July 15th is National Pet Fire Safety Day. While you might think a fire is more of a human problem, think again. According to the National Fire Protection Association, animals are involved in starting fires that lead to 13.7 million dollars in property damage per year. American Humane reports that each year more than 500,000 pets are affected by house fires, with 1,000 house fires started by pets themselves. Pets in proximity to cooking equipment, fireplaces, candles and lamps did their share of the damage. However, not all animals responsible for starting fires were pets: rodents chew wires and birds build nests in chimneys, both causes of house fires. No matter what causes a house fire, pets are at risk of fire and smoke related injury.
Protecting Your Pets Against Fire-Related Injury
The purpose of recognizing National Pet Fire Safety Day is to encourage pet families to take steps to prevent or limit fire-related injuries. So this Monday be sure your home has a pet fire safety sticker readily visible. Many firehouses and insurance companies provide these free of charge. The ASPCA offers them for free if you sign up for their email list. The sticker alerts first responders to the presence of a pet in your home. You should also plan a family fire drill. The plan should include loading your pet into her carrier or leashing him for the evacuation.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, nearly 1,000 house fires each year are accidentally started by pets.
To create awareness on this topic, the American Kennel Club (AKC), ADT Security Services and the National Volunteer Fire Council have teamed up for this Thursday’s National Pet Fire Safety Day.
Take the following steps to protect your home and your dog from accidental fires:
- Extinguish open flames – Don’t leave your pets unattended around an open flame and make sure to thoroughly extinguish any open flame before leaving your home.
- Remove stove knob– Be sure to remove stove knobs or protect them with covers before leaving the house.
- Invest in flameless candles – These candles contain a light bulb, rather than an open flame, and take the danger out of your pet knocking over a candle.
- Avoid glass water bowls on wooden decks – The sun’s rays when filtered through glass water bowls can heat up and ignite the wooden deck. Choose stainless steel or ceramic bowls instead.
- Keep pets near entrances when you’re out – Keep collars on pets and leashes at the ready in case firefighters need to rescue your pet. When leaving pets home alone, keep them in areas or rooms near entrances where firefighters can easily find them.
- Secure young pets– Especially with young puppies, keep them confined away from potential fire-starting hazards when you are away from home such as in crates or behind baby gates in secure areas.
- Consider using monitored smoke detectors – Monitored smoke detectors, which are connected to a monitoring center, allow emergency responders to be contacted when your pets are trapped. These systems provide an added layer of protection beyond battery-operated smoke alarms.
- Electrical cords can sometimes be seen by your dog as a chew toy. When damaged, they can spark and cause electrocution or a fire. Secure any cords and hide them behind furniture or other obstructions. You may wish to unplug them if you leave cords unattended or spray them with something bitter as a deterrent. Further aversion training may be needed if your dog still tries to chew cords.
- Do not leave your dog on an electric blanket. Dogs can chew on these, exposing the wires, which can cause electrocution or heat up and catch the blanket on fire. Replace any old electric blankets that show wear and tear.
- Check your home for potential hazards such as loose wires, stove knobs, and piles of paper or other rubbish.
- Affix a Pet Alert Window Cling – Write down the number of pets inside your house and attach the static cling to a front window. This critical information saves rescuers time when locating your pets. Make sure to update the number of pets listed.
How Can Pets Start House Fires?
Fires started by pets are almost always due to owners mistakenly leaving their animals in dangerous situations.
You may have heard of the dog who accidentally turned on a stove and lit a pizza box on fire as he tried to get a slice of pizza while his owners were in the other room. Luckily, the damage was minimal and the owners stopped the fire in time.
Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and it’s just one example of the kinds of danger dog owners can unwittingly put their pets and themselves in.
Here are a few ways to keep dogs safe in the event of a fire:
- Keep your dog’s collar on at all times and place leashes near the door so first responders can use them to lead pets to safety. Dogs are often waiting at doors and run out when firefighters come in.
- You may want to confine dogs in rooms or areas near an entry door when you are out of the house so firefighters can find them easily. Pets are more likely to be injured or to die in a fire when they are locked in a kennel or room away from an exit.
- If you live in a fire-prone area or are concerned about a fire potentially starting, consider installing monitored smoke detectors so firefighters will be notified of and can respond to a fire even if you’re not home.
- Note where your pets like to nap or hide in case you must evacuate your home quickly.
- Have an emergency plan and practice routes of escape with your dog. Include all members of the family in this plan. Make sure they know what to do and where to go.
- Make an emergency kit that you can easily grab on the way out. Pack a leash, medication, and any immediate needs your dog might have for the next few days.
- Alert firefighters to the presence of pets with window stickers that display the number and types of pets inside, and make sure the stickers are up to date. The presence of this sticker reminds firefighters to spend a little more time searching the house for pets. Free stickers are available at local volunteer firehouses nationwide on July 15 and from the ASPCA.
Be Careful Outside Of The House, Too
Dogs may also be in danger of fires outside the home. Campfires and cookouts are popular during the summer months, and dogs are often with their families having fun at these events.
You can find summer barbecue safety tips here to keep your pup safe around the grill, fireworks, and food.
If you need a Pet Alert Window Cling, the National Volunteer Fire Council is distributing them for free through local volunteer firehouses nationwide. The clings are also free online through ADT and will be available this September at your local AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day. The ASPCA also distributes free alert stickers on their website.
Signs of Smoke Inhalation in Pets
Early outward signs that can be associated with smoke inhalation in pets include:
- Your pet is covered in soot.
- Your pet smells like smoke.
- Your pet is having difficulty breathing, is coughing, or is breathing rapidly.
- Your pet’s gums and other mucous membranes turn a bright, cherry red color.
- Singed fur
- Visible burns
- Eye abnormalities like redness, squinting, or an elevated third eyelid
Smoke-Inhalation Dangers for Pets
Smoke inhalation-related illnesses and injuries are treatable if they are mild to moderate, according to Dr. Justine Johnson of Ocean State Veterinary Specialists in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. As with other fire-related injuries, time is of the essence. Here are five dangers of smoke inhalation to be aware of in pets:
Thermal Injury: Air travels through your pet’s nose and mouth, into the windpipe, through the small airways, as it makes its way into the lungs. With smoke inhalation, a pet’s airways can become irritated and injured by ash, chemicals, and heat. “Smoke and high heat can damage the airways,” says Johnson. “Damaged airway linings increase the risk of pneumonia.”
Smoke inhalation can cause thermal injuries to a pet’s airways without apparent external signs, Hovda says. “It takes 48 to 72 hours for ulcers and erosions to occur, so pets should be closely monitored for several days.”
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: The concentration of carbon monoxide in smoky air can be high, resulting in carbon monoxide poisoning in pets.
Carbon monoxide binds more strongly to hemoglobin than oxygen does, preventing the hemoglobin from properly doing its job of carrying oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissues. “When [carbon monoxide poisoning] is severe or lasts for hours, brain damage or death can occur due to lack of oxygen,” says Johnson.
The most common signs of carbon monoxide poisoning in pets are an increased respiratory rate and abnormal sounds heard via stethoscope in the lungs during breathing, Hovda says. Some pets will also develop cherry red mucous membranes and neurologic abnormalities.
Hydrogen Cyanide Poisoning: In house fires, common household materials such as plastics, laminates, paint, varnishes, and other building materials release toxic gases that may result in hydrogen cyanide poisoning, according to Dr. Jon Geller of Fort Collins Veterinary Emergency and Rehabilitation Hospital in Colorado.
Signs of hydrogen cyanide poisoning are similar to those present during oxygen deprivation and may include rapid breathing, difficulty breathing, lethargy, drowsiness, or even unusual excited behavior, Hovda says. Although hydrogen cyanide poisoning in pets does not happen often as a result of smoke inhalation, Hovda says it shouldn’t be discounted as a potential danger.
“We are just now learning that cyanide was a bigger problem than we originally thought and should be considered whenever a pet shows severe signs associated with smoke inhalation,” she says. Medications are available that can help pets eliminate hydrogen cyanide from the body.
Pneumonia: Pneumonia is a lung infection your pet may get as a result of delayed complications from smoke inhalation. “When the airways are damaged, they can’t protect the lungs from inhaling bacteria,” Johnson explains. “How well your pet recovers depends on the extent of the lung infection.” Treatment includes antibiotics and, if needed, supportive therapies like oxygen supplementation and intravenous fluids.
Neurologic Damage: Left untreated, smoke inhalation could show up as a neurological disorder later on, according to Geller. Your pet may have difficulty walking, exhibit changes in behavior, and have seizures.
Johnson explains that the effects can be temporary or lasting, depending on the extent of damage and the time your pet has been left untreated. “Oxygen deprivation or direct chemical effects on the brain are what can cause neurologic damage,” Johnson says.
Treating Smoke Inhalation in Pets
The best action to take if you believe your pet has inhaled smoke is to get your dog or cat to your veterinarian as soon as possible. Smoke inhalation is typically treated with oxygen therapy, and the results can be good if the animal is brought in quickly. “The earlier the oxygen therapy, the better the prognosis,” says Johnson.
Complications resulting from smoke inhalation may not be immediately apparent, so pet owners should monitor pets closely. “Your pet may look OK at first, but some of the dangers occurring in their airways are progressive,” says Johnson. Issues can show up quickly, but may also manifest hours or days after exposure.
Geller says that an especially effective treatment for smoke inhalation in pets is the use of a hyperbaric chamber. It’s essentially an enclosed space that raises air pressure and delivers a much increased level of oxygen into the bloodstream. “Your pet sits in the chamber for about an hour-and-a-half and typically receives two treatments,” says Geller.
Tips to Help Your Pet Avoid Smoke Inhalation
There are preventative measures you can take if a wildfire breaks out near your home. John Bagala, vice president of the Marin Professional Firefighters in California, advises pet owners take the following precautions:
- Keep pets indoors if there is smoke in the air.
- Forgo using heating or air conditioning in the event of smoke in the environment if you can, as they tend to draw in air from the outside.
- If you must leave an area affected by a wildfire, look to move yourself and your pets to an area of higher elevation since smoke tends to settle in valleys.
- Consider evacuating to a coastal area, as air quality is generally better in these geographic locations.
And here are a few steps Hovda suggests pet owners take if your pet might be affected by smoke inhalation:
- Move your pet away from the worst of the fire and smoke into an area with fresh air.
- Keep them warm and dry.
- Seek out EMTs and ambulances, which typically carry oxygen that can be administered to your pet.
- Transport your pet as soon as possible to an emergency clinic.
Although smoke inhalation has the potential to be life threatening or cause serious damage, with timely veterinary treatment, many pets come through in good health.
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