows closed when possible and only open exterior doors when necessary. You may also want to consider upgrading your home's HVAC filter to a higher efficiency model, which will allow it to remove more particulate matter from the air. You can also create a room for your pets with a freestanding air filter.

While the concentration of smoke is high, minimize interior activities that can impact air quality. If possible, avoid using fireplaces, stoves, sprays, and anything else that can stress the ability of your home's air filtration system. Although altering your behavior in these ways can be inconvenient, your pets (and the rest of your family) will thank you.

2. Recognize the Signs of Distress
Even if you do everything right, your animals can still become exposed to smoke. The symptoms of smoke inhalation in most animals are similar to humans, but your pets are less able to tell you that something is wrong. Since they can't ask you for help, you'll need to be especially aware of their behavior anytime the outdoor air quality becomes dangerous.

If your animals cough or have clear difficulty breathing, move them to an area with clean air and contact your veterinarian immediately. Additional signs of smoke inhalation include wheezing, disinterest in food or drink, and listlessness or excessive sleepiness. Never ignore any unusual symptoms following smoke exposure, no matter how minor they may seem at the time.

Smoke inhalation can result in long-term complications for pets, so act if you suspect that your animals may be suffering. If you do not feel that any room in your home offers a reprieve from the smoke, then evacuating to a safer location may be your best option. Temporarily locating to an area clear of the smoke is often the healthiest option for both you and your pets.

3. Include Pets in Your Emergency Plan
Pets can often become lost during wildfire season. Although rescue personnel reunite many of these pets with their families, the experience can be stressful for everyone involved. Becoming lost during your evacuation also increases the chances that your pet will suffer from severe smoke inhalation or worse.

The best way to avoid these scenarios is to include your pets in your evacuation plans. If you do not believe that you can easily transport your animals during an evacuation order, then consider moving them to safety before the situation becomes critical. Some municipalities offer shelters for pets during emergencies, so this may be an option worth considering.

If you are at all concerned about your pet's health during wildfire season or at any other time, do not hesitate to contact Alta Vista Veterinary Clinic. We are here for you to help with both emergencies and routine care for your pets.
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