Is it safe to walk your dog in smoke?
Live, official air quality for West Hollywood or wherever you are, with a vet’s walk plan for your dog or cat and the forecast for tomorrow.
Check the air before you go
For dogs and cats. Readings from official air monitors, updated every 30 minutes while this page is open.
The short answer
Above a US AQI of 100, keep dogs and cats inside except for short bathroom breaks. That’s LA County Public Health’s guidance, and it’s the strictest of the official sources we follow. From 51 to 100, most pets can walk as usual, but seniors, puppies, flat-faced breeds and pets with heart or lung disease should keep walks short. If you can see haze or smell smoke, keep your pet inside whatever the number says.
How we decide
We read the air
We pull the latest readings from the official air monitors nearest you through the EPA’s AirNow, the same data behind AirNow.gov. We use the worst pollutant right now, whether that’s smoke particles, ozone or dust.
We match it to your pet
We follow the strictest official advice. LA County Public Health says to keep pets inside when the AQI is over 100 or smoke is cutting visibility, so that’s our line for every pet. Flat faces, seniors, puppies and kittens, and heart, lung or asthma patients go one step stricter.
We check the forecast
Your local air agency (South Coast AQMD here in LA) issues an official forecast for today and tomorrow. We turn it into a plan for your pet, so you can see a bad air day coming.
The plan at a glance
| US AQI | Air quality | Most pets | Higher risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–50 | Good | Go as usual | Go as usual |
| 51–100 | Moderate | Go as usual | Keep it short |
| 101–150 | Unhealthy for sensitive groups | Potty breaks only | Stay in |
| 151–200 | Unhealthy | Potty breaks only | Stay in |
| 201–300 | Very unhealthy | Stay in | Stay in |
| 301+ | Hazardous | Stay in | Stay in |
See haze or smell smoke? Keep your pet inside, out only for bathroom breaks, whatever the number says.
Air data from the EPA’s AirNow: preliminary readings from official monitors and daily forecasts issued by local air agencies, including South Coast AQMD. Readings are not fully verified and can change. AQI categories and colors follow the EPA’s AQI rules. Pet guidance follows the strictest of LA County Public Health’s pet safety guidance, the AVMA, the EPA and AirNow wildfire smoke and pets fact sheets, and the EPA Air Quality Guides for particle pollution and ozone.
Signs of smoke trouble
- Coughing or gagging
- Wheezing, or noisy or fast breathing
- Red, watery or squinty eyes
- Runny nose
- Tired, weak, or not interested in food
Mild signs often ease once your pet is inside and resting. If a cough or watery eyes hang on after a few hours indoors, or your pet has heart or lung disease, call us at (310) 776-5544 or try our symptom checker.
Smoke day at home
- Close up. Keep windows and doors shut, and set the AC to recirculate.
- Clean the air. Run a HEPA air purifier in the room your pet uses most. Pick a CARB-certified one so it makes little or no ozone.
- Don’t add smoke indoors. Skip candles, frying and the fireplace. Hold off on vacuuming unless it has a HEPA filter.
- Play inside. Food puzzles, snuffle mats, hide-and-seek and 5-minute training games tire them out.
- Protect birds and small pets. Birds are very sensitive to smoke. Keep them, plus rabbits and other small pets, inside in your cleanest room.
- Indoor cats stay in on smoke days, windows shut.
- Wipe off ash. If ash has fallen, wipe paws and coat with a damp cloth after every trip outside.
Hot and smoky? Heat and smoke together are harder on pets than either one alone. Before a midday walk, check the ground with our Hot Pavement Checker.
More from our vets: Wildfire smoke and pets: when to walk, when to stay in
Smoke and pets: quick answers
Is it safe to walk my dog in smoke?
For most dogs, normal walks are fine up to a US AQI of 100. Above 100, LA County Public Health says to keep pets inside, so go out for bathroom breaks only. Above 200, keep trips as quick as possible and close to the door. Flat-faced breeds, seniors, puppies, and pets with heart or lung disease should keep walks short from 51 and stay in above 100.
Why is this number different from my weather app?
Apps pull from different sources. We use the official monitors nearest you through the EPA’s AirNow. Some apps use low-cost sensors on nearby rooftops, which can catch a local plume between official monitors, and some use forecast models or 24-hour averages. If two sources disagree, plan around the higher number. You can enter it above for a walk plan.
Should my dog wear a mask in smoke?
Please don’t put a human N95 mask on your pet. The straps can catch or choke, and the mask can block breathing. Keeping them inside on bad air days protects them better.
Are cats and birds affected by smoke too?
Yes. Smoke can set off asthma in cats, so keep cats inside with the windows shut. Birds are especially sensitive to smoke. Keep them inside in your cleanest room, with an air purifier running if you have one.
When can we go back to normal walks?
Once the AQI is back under 100 (under 50 for higher-risk pets) and you can’t see haze or smell smoke, regular walks are fine. If your pet was coughing, ease back in over a day or two, and call us if the cough doesn’t clear. If ash has fallen, wipe paws after walks so they don’t lick it off.