I attended a networking event the other evening hosted by Nancy Hassel from American Pet Professionals and the presenter, Jane Harrell from ’cause digital marketing brought up a good idea to discuss, and one that just happens to be trending.
I generally stay away from the trendy pet stuff like the newest product being showcased or some celebrity pet story but when the topic concerns the health and wellbeing of our furry best friends – I’m all over it.
The Solar Eclipse
You either live under a rock or your Internet has been out for months if you haven’t heard about the pending solar eclipse coming our way. On August 21st a solar eclipse will pass through portions of 14 states, be the first solar eclipse in 38 years and the first total solar eclipse in 99 years. So it’s a big deal.
So what the heck does it have to do with your pets and why in the world is that topic trending?
They’re Dangerous?
Technically the total solar eclipse that we are about to witness is perfectly safe to look up at, it’s the time before and after the sun reemerges that’s the most dangerous.
The danger lies in the damage that can be caused to our eyes and those of our pets. The light rays and UV rays cause some serious damage if looked directly into and this is particularly harmful for children and pets. Their eyes are younger, clearer and less protected from the harmful heat, light and rays.
Just as you would take a magnifying glass and burn holes in paper as a child, the lens in our eyes acts very much the same way. At the right angle, we could very easily burn the backs of our eyes, better known as our retinas.
Will Pets Notice?
Will they even notice it? That is a great question. Scientists believe that wildlife like bats and crickets are more likely to be affected by the eclipse than our furry friends. These animals might start their nightly routines a bit on the early side but otherwise life will not be terribly affected for most.
The ways in which our pets could and would be affected is not only the safety of their eyes as mentioned above, but their exposure to crowds watching the event or even the doors of the house opening as you and your visitors enter and exit to view the phenomenon.
Take Precautions
As with any other event that has crowds of people and lots of distraction – like looking up at the sky for long periods of time – keep your pets at home.
If you are at home and want them to witness the amazingness and you expect to be pointing in the direction of the mystical ball of fire, consider sunglasses. They do make goggles for pets, and yes I have a pair.
What are your plans for your pets during the eclipse? Do you have a picture of them in sunglasses or doggles? Share them with us on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts via the posts below!
Will My Pets Be Affected by the Solar Eclipse? https://t.co/JWt58462Os
— Pro Pet Hero (@ProPetHero) August 10, 2017
Comments
Thanks for taking the time to include pets in the soon-to-be solar eclipse. All too often we forget that our PETS are part of what is happening and they too will be looking!
I just read another post this morning about the possible effects of the eclipse on epileptic dogs. Our plan is to keep the pups (and cats) in the house, preferably napping, during the eclipse. Us humans ordered special glasses to wear when stare at the sky to watch this once in a lifetime phenomenon. Thanks for sharing!
I was absolutely wondering about it. We are actually going to be traveling with our dog on that Monday and was wondering the impact it might have on her. We will definitely protect her eyes and keep her away from the crowds.
I would love to get a photo of the boys in glasses but sadly I don’t have one. Delight let me dress him up for the last horse show though and we had a great time! I went out and bought solar eclipse glasses for the family. I’m curious to see how differently the dogs and horses behave that day.
I wouldn’t think the dogs would be any different, the horses I am most curious about, keep us posted!
I am traveling for the eclipse. The dogs will be safely tucked in their crates and likely will sleep through the whole thing!
With the amount of eclipse we’re expecting in our neck of the woods, I don’t think it will look much different as when it gets dark with heavy rain or storm. So I’m hoping that it will leave Cookie unphased.
We did our Solar eclipse post and got a lot of responses! People might not know you need ISO approved glasses to view the eclipse either, for a lot of eclipse time (we did because of the one in the UK some time ago, they came in an eclipse book which was cool!). We found the official NASA site a big help with eclipse information too!!
Ah good point about the NASA site!!
Are doggles safe to watch the eclipse with? I have some human glasses I was going to try to modify for Mr. N.
Best to not have them look up. If you can get the glasses to stay on you’d be safe 🙂
I’m debating about driving 5 hours to get in the zone of totality and of course, my dogs would go with me. They hardly look up, so I would be surprised if they looked at the sun since their noses are always glued to the ground. But with Buffy having only one eye now, I should take extra precautions if I do drive to see it. Otherwise, they will be at home.
We will be in an area to experience the total eclipse. I plan on staying off the road because they are predicting hundreds of thousands of visitors to our city and state. The girls will stay inside, as always, but I plan on watching everything from my yard and avoid the crowds. Great idea to have special goggles if you are out with a pet and they may look up towards the sun.
I’ve learned so much this week about animals and solar eclipses…thank you for this information! We’re not in the direct line in VA, but to be safe, my dogs will remain in the house for the partial event. I read an article at Smithsonian.com today about how wild animals react (usually with unease). Glad we don’t hear of too many of them hurting their eyes from staring at the sun (because how does one stop that?). Also, jealous that you got to see Jane speak! I know her from way back when she was with Petfinder.
Yes I didn’t expect to find many if any animals harmed from the eclipse, in natural phenomenon they tend to know more than we do, like don’t look up! Jane was awesome, yes she spoke about her time at Pet Finder, so glad to have access to great resources in the pet space!
After hearing a short conversation between colleagues about the eclipse happening during the school day on our open campus where kids have to walk outside to get to each class, I did start wondering about our dogs. Thank you for sharing so many good pieces of information and tips.
I would have never considered this I’m sad to say, so thank you for bringing it to my attention. I am not sure my dogs would even pay any attention to the solar eclipse if they were outside, but I would love a pair of doggles…. they are just too cool!
I just wrote a blog article about the solar eclipse as well, addressing it from the perspective of dogs with epilepsy and possibility of it triggering seizures. My plan is to be inside with my pups and even though I no longer have my Epi-dog, my senior Husky had a seizure several months back, so as a precaution, we’ll be inside and enjoying other’s photos of the eclipse!
I am loving those doggles! Unfortunately we don’t have a pair. I’ll just make sure Simba is in the house. Thanks for sharing this info! I’ll definitely share it on Twitter.