Are Humidifiers Safe for Dogs? As a dog owner, ensuring that getting a humidifier is safe for my dog was a priority. I had to conduct thorough research so that all family members, including my pets, had a conducive environment despite the introduction of a humidifier. From my research, I learned a bunch of things about humidifiers and dogs.
Yes, humidifiers are safe for dogs as long as you do no to get a warm mist humidifier. Place the humidifier out of rich for the dog and away from any electrical outlets or electronic devices.
I have used this article to share my experience on whether humidifiers are safe for dogs. Among the discussed topic is How Do Dogs Benefit from Humidifiers, the Best Humidity Level for Dogs, Which Humidifiers Are Best for Dogs, Are Dogs Affected by High Humidity, Factors to Consider When Settling for a Humidifier, how do you keep your Dogs Safe when Using a Humidifier, The Reason why a Warm Mist Humidifiers May Not Be Safe for Dogs and answers to frequently asked questions about the topic.
How to Tell Your Dog Needs a Humidifier?
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Several signs made me realize that my dog might need a humidifier. It is essential to identify these signs before running to the store to buy a humidifier. Suppose your dog is also experiencing the following signs and symptoms; you might need one soon. For instance
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Red eyes
- Dry skin
The symptoms mentioned earlier are brought about by allergies. Allergies are a result of inhaling dry air that is infested with bacteria and viruses. The humidifier will help your dog by ensuring the air around them has fewer allergy bacteria preventing them from falling sick.
How do Dogs Benefit from Humidifiers?
While researching whether a humidifier is safe for my dog, I also came across other benefits my dog will enjoy with a humidifier around the house. The following are the benefits.
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A Humidifier Would Help My Dog Sleep Easier
Dry air does not only cause your dog to sneeze, cough and have red eyes, but it also prevents them from breathing comfortably due to the swelling of nasal passages. The swelling may bust, causing sores inside their noses. With such sores, your dog will have a painful experience that will stop it from sleeping easily. Our dogs will not have to endure such painful experiences with a humidifier.
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A humidifier will Relive my Dog’s Snoring
Suddenly my dog began to snore too loudly. I just thought it was because he had gained some weight, only to realize that a humidifier can also stop a dog from snoring. The humidity in the air that the dog inhales will moisturize the nasal passage of the dog, enabling it to breathe easy. However, other dogs are genetically designed for snoring, depending on the breed.
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A Humidifier Would Soften my Dog’s Skin
I had noticed the skin of my dog was somehow dryer than usual. He would even shed more than usual. Often he would scratch and become so restless. With a humidifier, my dog’s skin will be smooth, and there will be no more scratching and restlessness.
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A Humidifier Will Bring Some Allergy Relief for my Dog
Since it is evident that some allergies or flu-like symptoms result from dry air filled with bacteria, having a humidifier will moisturize the air around my dog, giving it a rest from inhaling microorganisms that will cause allergies.
What is the Best Humidity Level for Dogs?
The best humidity levels for dogs are 30% to 50%. The appropriate humidity level will eliminate dry air giving your feline friend an excellent environment to survive without allergies.
However, always be careful not to allow too much humidity into the environment, or your dog might have difficulty cooling off.
Which Humidifiers Are Best for Dogs?
There are three types of humidifiers: Cool Mist Humidifiers, Warm Mist Humidifiers, and Ultrasonic Humidifiers. Among the three, there is one of a high safety risk, the Warm Mist Humidifier, since it uses hot water to produce warm mist. Therefore, the best humidifiers for dogs are:
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Cool Mist Humidifiers
A cool mist humidifier can be placed in a warm or congested room. It uses cool water; however, to avoid any accidents, ensure to place it away from your dog’s reach and away from electrical outlets
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Ultrasonic Humidifiers
Ultrasonic Humidifiers are not so different from the Cool Mist Humidifiers, only that they function by vibrating a metallic diaphragm and, therefore, may produce a buzzing sound.
Are Dogs Affected by High Humidity?
Yes, dogs are affected by high humidity. As much as I gathered more than enough evidence of how important humidity is to dogs, I also came across a disadvantage a dog can face when the atmosphere is high in humidity.
A dog will have a problem cooling down in a highly concentrated environment with humidity. Usually, dogs have to pant to release too much heat from the body. Through painting, the dog releases excess moisture from the body through evaporation on its tongues. Too much humidity in the air will not make it impossible for the humidity on the dog’s tongue to evaporate and allow it to cool down.
Factors to Consider When Settling for a Humidifier
After knowing that a humidifier was the perfect solution to what my dog was going through, I also had to gather information on what to look for in a humidifier to be sure I was getting a perfect humidifying device for my home. The following are some of the factors I took into consideration
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Type of the Humidifier
As I discussed earlier, there are three types that I had to choose from Cool Mist Humidifiers, Warm Mist Humidifiers and Ultrasonic Humidifiers. For a detailed explanation, check the articles “Which Humidifiers Are Best for Dogs” subheading. Personally, I went for the cool mist humidifier for the safety of my kids and my dog.
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The Capacity of the Humidifier
I had to get a larger humidifier so I wouldn’t have to fill it frequently with water. However, make sure you know the size of the room you intend to place the humidifier. There is no need to buy a larger humidifier just to place it in a smaller room.
Remember, too much humidity in a room will cause the growth of mold and mildew and even the paint on walls will begin to break. Smaller humidifier models can hold up to a 1/4-liter of water, while the larger ones can hold up to 12 gallons of water.
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Control Features
I notice the availability of modern humidifiers with features designed to detect a room’s humidity level before you turn them on. Other humidifiers have an essential control feature that you just put on without detecting a room’s humidity level. I opted for the modern humidifier, it is a bit more expensive than the basic one, but the price is worth it. You wouldn’t want to release too much humidity into the air to prevent your dog from cooling off efficiently.
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A Humidifier’s Safety Features
Safety features like what a humidifier will do when water runs out are essential to look out for. I had to make sure the humidifier I take should be able to shut down when water was no more. The humidifier should also be installed with a hygrometer to sense the humidity levels of a room first before it runs.
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A Humidifier Should Be Easy to Use and Maintain
Any device that is easy to handle and maintain will always serve you for a while. I chose a humidifier with straightforward features that are straight to the point and one that I can easily clean as often as I wish to.
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Warranty of the Humidifier
All humidifiers should have a warranty of at least one year. However, other humidifiers can have a warranty of up to three years. It is your right to purchase any device with a warranty offering replacement within the specified time.
How do you Keep your Dogs Safe when Using a Humidifier?
After purchasing my humidifier, I noticed that I still need to put some precautions in place to ensure my dog is not brought harm by a device supposed to make life better for it. However, seek a vet’s opinion if your dog can not get relief from a humidifier. I kept my dog safe by doing the following.
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I Kept the Humidifier Out of Reach for My Dog
Accidents like tip-overs are common, especially if you have a jumpy dog like mine. I had to place my humidifier above the ground, about 2 feet below my ceiling. That way, he wouldn’t jump high enough to reach the humidifier despite his unending curiosity.
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I Kept an Eye on my Dog for a While
A dog will always be curious when you bring a humidifier into the house. Keep an eye on the dog to ensure it has lost total interest in the humidifier before leaving the room. Also, observation will help you see how your dog is adjusting to the availability of a humidifier.
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I Wouldn’t Use Essential Oil Products
Essential oil products such as Vicks Vaposteam are quite irritating to your dog. They can also cause breathing complications.
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I Used Distilled Water
Unlike hard water that contains minerals that might harm you and your dog, distilled water is clean and pure and safe to vaporize into the air and inhale.
The Reason why a Warm Mist Humidifiers May Not Be Safe for Dogs
Warm mist humidifiers operate by boiling water and releasing warm moisture into the air. With a dog as a pet, any enticing activity can lead the dog to jump and spill over the hot water causing severe burns to your pet.
Faqs On Are Humidifiers Safe For Dogs
1. Do humidifiers help dogs with allergies
Yes, humidifiers introduce moisture into dry air. Dry air contains bacteria and microorganisms that, when inhaled by dogs, cause the dogs’ nasal passages to inflame and burst, leading to allergies or flu symptoms.
2. Can Vicks humidifiers make dogs sick?
Vicks humidifiers can only make dogs sick when you use its Vicks Vaposteam products.
Such oil essential products can irritate your dog.
3. Is a humidifier good for a dog with a collapsed trachea?
If your dog has collapsed, ensure it undergoes a daily humidifier session to soothe its trachea. The moisturized air will smoothen the trachea and enable the dog to breathe with a lot of ease.
4. Can dogs be in a room with a vaporizer?
Yes, there is nothing wrong with using a vaporizer with the dog in the room. However, ensure the vaporizer is not releasing fumes that might be toxic to the dog in the air.
5. Is eucalyptus oil in humidifier safe for dogs?
No, eucalyptus oil is toxic to dogs.
6. Is lavender diffuser bad for dogs?
Yes, a lavender diffuser is bad for dogs. Lavender produces a toxic substance called linalool that can harm your dog.
Final Thoughts
Humidifiers are safe for dogs, as long as you get the appropriate humidifier, place it away from the dogs reach and avoid using Essential oil products that can cause serious harm to your dog.
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