The wildfire smoke that has been smothering the Windsor-Essex area is expected to move out of the region by tomorrow.
An orange air quality warning, issued by Environment Canada, remains in effect.
The Windsor-Essex County Humane Society says pet owners should keep animals inside and dogs should not be walked until the air quality improves.
Executive Director Lynette Bain says combined with the heat, it’s a double attack on a dogs lungs. “Dogs don’t sweat like we do, they cool down by panting but imagine you’re panting and all the air is hot, smoky air with dangerous particles, so they can’t use that air to cool their bodies down which can speed up the chance of rapid or fatal heat stroke,” she said adding indoor enrichment can help to tire a dog out.
“Believe it or not, mental exercise tires a dog out just as much as physical exercise. You can, instead of doing walks, use indoor puzzle toys, food puzzles, you can do some training activities with them, you can hide things around the house.”
Bain also says outdoor cats should be brought inside if possible. “Make sure they have access to water would be the biggest thing. They are more like people with their cooling system so they don’t rely on panting. So it’s still not great for them to be outside, so if you do have an outdoor that you can bring in, I would highly recommend it.”
200 wildfires are burning in northern Ontario.
Ontario has asked the federal government to ensure aircraft and crews are ready to deploy in 24-hours or less to help evacuate communities.
Alberta wildfire officials say 94 firefighters and 13 aircraft have been sent to Ontario, including two water bombers, six smaller air tankers and two helicopter tankers.
--With files from AM800’s Mornings with Mike and Meg