The old saying of, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” is often used figuratively to indicate a wider, or more serious, underlying problem that’s hinted at by lesser circumstances. Agatha Christie used this as a central theme in her wonderful Miss Marple story, The Moving Finger. The people of a small English village began receiving nasty letters, composed of cut-out text from the pages of a book. These notes would accuse people of nefarious deeds, predominantly untrue, but the gossips in the village delighted in the implied scandal.
“No smoke without fire, that’s what I say!… Must ‘a been something in it for certain sure.”
However, our current smoke situation in Canada and the US has nothing to do with gossip and hearsay. Sadly, the fires are all too real. The wildfires devastating much of Canada right now are sending their smoke south, and many areas have been badly affected. The more vulnerable among us must be very careful. Though today is relatively clear, for the past several days, I’ve had windows closed, the air conditioner in the bedroom running, and fans circulating inside air. The skies were yellow, air thick with smoky haze, and even though the fires themselves were hundreds of miles away, it smelled like they were right in my backyard.
The devastation caused by wildfires, wherever they are, is horrific. Entire forests gone forever. Animals burned, displaced from their environment, unable to find food. People made ill from smoke inhalation, evacuated from their homes and lives, too often losing those homes forever. And the toll of injury, and worse, to our brave firefighters….
When things get smoky, to the point that the AQI levels reach “orange” and above, we have to take precautions to protect ourselves and our families. This includes our nonhuman family members, both pets and livestock. That isn’t always easy to do, particularly with our animals who live outdoors. But there are a few things that might at least help.
Angela Green-Miller is an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her suggestions are wise ones. (My thanks to Newswise for interviewing Professor Green-Miller. )
“Concerns for animals are similar to those for people. One of them being not overexerting yourself to avoid breathing deeper and pulling pollutants deeper into your lungs — the same applies to all animals, including livestock and pets. So, don’t go out and ride your horse, because they’re going to breathe deeper and pull more particulates into their lungs. If you normally run with your highly active dog to get some of that energy out, maybe take a walk instead or toss a toy indoors,” she said. “And if you do have to go on that walk, keep monitoring weather conditions and pick a time of day when the air quality isn’t as bad. That’s the best we can do until the situation gets better.”
This isn’t the first time our area has been badly affected by Canadian wildfire smoke, although the smoke reaching us is a relatively new phenomenon. A few summers ago, we went through a similar situation. During that time, one of my little horses developed a cough. She was helped through it by giving her antihistamines in her feed. The smoke cleared, her coughing went away, and all was well for a very long time.
Last evening, I heard Kestrel coughing again. While, it doesn’t seem as serious at the moment, I’ll take precautions. Right now, her breathing rate is normal and her lungs sound, at least to my ears, clear. I still have plenty of her medicine left, and its expiration date is fine, so I’ll be able to give her “cough medicine” for a while. I’ll watch her carefully, and call the vet if it seems like this might become an issue again. I’ll hope she just inhaled a bit of dust from her hay, but plan for a problem, should it be something more.
Keep an eye on your animal friends, as well as your human ones. If they show signs that the smoke is bothering them, do what you can to ease their discomfort. Keep pets inside for the time being, limit their exercise if the air quality is bad. You can monitor the current situation in your area on the Air Quality Now website. For outdoor animals, do your best to limit their activity. My horses are staying in the barn by choice, and it seems to help (even though it means more clean-up work for their human servants). Keep water buckets filled and fresh. I’ve noticed that my little minis drink more on smoky days. To keep dust levels low so they don’t make things worse, it may be helpful to moisten hay and feed of horses and livestock.
If the air quality reaches the orange zone, close windows and doors and circulate the indoor air with fans. Remember that birds, in particular, are sensitive to pollutants in the air, so keep a fan going in their living area (though not blowing directly on them; birds can easily dehydrate if they can’t get out of the airstream from a fan). Keep water bowls full, clean and fresh. If the temperatures are up there, you can even toss a few ice cubes in the water. If you have air conditioning, more’s the better. Make sure the filters in your a/c unit are cleaned regularly.
If it seems to you like the wildfire situation keeps getting worse, you aren’t alone in that observation. Science has been studying the effects of climate change on wildfires for some time. It has been discovered that climate change is responsible for about half of the wildfire incident increase studied in the last thirty years. This contributes to both the frequency and the severity of the fires, and how the smoke spreads so widely, affecting areas many hundreds of miles from the source. I guess, in this case, you could say the smoke is the fire, and the fire (the broader underlying problem) is climate change.
Other factors include human habitation encroaching on previously wild areas, and fires directly caused by human carelessness.
I wish those scientists and experts could promise us that things will get better. Unfortunately, however….
Do what you can to keep everyone safe during the smoky days. Stay indoors as much as possible (keep pets inside, too). If you must be outdoors for any length of time, wear a mask, such as an n95, if the air quality is severe, especially if you have health difficulties. Limit activity when outdoors as much as possible, including for your horses and livestock. It’s recommended by the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) to limit exercise in horses for several weeks once the air quality is back to normal, as smoke inhalation effects can take some time to develop.
Has your area been affected by the wildfire smoke this season? Have you noticed health effects in you, or in your animals? Feel free to chat in the comments, either on the blog, on Facebook, or send me an email. Stay safe, stay well!
Gazehound's 