Courtesy of NYDaily.com
This week, on Tuesday Februrary 22nd in Ottawa, Ontario a cat was saved from a fire on Russell Road thanks to the heroic efforts of firefighters and a specially designed pet oxygen mask. Until recently capital region firefighters were without this vital piece of pet-safety equipment due to budget constraints, but one woman’s determination spearheaded a change in first response vehicles.

Last year Andrea Cormack-Akeson, the owner of Dirty Dog Gourmet Bakery, began fund-raising with the goal of equipping fire trucks in the capital region with a complete pet oxygen mask kit. Although these masks were being used for some time in other Canadian cities like Toronto, the Ottawa fire department did not have the necessary funding to invest in the specifically tailored masks.
Just like people, dogs and cats also suffer from smoke inhalation and although human masks were often used in attempts to revive injured pets, the effect was unfortunately limited and often ineffectual.
A pet oxygen mask kit offers a better result, because it is created to fit the unique shape of an animal snout. A standard kit contains three mask sizes; small dog, large dog and cat. Each kit costs approximately $55 and Akeson purchased the first two kits herself to give to Ottawa firefighters on behalf of the pets who cannot speak for themselves.
To make a donation to this on-going campaign, please click here.