Electrocution

Electrocution happens when electrical current passes through your pet's body, and in household pets it almost always starts the same way: a curious mouth meets a live cord. Puppies and kittens explore the world by chewing, and a phone charger, fairy lights, or a lamp cord left within reach is often all it takes. Less commonly, pets are injured by downed power lines or lightning.

The bite itself is only part of the danger. Electrical energy converts to heat where it contacts tissue, so the first visible sign is usually a burn on the lips, gums, tongue, or roof of the mouth, sometimes with singed whiskers or fur nearby. What makes electrocution frightening is what can happen afterward, out of sight. The shock can trigger a surge of stress hormones and direct injury to the lungs' blood vessels, leading to fluid buildup in the lungs (pulmonary edema) even without any heart problem. This isn't always immediate: breathing difficulty can show up hours after the incident, so a pet who seems fine right after chewing a cord isn't necessarily in the clear. Electrical current can also disrupt normal heart rhythm and, in a minority of cases, has been linked to cataracts developing later.

Signs to watch for after a suspected shock:

• Burns, drooling, or pawing at the mouth
• Singed fur or whiskers near the face
• Coughing, fast or labored breathing
• Collapse, weakness, muscle tremors, or seizures
• Pale, blue, or dark red gums

If you witness your pet in contact with a live wire, don't touch them until the power is off. Unplug the cord or switch off the fuse box first; if you can't reach either, use something non-conductive, like a wooden broom handle, to separate your pet from the source, since electricity can travel through a wet floor or even through you. Once the power is safely off, check breathing and heartbeat, and get to a vet immediately regardless of how minor the injury looks. Vets typically check the mouth for burns, listen to the heart and lungs, and may recommend chest X-rays, bloodwork, or an ECG to look for hidden damage, since visible burns are a poor guide to how serious the internal injury really is. Treatment ranges from pain relief and antibiotics for mild burns to oxygen support, IV fluids, or hospitalization for animals with breathing or heart complications.

Prevention is straightforward and worth the effort while pets are young: keep cords out of reach or covered, unplug what you're not using, and consider cord protectors or cable ducts in rooms your pet spends time in unsupervised.