Haze in Singapore: is it bad for your pet, and can they still walk?
The sky has gone flat and yellow, the corridor smells like a bonfire, and your dog is standing by the door with his leash in his mouth. Haze arrives in Singapore without much notice, and the first thing most owners want to know is whether the walk still happens.
It depends on the number and on which animal you have. Pets breathe the same fine particles you do, closer to the ground, and a dog on a long walk moves far more air through his lungs than you do standing at a bus stop. This guide covers dogs, cats and the smaller animals in the house.
Go to a vet now if you see
- Laboured breathing: fast or shallow, or with the chest and belly visibly working
- Open-mouth breathing or panting in a cat, at any time
- Gums or tongue going pale, grey or blue
- A cough that will not settle, or that comes in bouts
- Collapse, wobbliness, or a pet who will not get up
- A bird sitting fluffed on the cage floor with its tail bobbing on each breath
What the PSI number means for your pet
The reading to check is NEA's 24-hour PSI for your region, the same figure used for human health advice. It comes in bands, and in plain words they work out like this for pets:
- 51 to 100, moderate. Healthy pets carry on as normal.
- 101 to 200, unhealthy. Keep outings to what the toilet needs. No long walk, no running, no ball.
- 201 to 300, very unhealthy. Out and straight back for the toilet, and the sensitive pets below stay in.
- Above 300, hazardous. Nothing outdoors for exercise. Pee pads, newspaper or the corridor instead.
Which pets feel it first
Flat-faced animals are the group to watch: Frenchies, Pugs, Bulldogs and Shih Tzus on the dog side, Persians and Exotic Shorthairs on the cat side. Their airways are working hard on a clear day, and haze removes the margin they were relying on.
Then the young and the old. Puppies and kittens have small airways and little reserve, seniors have less to spare, and any pet already diagnosed with a heart condition, asthma, a collapsing trachea or chronic bronchitis belongs on this list whatever its age.
Birds are the most air-sensitive animals in the house by a wide margin, because a bird's respiratory system takes up whatever is in the air with the same efficiency it takes up oxygen. Rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters sit close behind. During an episode those cages move indoors, away from open windows, and stay there.
Walks, indoor air, and the signs to watch
Early morning and after sundown are usually the better windows, and they are cooler, which matters here anyway. The band moves through the day, so check it before each outing rather than once at breakfast.
Indoors, shut the windows on the haze side of the flat, run an air purifier if you have one, and keep fresh water where your pet drinks. A food puzzle or ten minutes of training does more for a bored dog than a walk he should not be taking.
The signs that the air is bothering your pet are the ones you would notice in yourself, turned up: coughing, wheezing, watery or reddened eyes, nasal discharge, less interest in food, more sleeping than usual. A dog who stops partway through a short walk and does not want to go on is telling you something.
Two things are never in the mild category. Open-mouth breathing in a cat is not a symptom to monitor at home, it is a reason to phone a vet. The same goes for laboured breathing in any animal, where you can see the effort it takes.
The PSI is unhealthy and my dog is going stir crazy. Can I take him out?
For the toilet, yes, and keep it to that: down, done, back up. Skip the long walk and the run. Exertion is what makes haze exposure worse, because a working dog moves several times the air a strolling one does.
Do pet masks work?
Not in a way worth relying on. A mask only does anything with a seal, and a muzzle is the wrong shape to seal. Closed windows and a shorter outing do the job the mask is being asked to do.
The haze cleared but my cat is still coughing. Is that normal?
A cough that outlasts the episode is worth an appointment rather than more waiting. Coughing in cats is often asthma, which haze can set off, and it is something a vet treats rather than something you wait out.
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Keep reading
Dogs and heat in Singapore: spotting heat stress early
Our whole island is a heatwave. Read your dog early.
Dog panting at night: heat, worry, or something else?
Heat, worry, or pain — how to tell at midnight.
The 2am pet emergency: a calm checklist for Singapore
Who to call, what to bring, how to get there.
This guide is general information for pet parents, not veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Every pet is different — for any medical concern, consult a licensed veterinarian. If your pet seems to be in danger, contact a 24-hour veterinary clinic straight away.