Climate Change and Animal Health
We are just beginning to understand climate induced impacts on animal health. From short term impacts from weather events, to longer term impacts on disease spread, transmission of zoonotic diseases to humans, and longer breeding seasons, there is so much for us still to learn. There is also a natural tie-in between animal health, veterinarian wellbeing, shelter populations, and how we as a society respond to each of these impacts.
Short Term Impacts:
Heat waves and cold snaps require us to adapt our habits with our pets. During heat waves, burned pads on paws can lead to chronic pain if not immediately addressed. Heat stroke and exhaustion are also becoming more common, as is sunburn on shorthaired dogs. During cold weather, animals need to spend less time outside. Bedding for feral or barn cats can become ice blocks. Tendon and ligament tears from playing on ice or snow can also occur.
Taking our pups to the river or lake to cool off has new threats from climate change in the form of algal blooms, cyanotoxins, and other bacteria that thrive in warm, stagnant water. In the Pacific Northwest, increasing water temperatures negatively impact salmon, whose carcasses wash up on beaches and are toxic to dogs.
Brachycephalic breeds (pugs, bulldogs, etc) are more prone to breathing issues and overheating in hot weather. As breeders continue to prefer even flatter noses, the problems only increase
Obesity! How is this tied to climate change? With longer heat waves, more severe storm events, and deep freezes, animals simply do not get as much exercise. And obesity isn’t the only impact- lack of exercise and stimulation can be hard on the psyches of our animals, leading to an increase in behavioral issues.
Long Term Impacts:
Kittens are cute, but with shelters already overpopulated and euthanasia rates climbing, a longer kitten season as spring arrives earlier and fall arrives later is not what anyone needs. According to the National Kitten Coalition, 41% of cats entering American shelters are euthanized.
More mild winters have led to an increase in population range for ticks and parasites. Lyme Disease and Heartworm are being seen in regions that were previously considered safe. These are both very serious illnesses that require extensive and expensive treatment and are fatal if not treated. Heartworm testing in particular is not always common for animals that were born in a region where heartworm has not been present, which could mean missed diagnoses.
Human climate refugees bringing their pets with them can also be transporting viruses from other geographic regions, or illnesses that may not be as common to treat in the new location. For example, Valley Fever, which is common in Arizona and local vets are trained to recognize it, could be missed in a dog moving to Minnesota who presents with those symptoms.
What Can We Do to Minimize the Risks to Animal Health?
As animal guardians, mitigating the risks from climate change to our animals falls onto our shoulders. We talk more about specific actions on the For Individuals page. Curriculums that include climate change in veterinary education are critical to our overall preparedness. We also need to support our veterinarians as they treat more climate affected animals in busier clinics. Longer kitten seasons, more animal surrenders due to medical conditions, and animals left behind due to climate migration are all impacting our shelter system, and they need support through adoptions, donations, volunteering, and importantly, spay/neuter programs. Climate planning processes need to include animal health and wellbeing in light of the downstream impacts on our housing, health, shelters, and workforce.