How April 8 celestial event affect animals

Editor’s Note: An updated cloud forecast for the April 2024 total solar eclipse is in Read the the latest eclipse forecasts and news from Wednesday, April 3.

Year eclipse it’s not dangerous for pets, like dogs and cats, but experts say it’s probably best not to bring pets. experience the April 2024 total solar eclipse.

The biggest concern of the experts is not what happens in the sky, but on the ground as a crowd of excited and anxious people gathersaid Dr. Rena Carlson, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“Rather than the effects of the eclipse, I would be more concerned about the excitement and all the people,” he said.

Dogs, especially, take their cues from their owners rather than the celestial event.

Solar eclipse warnings are piling up:Beware of danger in the sky, on the ground on April 8

Dr. Jerry Klein, chief veterinarian of the American Kennel Club, said that dogs who are sensitive, have anxiety or are very affected by storms are likely to pick up on the emotions of people who gather to watch the eclipse. .

This is especially true for potential pet owners travel a long distance to see the eclipse.

“They react more to our reactions, our excitement and our anxiety than to true eclipse,Carlson said.

What to do if you have to bring your dog to see the April 2024 total solar eclipse

If you have to take your dog with you to a eclipse viewing eventmake sure they are your primary concern.

“Make sure they’re not stressed and give them time if they need it,” Klein said.

“If you have any concerns about how your dog might react, you should leave him at home. That’s the easiest solution,” he repeats.

For those who do not want or cannot leave their dogs at home, he gave this advice:

“Make sure they have plenty of fresh water, that they’re not too crowded, that they’re kept on a leash and that they have a way to be recognized if they get lost and get lost,” he said.

Carlson cautioned that pet owners need to plan for the possible consequences of any outings to view the eclipse that they take their pets with.

In 2017 there were massive traffic after the eclipse of the sun that year ended as thousands of people tried to leave the often narrow country roads at once. Carlson was working in Idaho at the time. Some of the best views in the nation were a little north of his clinic.

“What would have typically been a two-hour trip took some people seven and eight hours to do,” he said. “You need to make sure you have extra water for them and that you can do it outside to eliminate them,” he said.

Some dogs bark, some don’t. Cats don’t care.

There is not much research how animals respond to eclipses. But what there is seems to indicate that they are not very affected. The most recent study has been released earlier this month and was conducted during a partial eclipse on October 14, 2023. He reported behaviors in more than 200 animals, mostly dogs.

“About half of the people wrote that their dogs started barking or howling during the eclipse, but half of the people said that their dogs stopped barking and howling,” said Adam Hartstone -Rose, professor of biological sciences at North Carolina State University who conducted the study. research and that studies the behavior of animals during the eclipse.

The answers might just be based on a dog’s personality, he said.

People who were further away from the main road of the eclipse of 2023, in the areas where the effect would have been only a short period of dimness, they saw no noticeable change in their animals.

“The closer it was to total darkness, the greater the reaction,” he said. “But the reactions went both ways.”

There were no reports of dogs running or scrambling around and cat owners noticed no response.

“Cats couldn’t be bothered, at least enough to give data,” Hartstone-Rose said. Then he added, “But maybe they thought a lot about it.”

The sample size of this study is too small to draw definitive conclusions, so he hopes to get thousands of pet owners to submit observations on April 8 as part of his study. Solar Eclipse Safari Citizen science project.

“We need a lot more data,” he said.

You don’t have to worry about the animal’s eyes in an eclipse

There’s no need to worry about your pet’s eyes during an eclipse, Carlson said.

Dogs usually only look at an owner or if there is a treat. “They have no instinct watch the eclipse“, he said.

Ace as excited as you can be to see the eclipseThe experts were unanimous – don’t make your dog stare.

“They have an aversion to bright light. They will tend not to look unless we force them to do something that is not naturally beneficial to them,” said Klein, who practiced as a small animal emergency veterinarian. for more than 35 years.

How April 8 celestial event affect animals

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