Are pets safe outdoors in NY's smoky air? Here's what the vet says

Peter D. Kramer, New York State Team
·1 min read

With Canadian wildfires sending smokescreens south, making breathing difficult for humans, one of our readers asked about their pets.

How does the air quality in NY affect our pets? Are they OK walking and playing outside?

We reached out to Allison Sarno, a veterinarian and ER clinician at Guardian Veterinary Specialists in Brewster, New York. Here's what she said.

"Although an otherwise healthy pet should not have an issue," she said. "I probably would not have excessive exercise and leave them outside all day. Today's air quality is better than yesterday's. And people should check on that and see what the quality is. But if you have animals that have respiratory issues, they're probably going to be more affected by it, just like people would be."

With the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge over the Hudson River obscured by haze, a woman walks her dog in Memorial Park in Nyack June 7, 2023. Much of the northeastern United States was under air quality alerts due to smoke from hundreds of wildfires in Canada.
With the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge over the Hudson River obscured by haze, a woman walks her dog in Memorial Park in Nyack June 7, 2023. Much of the northeastern United States was under air quality alerts due to smoke from hundreds of wildfires in Canada.

"Asthmatic cats, asthmatic dogs, dogs with breathing difficulties related to potentially heart disease and things of that nature should probably be kept indoors with adequate ventilation and air conditioning," Sarno continued. "We can't we can't put masks on them, so they should just check the air quality and act accordingly."

The USA Today Network New York asked readers to submit their questions about air quality and wildfire smoke in New York this week. We're answering this question and others over the coming days and weeks.

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This article originally appeared on New York State Team: Are pets safe outdoors in NY's smoky air? Here's what the vet says