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While millions of Americans will head outdoors on Monday to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse, their pets may not be so thrilled about the experience, experts say.
Although the rare event may make some animals behave as they do at night, it won’t be the eclipse that will fuel their anxiety; it will more than likely be the behavior of their owners, according to Dr. Rena Carlson, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
“Honestly, the animals are probably more anxious because of our excitement than anything else,” Carlson says. “It’s quite an amazing phenomenon for us to experience.
So that can be pretty stressful when dogs are with large crowds and a lot of noise. They don’t quite understand the excitement.
They’re going to be much more nervous about, ‘What’s going on?’ and, ‘How should I react?'” The easiest way to relieve your pets’ stress, Carlson says: Leave them at home.
“My bigger worry is there [will be] so much traffic and so many people coming through our area that a drive that typically would take us two hours takes eight to 10 hours,” she notes.
What are your plans for the solar eclipse?
