How to Keep Your Pets Safe From Electrical Hazards
If you have pets in your home, then you know how naturally curious pets tend to be. At any moment, your pet can turn an electric gadget into a chew toy, which may, in turn, lead to a serious electrical hazard in your home. Just like children, pets are unaware of the risks and dangers posed by the electrical devices, plugs, and wires within your home.
Apart from causing an electrical hazard, pets may also be fatally injured through electric shocks resulting from playing with the electrical items in your home. So, how do you keep your pets safe from electrical hazards?
Avoid Leaving Electrical Appliances On/Connected
Certain electrical gadgets like heaters, irons, lamps, makeup mirrors, or fans are easy to forget to switch off when they are not in use. In case this happens and you accidentally leave the electric gadget connected to its power source, the end result could be hazardous to your pet when you are not at home.
Therefore, the best way to protect your pet is by unplugging appliances or turning them off completely whenever the appliances are not in use. In addition to saving you money on energy bills, unplugging your appliances will also prevent your pets from encountering fatal injuries and scars.
Imagine what would happen if you forgot to turn off the flat iron and your pet came into contact with the iron’s surface. Your beloved pet would definitely sustain serious burn injuries.
Invest in Premium Electrical Cords
Another great way to keep your pets safe from electrical hazards is by buying high-quality electrical cords. Cheap electrical cords tend to break easily, especially when there is overheating in the wires. When the cords break, your pet is at high risk of experiencing sparks or electrical shocks when they play around with the wires.
Protect your pets by investing in high-quality cords that can sustain overheating or being chewed on by your pets. If you have outdoor electric devices, we recommend investing in high-quality cords, such as 14 gauge cords. This is because pets tend to be very playful outside and you might not be able to monitor their every move because you may be busy doing other chores.
Buying premium quality electrical cords will minimize the occurrences of electrical hazards thereby saving you money in the long haul.
Ensure Any Dangling Cords Are Unreachable
Did you know that pets also go through the teething process just like babies? This may be why your adorable pet is seemingly obsessed with chewing on things around the house including electrical cords. If you have any dangling cords around your house, your pet may desire to chew on them, which would result in your pet getting shocked for nibbling on a live electric wire.
Therefore, to save your pets from the temptation of chewing their way to death, we recommend pet-proofing the electrical cords. For instance, if you have tried keeping the dangling cord away but your persistent pet keeps getting hold of it, you can spray it with vinegar, hot sauce, or lemon. This will leave an unpleasant taste on the cord and successfully keep your pet away.
Buy Toys for Your Pet
As we stated earlier, pets are very playful creatures and they get bored easily. If your pet is always playing with dangerous electrical gadgets that may lead to electrical hazards, then it’s time you invested in toys for your pet.
Chew toys and other playful toys will keep your pet busy and distracted especially when you are not at the house. The toys will also restrain your pet from playing with potentially dangerous electrical appliances.
Additionally, you can teach your pet exciting ways to play with their brand new toys. For example, you can introduce your pets to scavenger hunting by hiding the toys and food around the house. This will keep your pet busy with hunting when you are not around the house, thereby protecting them from electrical hazards.
Train Your Pets
Just like children, pets are teachable creatures. If you show your pet that it is not allowed to go near a certain electric appliance or play with the cables, your pet will learn and will keep away from the items even when you are not at home.
There are different ways to train pets. For example, if you have a kitten, the quickest way to train it how to stay away from an electric appliance is by spraying unpleasant substances on or around the electric gadget.
If you are dealing with a dog, they tend to respond best to sharp noises e.g. claps. Anytime your dog goes near a cord or electric appliance, clap loudly to startle the dog. With time, it will learn which areas in your home are restricted even when you are at work.
We recommend exercising patience when training your pet because pets take time to learn new things.
Beware of Plugged Sockets
When plugging electrical appliances into sockets in your home, ensure that you have fully plugged in the device. A partially plugged appliance may be deadly to your pet because they may encounter an electric shock when they sniff around the socket with their wet nose or mouth.
Additionally, we recommend avoiding overloading sockets with cables because your curious pet might find itself entangled between the wires.
If you are not using an electrical appliance, ensure that you unplug it to avoid any electrical hazards. What would happen if your pet chews on the cord of the appliance while it is still plugged into the socket? To avoid a fatal outcome for your pet, always unplug.
In case your pet chews on an unplugged appliance cord while you are asleep, it will not be harmed by electricity. Additionally, unplugging appliances will save you money in the long run.
Know the Actions to Take During an Emergency
So you have taken all the above precautions to keep your pet safe from an electric hazard but the worst still happens and your pet gets electrocuted. What do you do?
In case of such an emergency, we recommend unplugging the appliance immediately to avoid any further damage. Then, check your pet’s pulse rate and breathing rate. Where necessary, give your pet CPR. Next, check whether your pet has any burns. If they do, apply a cold compress to the burn. Then, call your vet and tell them what happened. Your vet may take you through a few steps to ensure that your pet is okay before you arrive at the vet’s office. You will need to monitor your pet closely for the next 24 hours to monitor their well-being.
Call Black Lion Heating & Air Conditioning to Improve Safety and Electrical Convenience in Your Home
Are you ready to pet proof your home by upgrading the electrical systems in your home to increase safety and eliminate risk of electrical hazards? If yes, then Black Lion Heating & Air Conditioning is the company to work with. We provide electrical services like installing new wiring, electrical repairs, inspections, and assessments to solve any electrical issues in your home. We also offer AC and heating services that will help to keep your home warm during winter.
Call us today to speak to an electrical expert about fixing any electrical issues in your home to protect your pet from electrical hazards.