keep pets safe during solar eclipse (08 april 2024)

The Solar Eclipse set to cross North America and other Continents on April 8 could be disorienting and anxiety-inducing for pets due to the anticipated mass gatherings.

    What is a solar eclipse? A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, obscuring the Sun's image. A total eclipse occurs when the Moon's diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking sunlight and turning day into darkness. Totality occurs on a narrow path. Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing. 

    Veterinarians are more concerned with the impact of human behavior and activity on pets during the event, rather than the actual effects on the animals. They advise pet owners to plan ahead, consider their location, and prepare to make their pets safe and comfortable.

Don't Bring Your Pets to Eclipse Viewing Events
 

    Veterinarians advise against bringing pets to eclipse viewing events due to potential stress due to crowds, loud noises, and excitable humans. They believe pets will react to excitement and commotion during the eclipse, rather than the actual event itself. Most animals are unphased by the physical phenomenon, but will most likely react to human behavior. 

Keep Pets Inside during solar eclipse
 

    It is recommend to keep pets indoors during solar eclipse to avoid stress and ensure they feel safe and secure. Dogs may not be as excited about this phenomenon as humans, but they take cues from humans.

Make Sure Your Pets Don’t Stare At The Sun
 

    Pet owners should not worry about their pets looking directly at the sun during the eclipse, as they do not naturally look at the sun. They should not force their pets to do potentially dangerous or personal activities that could harm their vision. However, experts advise against putting eclipse glasses on pets, as it could be annoying and cause them to wonder about the situation. Pets are not naturally inclined to look at the sun, so even if they are outside, they should be kept indoors to minimize the risk. To reduce stress and exposure to the sun, pets can be moved away from windows or draw curtains. 

Accourding to Wikipidia | Solar Eclipse Path
 

    The solar eclipse will be visible in a narrow strip on the Pacific Ocean passing 230 miles (370 km) north of the Marquesas Islands and later in North America, beginning at the Pacific coast, then ascending in a northeasterly direction through Mexico, the United States, and Canada, before ending in the Atlantic Ocean. Full article Here

Mexico 

    In Mexico, totality will pass through the states of 

Sinaloa (including Mazatlán).

Durango (including the city of Durango and Gómez Palacio).

Coahuila (including Torreón, Matamoros, Monclova, Sabinas, Ciudad Acuña and Piedras Negras).

United States 

    In the United States, totality will be visible through the states of 

Texas (including parts of San Antonio, Austin, and Fort Worth and all of Arlington, Dallas, Killeen, Temple, Texarkana, Tyler, Sulphur Springs and Waco)

Oklahoma, Arkansas (including Morrilton/Petit Jean, Hot Springs, Searcy, Jonesboro, and Little Rock)

Missouri, Tennessee (extreme northwestern corner of Lake County)

Illinois (including Carbondale, where it intersects the path of the 2017 eclipse)

Kentucky, Indiana (including Bloomington, Evansville, Indianapolis, Anderson, Muncie, Terre Haute, and Vincennes)

Ohio (including Akron, Cleveland, Dayton, Lima, Lorain, Toledo, and Warren)

Michigan (extreme southeastern corner of Monroe County)

Pennsylvania (including Erie)

Upstate New York (including Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown, the Adirondacks, Potsdam, and Plattsburgh), and northern Vermont (including Burlington)

New Hampshire, and Maine, with the line of totality going almost directly over the state's highest point Mount Katahdin. 

The largest city entirely in the path will be Dallas, Texas. It will be the second total eclipse visible from the central United States in just 7 years, after the eclipse of August 21, 2017.

Canada 

    In Canada, the path of totality will pass over parts of 

Southern and Eastern Ontario (including Leamington, Fort Erie, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Kingston, Prince Edward County, and Cornwall)

parts of southern Quebec (including Montreal, Sherbrooke, Saint-Georges and Lac-Mégantic)

central New Brunswick (including Fredericton, Woodstock and Miramichi)

western Prince Edward Island (including Tignish and Summerside)

the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and central Newfoundland (including Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor). 

    Then, it will vanish on the eastern Atlantic coast of Newfoundland. Some of the Canadian cities listed, such as Hamilton and Montreal, are on an edge of the path of totality. Windsor, London, Toronto and Ottawa lie just north of the path of totality, and Moncton lies just south of it.

Europe 

    The eclipse will be partially seen in:

Svalbard (Norway)

Iceland, Ireland, western parts of Great Britain

north-west parts of Spain and Portugal, the Azores and Canary Islands. Unusually, this eclipse extends below the horizon, where the greatest phase is to be observed at mid-nautical twilight in Galicia (Spain) and the beginning of astronomical twilight in Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France).

Central America and South America 

    The eclipse will be partially seen in all Central American countries, from Belize to Panama, all the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Jamaica), and northern South America (Colombia). 

Oceania 

    The eclipse will be partially seen in Hawaii, eastern Kiribati (eastern Phoenix Islands and the whole Line Islands), Tokelau, American Samoa except its extreme western part, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Pitcairn Islands. Although all located east of the 180th meridian, the local time of the partial eclipse in Kiribati and Tokelau is Tuesday, April 9, 2024, because either UTC+13 or UTC+14 is observed in these areas.
 

FAQs
 

Will the Eclipse Hurt My Dog?   

    Naturally, pets don't look at the sun. Just don't force your pets to do potentially dangerous or personal activities that could harm their vision. 

do pets feel the solar eclipse?

    Yes, pets did feel the eclipse; for example, during the eclipse, birds were not flying. But the eclipse in general doesn't directly affect pets. But taking your pet to crowds and events during the eclipse can be dangerous, which is why experts recommend leaving animals at home to be safe.