Air Pollution Dog Blog — Dog Pollution Mask

Much of California in the United States was on high alert on Friday as wind-driven wildfires tore through the state's south, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and destroying multiple structures and homes. 

Fire officials said an 89-year-old woman died in Calimesa, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles, when fire swept through a trailer park overnight after the driver of a dust cart that caught fire dumped his burning load nearby. 

Another man in his 50s died on Thursday night from cardiac arrest as he spoke with firefighters battling the so-called Saddleridge brush fire in the San Fernando Valley, about 32km (20 miles) north of downtown Los Angeles, fire officials said. 

That fire grew rapidly, prompting evacuation orders for more than 100,000 people. Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said the blaze that started late on Thursday in the city of Sylmar was being fueled by dry conditions and high winds known as the Santa Ana winds. 

"This is a very dynamic fire, Terrazas told a news conference. "Do not wait to leave," he urged residents. "If we ask you to evacuate, please evacuate." He said some 1,000 firefighters were fighting the blaze that was 13 percent contained by early afternoon and had forced the shutdown of several major highways. The metro line in the area was also shut as were schools and businesses. 

Red flag warnings At least 25 buildings have been destroyed by the blaze, the cause of which has not been determined. "We've calculated that the fire is moving at a rate of 800 acres [325 hectares] per hour," Terrazas said, adding that it would probably take days to get it under control.

Some 200 firefighters, water-dropping helicopters and firefighting airplanes were meanwhile battling several blazes, including the one that tore through the trailer park in Riverside County.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, but authorities ordered some homes in the area be evacuated. The National Weather Service said it expects the high winds fanning the flames to subside, making it easier for firefighters to get the situation under control. 

A red flag warning - which indicates ripe conditions for wildfires - remains in effect through Saturday. "That seems to be the new normal in California," lamented Sylmar resident Oscar Mancillas, as he helplessly watched the flames spread in the hillside near his home. 

"I mean the vegetation is so dry ... but we're kind of lucky because it didn't grow back from the last fire," he told AFP news agency. "In California, you have to be earthquake ready and you have to be fire ready ... and for those of us who have a family, it's a little daunting sometimes." 

The wildfires in the south erupted as California's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), implemented rolling power blackouts that affected some two million people in northern California this week.

About 312,000 customers remained in the dark on Friday as a result of the shutoffs designed to reduce the threat of wildfire that can be sparked by lines downed in strong winds. 

Many schools and universities were also closed in northern parts of the state as people stocked up on gasoline, water, batteries and other basics, with frustration mounting at the blackouts condemned by some as "third world".

"We're seeing a scale and scope of something that no state in the 21st century should experience," Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday, blaming decades of what he called neglect and mismanagement by PG&E. 

"This is not, from my perspective, a climate change story as much as a story about greed and mismanagement over the course of decades," Newsom said. "Neglect, a desire to advance not public safety but profits." 

PG&E has defended the outages as necessary for safety reasons and has said it will take days before power is restored to all customers as inspections must be conducted on all power lines and equipment before the lights can be turned back on. "This is not how we want to serve you but blackouts can happen again," Bill Johnson, the CEO of the company said on Thursday. 

Last November, PG&E's faulty power lines were determined to have sparked the deadliest wildfire in the state's modern history, which killed 86 and destroyed the town of Paradise.

Amazon affiliate marketing is available to anyone wanting to earn money promoting pet products and the K9 Mask on their website, blog, or internet channel. Sign up to create your Amazon Affiliate Account. Using your unique Amazon Affiliate links you will be able to earn money promoting K9 Masks on your website or internet channel. Promote healthy choices for dog owners while earning money.

You will be able to create shopping links to K9 Mask products like these and earn money every time someone clicks on your link to buy products on Amazon.

Examples of K9 Mask Amazon Affiliate Links:

Two Keys to Make Money as an Amazon Affiliate

1. Generate consistent traffic to your blog, website, or internet channel.
2. People just need to CLICK on your affiliate links or posts and buy something even if it is NOT the item to which you linked.

Being a valued resource to your readers and potential followers are all important elements to gain and maintain website, blog, or internet channel traffic. When someone clicks through your affiliate link to make a purchase on Amazon you will receive a commission. 

Earn Money with Amazon

Most people know the term “Amazon Affiliate,” but there are numerous ways to make make money with Amazon.

10 Fast Facts About Amazon Affiliates

1. Please ensure when sharing Amazon affiliate links in your blog posts or website that they do not appear in your newsletter or RSS feed. This is a great reason to switch your blog posts from read-in-full to click-for-more option. Be sure that if you do include affiliate links in your post that they appear below the read more links. Also, you cannot use Amazon affiliate links in ebooks or PDFs. You can link in ebooks and PDFs to your blog posts that contain Amazon Affiliate links (again, with proper disclosure in the posts).
2. While you can share links freely to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram please be aware that Amazon Affiliate program policy is a little less clear on sharing to Pinterest. To that end, we recommend not sharing to Pinterest until terms of service change. Links shared on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter must have proper disclosure.
3. When sharing to your blog and social media, please remember to fully disclose.
4. You have the options of being paid via gift card or direct deposit. Either way, you will receive payment on a minimum of $10 earnings. If that takes one month or six months, the payment will accumulate in your account. If you prefer to receive a check be aware that payout on check does not occur until you have accumulated $100 in payment.
5. A strong Call to Action is essential in any blog post, especially with affiliate links.
6. Regarding the handshake tool on Facebook, as of this writing you are not to tag Amazon. You should tag a brand in the post that you are promoting. You also need to properly disclose.
7. When sharing an affiliate link on your blog, it must be a nofollow link.
8. Watch for promotions and bounties in your Amazon Affiliate dashboard. Promotions expire, but in most cases, bounties do not.  If you plan to use these sort of affiliate opportunities with Amazon, you can either start a spreadsheet to track expiring promotions and/or you can choose the “set it and forget” option.
9. Give your readers options: If you show them a K9 Mask you use, give them a variety of mask sizes and air filters using ads within blog posts. Or you can hyperlink your text using a unique affiliate account like saying something like, “The perfect air pollution solution for your dog.” 
10. If you build it, they will come. Personally, I set my top 10 posts up as Amazon affiliate posts with proper disclosure because Google Analytics tells me they are the most trafficked posts on my blog. In doing so, I have seen a direct conversion of those products recommended and related ones. Remember, as long as someone clicks through and buys something from you on Amazon from that clicked link within 24 hours, you will get the commission.

Bonus Amazon Affiliate Tip

Check your dashboard from time to time. I check my dashboard weekly, but I know folks who check in daily. By following what people are purchasing and related products, you can even build content that makes sense around this data. Check out the clicks and ordered items within your affiliate dashboard and to track sales and revenue. You are a business owner, so work this facet of your business like a boss!

Don’t Get Kicked Out

There are many ways to get kicked out of the Amazon Affiliate program. You need to work the program so that folks are actually clicking on your links. Amazon won’t keep affiliates on who are not contributing to their bottom line: Sales.

Amazon Program Policies

Always check your Amazon Affiliate terms of service for any changes and/or updates.

1. Pet products receive an eight percent standard fee. This means that whatever you share that falls under pet products you will receive eight percent on the sale.
2. Be careful when sharing Amazon Affiliate links to free Kindle books. If you share too many links or that is all your readers are clicking on and “purchasing,” you can be locked out of your affiliate and bounty payments for that month. Regular Kindle books or Kindle books that are discounted but not down to free are fine to share and would not make you fall into this category.
3. If you currently have multiple Amazon Affiliate accounts so that you can take advantage of visitors from the UK and Canada you can now take advantage of the OneLink feature. Basically it links your accounts and you can use one code for everyone. The OneLink code takes your visitor to their local Amazon Store to purchase the item you are featuring. 

Start earning money today by signing up for an Amazon Affiliate Account. Put your content about dog's to work for you. 

People aren't the only ones who can suffer ill effects from exposure to air pollution. Many pet owners have concerns about the effects of air pollution on their animals, and scientists are beginning to study the potential risks for pets that have exposure to air pollution.

Research has confirmed the dangers of air pollution for humans. People who are exposed to excessive air pollution have an increased risk of developing respiratory issues such as wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Cardiovascular disease is another potential health issue connected to exposure to air pollution. Those with pre-existing cardiovascular disease as well as elderly people and young children may even be at risk for premature death from pollution exposure.

Sources of Air Pollution

Air pollution originates from many different sources. Fumes from wildfire smoke, vehicle traffic, power plants, construction, the burning of coal and gasoline. Homes can be filled with pollution from sources such as wood-burning stoves and fireplaces, tobacco smoke, and cooking. Pets living in urban areas have a higher exposure to and risk from smog and exhaust pollutants, while animals living in rural areas may be exposed to chemicals due to the spraying of herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides.

Scientific Studies about Air Pollution

Studies have shown that pets living in homes with cigarette-smokers have increased health risks, perhaps even greater than those for humans living in the same homes. This is because pets spent more time near the floor, where smoke concentrations are higher. Cats exposed to secondhand smoke have been shown to have reduced lung function when compared to felines living in smoke-free homes, according to scientific research. Scientists are also exploring links between common indoor activities such as smoking and the use of cleaning products and certain cancers in dogs.

Pets are also at risk from outdoor air pollution. In a recent study of dogs in Mexico City, scientists examined the brains of local dogs to compare them with the brains of dogs in cities with less pollution. The brains of dogs living in Mexico City showed inflammation, amyloid plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles, which are associated with Alzheimer's disease in humans.

Another study conducted by the University of Massachusetts and the Tufts University Cummings School of Medicine involved 700 dog owners and their use of pesticides. The results showed that about a third of the dogs had canine malignant lymphoma, a type of cancer. The study also showed that the dogs had a 70 percent higher chance of developing lymphoma if the owners used pesticides in their yards.

Cats have also been found to be more likely to develop asthma when exposed to indoor or outdoor pollutants. Felines living in homes where a wood-burning fireplace is in use or smoking occurs are often found to have a marked decrease in lung function.

Taking Steps to Reduce Pets' Exposure to Air Pollution

Because many pets spend the majority of their time indoors or in their yard, it's important for owners to take steps to minimize exposure to air pollution both inside and out.

• Change air filters often.
• Vacuum frequently to remove hair and other pollutants.
• Avoid smoking indoors.
• Choose chemical-free cleaning products when possible.
• Reduce carbon emissions when possible by carpooling, taking a bus, or biking.
• Choose areas for outdoor exercise of pets where the air is cleaner (away from highways).
• Use chemical-free products in the yard whenever possible.

Dog Air Pollution Filter Mask

More About Pets and Air Pollution:

• Protecting Your Dog From Wildfire Smoke and Poor Air Quality: When outdoor air quality is poor, keep pets inside as much as possible and don't open windows.
• Indoor Air Pollution and Pets: The Dangers: Pets may experience irritation of the eyes and sinuses from short-term exposure to indoor air pollution.
• Protecting Your Pet From Indoor Air Pollution: Volatile organic compounds can be present in cleaning products, air fresheners, and pesticides, which can cause harm to pets.
• How to Save Your Pets from Air Pollution: Domestic pets can develop asthma when they are exposed to air pollution consistently.
• Fire Air Quality: Health Tips for You and Your Pets (video): Keep pets indoors when outdoor air quality is compromised by wildfires.
• I Smell Smoke Outside: Is it Safe for My Dog to Be Outdoors? Consult the air quality index to know if it's safe to have your pet outdoors.
• Wildfire Smoke and Animals: Smoke in the air from wildfires can cause health issues for animals, too.
• Indoor Air Pollution and Respiratory Disease in Pets: Tobacco smoke, incense, cleaning chemicals, and other irritants can pose hazards to pets as they can for humans.
• Wildlife and Pets Are Affected by Air Pollution: Because many pets rarely venture outdoors, they often have even higher exposure to indoor air pollutants than people do.
• How Does Air Pollution Affect Your Pets? Indoor air pollution such as smoke and chemicals in cleaning products can affect pets.
• Seven Harmful Effects of Air Pollution on Your Beloved Pets: Smog in the air can affect animals similarly to how it affects humans.
• Keep Your Pets Indoors During Air Quality Alerts: Older pets and pets with respiratory health issues are especially susceptible to harm from contaminants in the air.
• Air Pollution Is Dangerous for Pets, Too: Animals often have the same vulnerabilities to pollutants that people have, and in some cases, pollution can be even more dangerous for animals.
• Love Is in the Air: Make Sure it's Clean: Keep indoor air clean to preserve both human and animal health.

Wildfires and related smoke endanger property, people, and are beloved pets. In 2018, the Mendocino Complex Fire burned hundreds of square miles, the Holy Fire caused more than 20,000 people to evacuate from their homes, and those were only two of the several wildfires that burned in the state of California, alone.

The almost unimaginable devastation serves as a reminder that we must protect what is most precious–our lives and the lives of our loved ones, including our animal companions. If you haven’t already prepared your human family and dogs with a plan that includes what to do in the event of an evacuation, now is the time. 

Even if you end up not needing to evacuate, it’s better to have a plan and not need it than to need a plan and not have one. Read these helpful tips for preparing for a wildfire and evacuating with your dogs.

Emergency Alerts

First, you need a way to stay updated on the emergencies in your area and know whether an evacuation is necessary. There are several ways to get emergency notifications, and it’s best to have multiple ways to receive communications in case one method fails.

Staying alert helps you prepare your household and your pets if the worst happens. Follow these tips:

• Understand the risks for where you live. The USDA Forest Service created a wildfire hazard potential (WHP) map of the U.S. that indicates how likely it is for a wildfire to affect you. Risks change depending on precipitation and other factors, but checking this map may be a good first step in preparing yourself.
• Download the FEMA mobile app to your smart phone. This app sends you notifications about natural disasters from the National Weather Service, gives you preparedness tips, and helps locate shelters among other things. Some reviewers claim the app sends too many notifications, but the app gets updates frequently to address user issues, and it’s better to be too informed than not informed at all.
• The ASPCA mobile app can also help you prepare for a disaster, manage your pet’s health records, and provide you with resources to help you find a lost pet should you get separated.
• Have a hand crank or solar-powered radio, and set the frequency to a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) station. It will help you stay informed in the event that your phone dies or other communications go out, and these stations broadcast 24/7.

Places Where You Can Go

If an evacuation occurs, you’ll need a safe place to go that will allow your whole family and pets to stay. Then, make sure your family knows where to go in case you are separated or unable to reunite before evacuating.

There are several options that might work for your individual situation, and some options might be ruled out if they are also located in a place affected by wildfires. However, note that many evacuation centers do not accept pets due to health and safety regulations, so do not rely on them as an option unless they specifically tell you pets are allowed.

Additionally, plan for a backup in case your first emergency meetup location isn’t usable. Consider the following options:

• The best option is to have a friend or family member who can take you in for a while. Try to pick someone who lives far enough away that you can escape danger. Also, think of several different family members or friends in case your top choice is dealing with an emergency, too.
• Create a list of hotels and motels that allow pets. Make sure that you find a few options, as some locations may also be in the path of a wildfire. Several websites let you search specifically for lodgings that allow pets, including bringfido.com, expedia.com, and hotels.petswelcome.com.
• If you must go to a place with your family that does not allow pets, like an emergency evacuation center, look for a pet sitter, kennel, vet’s office, or animal shelter, as sometimes these places make special arrangements for pets in cases of emergencies and natural disasters. Call ahead.

Make Plans For Your Dogs

Your pets can’t possibly know how to prepare themselves for an evacuation, so it’s your job to make preparations for them. Start taking these steps well in advance of an emergency.

Some of them you can even do right now.

• If you live in an area where wildfires are a possible threat, keep your pets inside whenever it’s not necessary for them to be outdoors, and have them on leash and supervised when they are outside. Animals can bolt and hide when they are afraid, and that can make them difficult to find when a few moments can make the difference between getting out and getting hurt. You need to have a way to keep them under control and easy to reach. Frightened pets can hop fences, chew through leashes, and ignore learned commands. Keep them safe.
• Update your pet’s microchip and collar identification. Make sure the contact information is accurate, and have an emergency contact number listed in addition to your own, just in case you can’t get to your phone. If your pet gets lost, this is one of your best chances of being reunited with them.
• Get a fire alert sticker for your front door. This sticker should let firefighters know how many pets are in your home. If you can’t get to your pet before being evacuated, or if you can’t find them and need to escape right away, the sticker will help emergency responders save your animals.
• Get your neighbors’ contact information. If you can’t make it home, designate one of your neighbors as a person you can call to pick up your pets and take them to safety if the worst should happen. Discuss this with them before an emergency occurs. Find a few backup neighbors in case any of them aren’t home.

Pack Your Emergency Kit Ahead of Time

You’ll need several supplies for your pets to take care of them while you’re away from home. Keep these supplies together in a place where you can grab them and go, if necessary. Also, pack an emergency kit for humans with supplies for yourself and your human family members.

Your pet emergency kit should be easy to pack, but it should also contain all of the essentials you’ll need for a few days. Here are some of the things you should pack:

• A pet first-aid kit. You should ask your veterinarian for a checklist of things to pack in a first-aid kit for your individual pets. Click here for more info on what should be included in a first-aid kit for pets.
• The ASPCA recommends you pack three to seven days worth of food for each pet.
• Medical records and recent photos for each pet. You can store these on a flash drive if it is easier.
• A week’s worth of any medication your pets might need.
• Paper towels, litter boxes, poop bags, garbage bags, or other supplies to clean up after your pets.
• Disinfectant or dish soap.
• Seven days worth of water for each person and pet (replace every two months it goes unused)
• Air pollution mask for adults, children, and an air filter for mask for the dog.
• Crates, carriers, and bedding.
• Extra supplies like leashes, toys, harnesses, collars, food and water bowls, etc.

Evacuating With Your Dog

If you are told to evacuate, take your pets with you and leave immediately, even if you do not see signs of immediate danger. Furthermore, do not wait for the evacuation to become mandatory. Many people who are forced to evacuate are instructed to leave pets behind. Don’t let that become your only option.

Follow the instructions of emergency service workers and get your family and pets to safety. Here are a few tips to follow:

• If you need to evacuate quickly, leave non-essential material possessions behind. No object is worth risking your life or the lives of your pets and family.
• Do not allow your pets to roam or get loose. Keep them in carriers or on-leash at all times. They will be in a stressful situation and potentially in unfamiliar places, which may frighten them enough to run away.
• Stick to your pets’ usual feeding and medication schedules as much as possible.
• Make sure your pets are wearing identification at all times.
• Remain calm and don’t take chances. Confirm that everyone in your party knows where you are going and who to contact if you get separated, and there should be no confusion about who is responsible for caring for pets at any moment. Don’t assume someone else in the family is paying attention to your pets at all times. Take shifts or have a designated caretaker.
• Stay informed. Listen to emergency stations and notifications. Do not return home until you receive the all-clear.

What other tips do you recommend for dog owners who need to evacuate due to a wildfire? Also, what preparations have you made to evacuate if you need to?

Do your pets get affected by toxic air pollution the same way as people do? The answer is "Yes." Animals do get affected equally by air pollution. Degrading air quality is something to blame for the ever shortening life spans of our beloved pets. While we do care for our pets, what we commonly overlook is the effect of pollution on them.

Continuous and prolonged exposure to degraded air quality can give rise to a variety of lung, throat and nose diseases in your pets, such as bronchitis or even asthma. Here we present you some ways in which degraded air quality affects our furry friends and what all we can do to resist that.

Smog affects the health of your pet

Smoggy days are bad not just for you, but for your furry friend too! Smog causes severe ailments because of the quality of air they breathe in. It may cause breathing troubles leading to suffocation. This can be fatal for our pets in periods of intense and prolonged exposure.

• Remedy: Keeping your pets indoors during phases of smog would greatly help the cause. It is advisable to not take your pet out for a walk during one of those smoggy days. Using a dog air pollution mask is a helpful way to take your dog on a short walk to stretch the legs and go to the bathroom

Passive smoking affects pets

Passive smoke from cigarette smoking is an air quality problem for your dog and pets. A recent study showed that pets in smoke-free homes have healthier lungs than their counterparts living in smoke-prone homes. The passive smoking is detrimental to their lung health as they tend to spend most of their time on the floor.

• Remedy: Smoking isn’t just bad for your health; it affects your pets as well. Establish a separate smoking zone in your homes where your pets won’t have access, or better still, quit smoking for good!

Indoor activities can cause cancer!

You might think that being clean is great, and indeed it is, but the fact also depends on certain other factors to be true. Certain indoor activities like cleaning with artificial chemical cleansers and smoking cause adverse effects on your pet’s health. These contain carcinogens which can be directly attributed to causing illnesses like mesothelioma, lung, bladder and nasal cancer in your pets!

Remedy: Go green. Block out artificial carcinogen-laden cleansers and go for more healthy choices so that your pets have all carcinogen-free air to inhale.

Outside pollution affects your pets

Outside pollution also affects your pets. In a survey, it has been observed that dogs in areas of high-pollution levels show increased inflammation of the brain than those living in areas with a relatively low pollution. Pollution may even cause your pet to acquire certain Alzheimer-like illnesses.

• Remedy: Taking pets out for walks is obviously essential, but you need to keep in mind to choose an area less polluted by contaminants. Either shift your base to cleaner zones or take out your pets in areas away from roadsides and industries to reduce the effects of pollution.

Using pesticides can be deadly for your dogs

It has been observed that the use of artificial pesticides in personal farms can prove to be deadly to your dog. According to a study, around 30% of the dogs living in homes with artificial pesticide use are diagnosed with canine malignant lymphoma which is a form of cancer. It has also been observed that around 70% of these dogs do actually have a chance of acquiring this deadly disease.

Remedy: Artificial pesticides do more harm than good. With its severe health effects on humans as well as animals, it is better to steer clear of them and opt for the more eco-friendly ones. Your furry friend shouldn’t be subjected to such needless risk factors.

Indoor pollution decreases your pet’s lung capacity

It has been found that houses with owners who smoke and pollute the air from burning wood are detrimental to the heath of pets. Cats and dogs in such houses are more prone to catch health problems like asthma and decreased lung functionality.

• Remedy: Install a good air purifier, or air filters for central heating and cooling systems, in your house that limits indoor air pollution. The fresher and purer the air inside, the healthier your pets will be.  

Using artificial room fresheners affects your pets

While we may want our houses to smell good at all times, this comes with a price. If we go for artificial fresheners containing aerosols, these contaminants aren’t good for your pet’s health and result in various illnesses of the heart and lungs.

• Remedy: Natural flowers work way better than artificial fragrances, and you should opt for them to give your furry friend a well deserved extension of good health.