If you live at home with a pet, such as a cat, dog, rabbit or goldfish, then you’ve probably learnt that there are some common household items best kept out of reach. Maybe you’ve learned the hard way, such as with a trip to the vet after Buster the dog got into your chocolate stash, or discovered the dangers of the Cala Lillies growing in your garden after Fluffy the cat got too close. One thing you might not have considered is the possible hazard your e-cigarette and the e-liquid it contains can pose to your beloved pet.
Well, the good news is that the vapour clouds themselves that come from your e-cog don’t seem to be particularly harmful to your pet, but that said, there are some safety concerns that you should be aware of.
You might have noticed the warning labels on you e-juice instructing you to keep the bottle away from children and pets – this is for a good reason!
Certain e-liquids and their ingredients can be potentially fatal to your pet, so read on below for our safety tips on handling your e-liquids to protect the safety of your pet.
Keep your e-liquid out of reach
The most important thing to remember is that your e-liquids are the biggest risk factor when it comes to vaping and your pet, especially if they contain nicotine. Nicotine is a poison, so if you’re pet gets into your e-liquids, the consequences could be potentially fatal. Even ingesting a small amount of nicotine containing e-liquids could put your pet in serious danger.
A toxic dose of most e-liquids would be around 1-2 mg, whilst it is likely to be fatal at around the 3-4 mg mark per pound of your pet.
Keeping e-liquid bottles in high, secure places away from pets will help to prevent them from any unwanted effects or accidents involving nicotine poisoning.
Nicotine free e-liquids pose a much smaller risk when consumed by pets, but are likely to make them unwell.
How to know if your pet has nicotine poisoning
If you have reason to believe that your pet has gotten into your e-liquids and may have nicotine poisoning, then the first thing you need to do is check their tongue and gums. Poison will usually make their tongue or gums appear blue, purple, white or bright red in colour.
Other symptoms might involve; vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, shaking, salivating, constricting pupils, strange behaviour, high temperature, lethargy, loss of appetite or nose bleeds.
If you notice any of these symptoms or find evidence that your pet has been into your e-liquids, then it’s best to take them to the vet straight away.
Where should you store e-liquids?
So where is the best place to keep e-liquids in order to avoid your pets getting into them?
A high spot that will limit your pets ability to jump up or reach them is usually ideal, this can be difficult for cat owners!
A kitchen shelf or cabinet, bathroom cabinet, secured safe or a lidded container or box kept out of reach is ideal. Choose locations that don’t have too much ligh exposure, or aren’t too wet or hot, as this could damage your e-liquid.
When you’re refilling or using a cartridge, make sure you keep it out of reach from your pets as they may be interested in sniffing it or investigating.
For some reason, some cats display a particular sensitivity to the PG in e-liquids, and when ingested can suffer from anemia which can be life threatening. Second hand smoke isn’t typically to cause it, but it’s best to keep PG e-juice well away from your cat.
Dan Jones was born and raised in Australia. Dan covers stories related to vaping at Kev’s Vape.
