Day 2 of our 30 Days to the Best Pet Home is going to focus on protecting our pets from the wires in our home. Although we are getting closer and closer to a wireless world, right now, many pet parents are battling the dangers of wires. I’ll share a little story with you…
…when I was in college my wonderful mom was kind enough to buy me an electric blanket for the winter because I lived in a house with no heat. When my husband and I adopted Rooney 3 years later, I still had this electric blanket. Due to the limited storage space in our apartment, we stored the blanket and wire under the bed. Luckily, the electric blanket wasn’t plugged in because Rooney, who was still very new to our lives, had crawled under the bed and chewed up the wire into tiny little pieces.
I am so grateful that the wire was not plugged in. Although I never saw a case of electrical burns while working at the veterinary hospital, electric cord bite injuries aren’t as rare as they might seem. In addition to burning the tissue in the mouth, many pets also suffer from injuries sustained to the heart, lungs, muscles, and other tissues. Pets may also experience high blood pressure and fluid accumulation in the lungs, or even eye injuries (PetMD).
According to PetMD, here are some signs that your pet has sustained a severe electrical injury:
- Rapid Heart Rate
- Difficulty Breathing or Shortness of Breath
- Muscle Tremors
- Collapse
- Coughing
- Seizures
If you believe your pet has sustained a serious electrical injury, please call your veterinarian or emergency veterinarian immediately!
How do I know if my pet is interested in chewing on wires?
Here is what I learned; wire dangers threaten 3 different types of pets:
- The Teething Pet: This may be limited to puppies and kittens, or can include rabbits, ferrets, or other pets that might continue to “teeth” throughout their lives.
- The Curious Pet: Some pets never grow out of their curiosity, so this is about knowing your pet and their tendencies.
- The Bored Pet: Exercise and mental stimulation is important for so many reasons, but many people don’t realize that a tired and entertained pet is also a safer pet.
Truth be told, Rooney was probably a mixture of both curious and bored when he decided to chew up that wire. It’s possible that he may have been going through a phase at that time and no longer finds wires (or other household items like my dresser) interesting enough to chew. However, from that moment forward my husband and I have been very careful about the wires in our home.
Here are my tips on wire safety in the house:
Before bringing your pet into your home check your cords:
The point is to make sure there are no damaged or exposed wires lying around your home. All such wires should be removed immediately.
Make sure there aren’t loose wires near their crate:
A dog in a crate might be just bored enough to chew on a nearby wire while you aren’t at home. To avoid this kind of dangerous activity, make sure there are no loose wires or wires plugged into the wall near your dog’s crate.
Make sure there aren’t any loose wires where they like to sleep or rest:
I was really surprised when I found the chewed up wire under our bed. Now, we are very aware of what gets stored under the bed, and we actually try to block as many spots under the bed as possible so that Rooney won’t even go under there.
Don’t forget about the loose wires and cords in closets or other storage areas as well (specifically for cats who like to hide in closets). Even though your pet may not get electrocuted, chewing on cords and wires is still a choking hazard and a possible foreign body surgery.
Cover as many visible wires as possible:
Some wires have to be visible and have to be plugged in. There isn’t always a way to avoid it. In this case, you can take the extra steps to make sure that all of your wires are covered and secured to the walls.
While researching this topic for this blog post, I did come across a product called Critter Cords on Amazon. This product goes over your cords and is infused with a bitter scent and taste to deter your pet from chewing on the cords. I have no experience with this product, and I am not sure if I would ever use it, but it one of my readers does, I would really appreciate you leaving some feedback in the comments.
We recently rearranged our room and I am personally opting for the below wire cover systems from Wayfair. Even though Rooney shows very little interest in wires in the first place, I know that he won’t really be interested in things that aren’t tempting him. A wire sitting behind a secure wall cover isn’t enough to tempt him. Whereas a wire sitting on the ground might be just tempting enough to chew.
Wall Mounted Cable Management System
Regular Price:$16.43
Cable Management Wire 10 Ft Cord Channel
Regular Price:$19.99
Once again, the solution to protecting our pets is very similar to baby proofing a home. So if your family is growing, you are really taking care of multiple safety precautions all at once, which is great!
Have your pets had any interest in wires? How do you keep your pets safe from electrical injury?
Disclaimer: I am part of the Wayfair Homemakers Program. I am occasionally provided with Wayfair products in exchange for my honest opinion. My Kid Has Paws strives to share only products we believe would benefit our readers.
Caren Gittleman
April 6, 2016 at 10:42 amThese are superb!! Shared!
Caren Gittleman recently posted…Winner! #Ad NEW Rachael Ray #NutrishDish Super Premium Food for Dogs!
Kismet
April 6, 2016 at 4:29 pmYes, we had a Westie who bit through the cord of a lamp that was on. Not fun for anyone.
Kismet recently posted…The Science is IN
M. K. Clinton
April 7, 2016 at 8:07 amThese are great ideas. We hid ours whenever possible. Puppies are notorious wire chewers. ☺
M. K. Clinton recently posted…Barking from the Bayou, LLC
Groovy Goldendoodles
April 7, 2016 at 11:59 amGreat post – I was skeptical about wires and Jaxson as a puppy. He was such the inquisitive type, Thankfully we didn’t have a problem, of all the things he went after – cords weren’t one of them.
Shawn J
October 21, 2018 at 7:59 amDon’t forget to check cables that run under the bed–like electric blanket cords. Our miniature schnauzer love to hang our under the bed. We almost lost our new puppy Lillie because of this.