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You have probably turned to vaping because you are aware of the threat smoking poses to your health. Vaping is considered to be much safer than smoking – for you at least. But your e-liquids and vaping equipment do pose a threat to your furry, feathered and scaly friends. Whether your pets are pampered pooches or perky parrots, here's how to vape while keeping them safe.
Unfortunately, the gorgeous aroma of your dessert juice just might represent a serious temptation for your pet. If your e-liquid smells like food, then it is reasonable to expect that your animals will think it is food. They say that curiosity killed the cat, but cats don't tend to be attracted to e-liquids. Dogs are a different matter altogether, especially those like Labradors that are food obsessed.
Always store your juice out of your pet's reach. Even if they don't find the smell appealing, they may well fancy playing with those irresistible plastic bottles. If they pierce those bottles, they could swallow their contents.
Many e-liquids contain nicotine which is a toxic substance. The threat posed by an e-liquid will depend on the size of your pet and the nicotine concentration of the juice. For instance, a Great Dane will be able to tolerate a larger dose of nicotine than a Chihuahua. A surprisingly small amount of nicotine could prove fatal when ingested by a diminutive animal. The symptoms of nicotine poisoning are:
Weak limbs
Tremors
Vomiting
Rapid heart rate
Cardiac arrest
Lethargy
Blue colouration to the mouth
Seizures
Any animal can be poisoned by ingesting nicotine. But feline health can also be impacted by propylene glycol (PG). Cats are uniquely sensitive to PG. This features in all vape juice and most nic shots. It affects the red blood cells of felines, causing a type of anaemia. The symptoms are as follows:
Paleness around the mouth
Skin discoloration
Fever
Discoloured urine
Take your pet to the vet immediately if they fall ill and could have ingested e-liquid. Nicotine poisoning often sets in with alarming speed. How you react could be a matter of life and death. It's worth taking a sample of your e-liquid with you. This may help your vet to evolve the correct treatment for your poisoned pet.
Your pet will probably vomit if it has consumed nicotine. If they haven't thrown up, your vet may well choose to induce vomiting or to give your pet activated charcoal which will bind the nicotine.
Sometimes, intravenous fluids will be administered as these will speed up the removal of nicotine from the animal's body. Fluids also address hydration and blood pressure issues caused by pet poisoning.
Animals that are experiencing seizures will be given anti-convulsant medication. Your pet may need to stay at the surgery to be monitored in case further problems develop including neurological symptoms and breathing difficulties.
Any animal could have an allergic reaction to your vapour. For this reason, it's always best to exhale away from your pets. Cats are known to be allergic to propylene glycol (PG) and so it is advisable not to vape when your kitties are in the room. The lungs of small birds are particularly sensitive to pollutants and irritants. Try not to vape around your finches and budgies.
Vapour is relatively heavy and has a tendency to drop down to the floor where your pets may be taking a snooze. Opening a window can help to dissipate your clouds and reduce the amount of vapour that reaches your pets. If you can't ventilate the room, consider using a fan to circulate air around the space.
If you are travelling with pets in your car, it is best not to vape in such a confined space. If you do need to take a puff, open the window to circulate the air in your vehicle.
Dogs, cats and rodents are prone to chewing cables and that could include your charging cable. Think carefully about where you recharge your battery and always keep wires out of the reach of animals.
Dogs will find your equipment fascinating and could accidently swallow a battery, small vape pen or pod kit. This could result in serious issues and surgical intervention to remove the offending item. Lithium-Ion batteries contain toxic substances which can leach out when a battery is swallowed and then damage body tissues.
It is vital to ensure that you keep your e-liquids, vape tanks, vape mods, electronic cigarettes and vape battery away from your pets. Vaping is certainly safer for your pets than smoking traditional cigarettes. Secondhand smoke from tobacco cigarettes is hazardous. The impact of vapour is less clear but there is no doubt that the nicotine in vape liquid is poisonous to your dog or cat.
Keeping your pet safe is a matter of following our simple tips and using a little common sense. Try not to vape around your pets and keep all vaping related items out of the reach of your animals. Poisoning in pets caused by vaping remains rare when compared to diseases caused by cigarette smoke such as lung cancer. But you can never be too careful. Vaping is a relatively new phenomenon and there is much to learn about its impact on our pets.