Is wildfire smoke dangerous for my cat or dog? What should I do?

Hi and good question! The short answer to this is... yes! Smoke inhalation can also cause health problems for our pets as well. Like humans, dogs can experience compromised lung function due to exposure to smoke. Dogs that have underlying health issues such as COPD, heart disease, lung disease, or who are of the Brachycephalic breeds are more at risk. Please keep Holly away from the smoke!

I would recommend not taking him to the dog park. I have seen a lot of dog's come in with irritated eyes when there were wildfires last time. It can bother their eyes and lungs. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is an excellent question! In general, if the air is polluted enough to cause difficulties for humans, then it may irritate dogs' respiratory systems as well, so it is best to keep Tobi's walks short (and make sure he is on a leash) until the air is clear. You can wipe Tobi's face down when you bring him back inside to reduce the amount of irritants on his face, but most dogs do not tolerate masks well, so putting a mask on him might irritate him. I don't recommend trying it as it could obstruct his breathing. It is a good idea to keep Tobi indoors when fireworks are occurring, as some dogs become very frightened and could run away and get injured due to the noise and lights. Visit the links below for information on how to keep your pet safe during fireworks and how to handle anxiety related to fireworks: http://ontariospca.ca/media-centre/media-releases/86-fireworks-can-spook-your-pet-the-ontario-spca-reminds-you-to-practice-pet-safety.html https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952947

Prevention is key: keeping Max out of the second hand smoke is the best thing you can do to prevent future problems. Pets can develop the same issues as children can, including bronchitis and asthma from being in second hand smoke. There is nothing else you can do to try to prevent him from becoming ill, unfortunately. Here is some more information you may find helpful: http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/dr-coates/2014/june/risks-second-hand-smoke-dogs-and-cats-31821

If Mika has asthma, bronchitis, or some other chronic respiratory condition, then this could be aggravated by exposure to the cigarette smoke. But if she's healthy with no pre-existing issues, I would not expect a few days of secondhand smoke exposure to cause any significant problems.

I am very sorry to hear that this has happened to Turbo. I would suggest the following; Turn a bathroom into a steam room by leaving a hot shower in for a few minutes? Then bring into the bathroom (not the shower) Turbo so he can breathe the steamy air and help his airways. place a humidifier in the room that Turbo sleeps in Use a harness instead of a throat collar Www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=33614 Robitussin can be used to help alleviate coughs, here is the caveat: there are many conditions that cause coughing in dogs, and infectious tracheobronchitis and collapsing trachea are only two of them. Dogs should not be given over-the-counter cough suppressants unless serious conditions like pneumonia, heart disease, and lung cancer have been definitively ruled out by your veterinarian. https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-human-medications-that-are-sometimes-safe-for-sick-pets/ I hope this helps and that you two stay safe!

It takes a very long time for signs to be apparent, as the body continuously fights the inhaled substances. Cats can indeed get lung cancer from inhaled smoke, and other respiratory problems, just like children. Passive smoking is just as dangerous for pets as it is for children. When I went to vet school we did a post mortem on a cat that had black lungs from passive smoking. When symptoms/signs appear, there is usually irrepairable damage. It is best to make sure the cat gets exposed as little as possible to smoke. Best keep the house ventilated as much as possible , so the smoke does not linger in the house.