How to Keep Your Pets Safe During Poor Air Quality in Toronto
Key Highlights :
As wildfire smoke makes an expected but unwelcome comeback to Toronto, it’s important to take precautions not only for ourselves but for our furry friends as well. Smoke can pose serious health risks to pets, just as it does to humans, and the Toronto Humane Society (THS) is providing some guidelines on how to keep them safe.
The first step is to stay informed. Keeping up with Environment Canada’s Air Quality Health Index is essential to understanding when air quality is at its worst. When the air quality is poor, it’s important to keep pets indoors as much as possible, closing doors and windows and using air purifiers to reduce exposure.
For dogs that must be taken outside, Ratelle suggests taking shorter walks, more frequently if necessary, and sticking to early morning or evening hours when the air quality is likely better. Restricting outdoor play and exercise for elderly dogs, those with pre-existing health conditions or brachycephalics — dogs with shortened or smooshed faces like English bulldogs and pugs — is also recommended.
To compensate for a lack of outdoor exercise and play, it’s vital to enrich your pet’s indoor environment so that they don’t become restless, stressed or destructive from boredom. Puzzle feeders can make meal times more interesting and time-consuming, and playing tug or fetch with your dog can help them burn off excess energy. Working on training commands and tricks can also help keep them mentally stimulated.
Smaller animals like birds or hamsters might struggle a bit more with poor air quality, so it’s important to watch for signs of distress like redness in the eyes, coughing and wheezing. Not all symptoms are obvious or present externally, so staying alert and vigilant is key.
Poor air quality in Toronto is expected to last until about Friday morning. Click here for the updated Air Quality Health Index from Environment Canada. With the right precautions, we can keep our pets safe and healthy during this time.
