Bo, a dog adopted by a photographer, models eclipse glasses. While this is a cute photo op, veterinarians say the pet doesn't need eclipse glasses to protect its eyes because it doesn't see the sun. Mirror photography: Nate Powles
Pet owners have little to worry about during the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, said Dennis Nicodemus, a veterinarian and owner of Lakemont Veterinary Clinic.
Pet owners are encouraged to use special light-filtering eclipse glasses to protect their vision during the eclipse, but domestic pets such as cats and dogs do not require similar equipment.
“They don't usually look up at the sun that much,” Nicodemus said. “So we don't think there's going to be a lot of potential problems.”
During a solar eclipse, the sun will be up to 95% blocked by the moon for viewers in Blair County, but even viewers who can experience 100% occlusion within its total path will need eclipse glasses, permanent eye protection, etc. Use a telescope with an optical filter or pinhole projector box, as the risk of damage still exists.
Nicodemus said most pets aren't likely to have the same curiosity about solar eclipses, so there's less danger. Additionally, most pets simply shake off the eclipse glass and won't benefit from it anyway, she added.
Nicodemus said pet birds and chickens may exhibit “roosting behavior” during the brief period when the sky darkens during the eclipse. There is usually several minutes of eerie and unusual silence during a solar eclipse, as birds stop singing once they roost.
Small household pets such as reptiles, amphibians and fish are also not at risk because they are less likely to look up at the eclipse, Nicodemus said.
The only serious concern is that the sudden darkness during a totality can make it seem like a storm is approaching, so dogs who are nervous during thunderstorms or other noisy events may be more nervous during an eclipse. She said it's something that can be unsettling.
“Giving them (anxiety) medication in preparation for the storm would be an additional precaution,” Nicodemus said.
Livestock owners need not worry, Nicodemus said.
“Studies have shown that cows may have less grazing behavior during an eclipse, but there's really no effect. Cows don't tend to look up as much,” she says.
behavioral research
According to a recent article in the Associated Press, scientists plan to observe animals in zoos along the path of the total solar eclipse to learn how animals react during the eclipse.
The researchers will travel to the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas. Strange animal behavior was previously discovered at a South Carolina zoo that went dark in 2017.
“Surprisingly, most of the animals did something amazing,” said North Carolina State University researcher Adam Hartstone Rose, who led the observations published in Zoology.
There have been numerous sightings of creatures behaving strangely during historic solar eclipses, but it's only in recent years that scientists have begun to rigorously study behavioral changes in wild, domestic, and zoo animals. .
Seven years ago, Galapagos tortoises at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina, “usually do nothing all day…At the peak of the eclipse, they all started breeding,” Hartstone-Rose said. The cause of the behavior is still unknown.
A pair of siamang gibbons, which usually sing to each other in the morning, sang a rare song during the afternoon solar eclipse. Several male giraffes started running in a state of “visibly anxious” behavior. Flamingos crowded around the young birds.
Researchers say many animals exhibit behaviors associated with early dusk.
On Monday, Hartstone-Rose's team plans to study a similar species in Texas to see if the behavior previously seen in South Carolina shows a larger pattern.
Several other zoos along the way are also looking for visitors to help track their animals. Toledo, Ohio. And Indianapolis.
“A solar eclipse actually mimics a short, fast-moving storm,” as the sky darkens and many animals take shelter, said Nate Bickford, an animal researcher at the Oregon Institute of Technology.
After the 2017 solar eclipse, he analyzed data from tracking devices previously placed on wild species to study habitat use. Bald eagles in flight change their speed and direction during an eclipse, he said. The same goes for wild horses, “perhaps taking shelter in response to potential storms on the plains.”
your pet should be fine
Indoor pets may react as much to their owners' behavior (whether they're excited or unfazed by the eclipse) as to changes in the sky, says Raffaella Resch, an animal researcher at the University of Arkansas. That's what it means.
“Dogs and cats pay a lot of attention to us, in addition to their biological clocks,” she said.
Jerry Klein, chief veterinarian for the American Kennel Club, recommends that pet owners keep an eye on their pets at all times and look for signs of stress or anxiety.
“The most obvious sign is that your dog has run away and is hiding somewhere, but look for something more subtle,” he said in the AKC post. Other signs of anxiety in dogs include whining, panting, pacing, excessive barking, lip licking, or yawning.
Fortunately, eclipses don't last long, so to relieve your dog's stress, try taking him to a quiet room, playing calming music, or distracting him with some simple training using his favorite treats. He suggests that you take a look.
Klein said one thing people shouldn't do is force their pets to experience a solar eclipse.
“Do not let your dog look into the sun, even if he wears glasses,” he said. “Dogs naturally don't want to look up, so you shouldn't force them to look up.”
Klein also said that while letting your dog wear eclipse glasses can be a fun photo op, “don't let your dog do something bad like eat the glasses.”
The Associated Press and AKC contributed to this report.
