Friday, May 11, 2007

Smoke Can Affect Pets

EPA Air Quality MapThe smoke is back again for the weekend. Fires in Georgia and north and western Florida, along with sub-tropical storm Andrea's wind patterns have combined to bring smoke back into the southeast Florida environs.

While outdoor activities are not recommended for people young or old, that also includes animals. Vets say if you're not going for a walk or run, neither should your pet. "Certainly if you have an animal and it's been predisposed to asthma, pneumonia, or heart failure, you definitely want to avoid those pets being outside," explains Dr. Anthony Ishak of Florida Veterinary Specialists.

The heavy haze forced many people inside, and Dr. Andrew Alexander of St. Joseph's Hospital says that's exactly where you should stay. "The longer you're exposed to these pollutants, the more they get into the respiratory track, and the more likely you'll have respiratory problems," said Dr. Alexander. "And if you're already an asthmatic or have emphysema, then those problems can start very quickly and very severely."

So, keep the pets indoors excpet for the short outdoor bathroom breaks they may need. Allowing them to go outdoors for extended periods of time could be harmful to their pulmonary health.

3 Comments:

Anonymous said...

That was a very useful article and will help a lot of pet owners and pet lovers. Thanking so much for sharing the concern.:)

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Carol! The map in the article is from the EPA and is dynamic. It will automatically update itself on the hour when the blog loads. This way you can check the current air quality in your area any time you visit the blog.

Just put your cursor over the map to see the legend or click the map to visit the EPA Air Quality website.

Thanks again for your comments. It's always nice to know someone os actually reading the blog!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the piece. I had just heard on NPR about purple alerts for poor air quality in Broward and decided I had better do some research. This blog popped up and now I will be sure to keep chekcing in- Thanks.