My dog inhaled candle smoke. Should I worry? What signs to watch for?

Similar to humans, fumes can be irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract. If the ventilation was appropriate enough that you were comfortable then likely your dog was too. If you were wearing a mask then your dog probably should not be in that area. Watch for any coughing or difficulty breathing. If this occurs then I would encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and I hope she does well. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi! It should be fine to burn candles around your dogs as long as they don’t have any concurrent respiratory issues (asthma, bronchitis, etc). If the scents or smoke are irritating to you, then I’d assume they are to the dogs as well. But if the candles are clean burning and your dogs are otherwise healthy, there should not be any problem. It’s a good thing to ask though, because some pets like birds can be extremely sensitive to candles and we recommend not burning them around birds. I hope this was helpful!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is not likely going to cause any permanent damage and it is more likely to just cause a transient local irritation. However, if she seems uncomfortable, I recommend you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Best of luck!

Most air fresheners aren’t toxic to dogs and I wouldn’t have any worries unless Bentley has chronic bronchitis, collapsing trachea or another airway disease. In this case you should avoid all air fresheners. Watch for coughing.

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!

Poor Cruz! Watch for continued coughing, lethargy, a decrease in appetite, gagging, and vomiting. If you see any of those signs, then I would be concerned and have him checked out by a vet. I hope this helps!

Good on you for reaching out for help and information! The toxic level of nicotine in dogs is 5 milligrams of nicotine per pound of body weight. In dogs, 10 mg/kg is potentially lethal. One cigarette contains 15 to 25 milligrams of nicotine depending on the brand. So two cigarettes would contain 30-50mg of nicotine. That means if your dog weighs 30kg (66lbs), she would have potentially consumed 1mg/kg to 1.67mg/kg. If she weighs 5kg (11lbs), she would have potentially consumed 6mg/kg-10mg/kg (potentially lethal dose). I'm not sure how much your dog weighs, but if she is a larger dog (over 50lbs), she likely did not consume enough to be toxic. The signs of toxicity are dose-dependent and generally begin within one hour of ingestion. Many dogs will vomit naturally after ingestion. I would monitor her for now. Watch out for tremors, weakness, stumbling, lethargy, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, or difficulty breathing. If you see any of these signs, get Kai into your vet right away.