Worried about my service dog's safety during the solar eclipse?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Yes, Finn will be fine. The reason we do not stare up at an eclipse is the same reason you do not stare at the sun. You can burn the back of the eye called the retina. The more interesting question is why we do not see more retinal burns in animals? How do they know not to stare at the sun? Depending on where you are in the country, it may get dark enough that Finn may think it is bedtime. In any case, you certainly can cover up the birds at the time of the eclipse. Take care.

Great question! Cats typically do not stare at the sun, it's not something that holds interest for them, so you don't have to be worried about Ginny or your other cats looking at the solar eclipse. As for you, given that you have had retinal surgery, it would be best for your eyes to cover the windows that don't have blinds with blankets. I hope this helps :-)

If you are seeing a change in vision in your cat, it could have been caused by him looking at the sun. However, Texas was not in the path of totality, and pets are not prone to looking at the sun (that seems to be a human trait!). I think your kitty will be just fine.

Excessive sun exposure can certainly be damaging to the cells in the skin in both humans and animals. Dogs can be predisposed to melanoma, hemangiomas and certain auto-immune disorders of the skin. It is recommended to use sunscreen lotion / spray that is intended for use in animals that will be in excessive amounts of sun. Epi Pet has a product for sun protection that is a lotion which can be applied to the areas of the animal where there is less hair (nose, abdomen, etc.). I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thank you for your post! I don't think it is too stressful for Lucas to travel somewhere new. However, that being said, if he goes to a new environment I would take special consideration with what hazards are lying around that he is not used to. These hazards could pose a risk for him running into or bumping his eyes or nose into causing trauma. It is a little bit like baby proofing a house, you have to cover dangerous areas and remove objects that could potentially cause him harm. I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns that you may have.

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If a dog is infected with an intestinal worm such as the roundworm, coming into contact with infected feces may increase risk of becoming infected with this parasite. Transmission is through the fecal-oral route, meaning you have to accidentally ingest infective round worm eggs. The parasite can migrate to organs including the eye which can lead to blindness. However terrifying this may sound, this is actually pretty rare in people in general, but does occur more often in small children and babies who tend to put a lot of things in their mouths and not wash their hands frequently. Having your pet dewormed regularly and getting their stools checked once or twice a year can help prevent this infection in both animals and people. Practicing good hygiene such as hand washing after cleaning up after your pet and certainly before eating dramatically reduces risk of infection. I hope this helps!

Cataracts are fairly common in dogs. There are some potential complications of cataracts, but if it is only in one eye, it may just be something that needs to be monitored. I have attached a handout below with a lot of information on cataracts including treatment and potential complications. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=659 I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.