JAN/FEB 2006

Winter Pet Care

By Tamara Sevigny

Cold weather can be difficult for pets. Owners sometimes forget that their pets are just as accustomed to the warmth of the indoors as they are. Some owners have been known to leave their animals outside for extensive periods of time, thinking that all animals are made to live outdoors, resulting in their pets getting seriously ill.

Here are some things you can do to keep your pets warm and safe this season.

- Take your animals for a winter check-up. Your veterinarian can check for medical problems that will make them more susceptible to the cold.

 - Keep your pets indoors as much as you can when the temperature is low. If they have to go out, you should go outside with them.

- Pets in poor health shouldn't be exposed to cold weather for very long. Very young and very old animals are also very vulnerable to the cold.

 - Cats will curl up against anything warm, including car engines. Cats caught in moving engine parts can be badly hurt or killed. Before you turn your car on check beneath the car or make a lot of noise by tapping on the hood or honking the horn.

 - If you live near water don’t let your rambunctious dog off the leash. If they fall through the ice it is very difficult for them to escape on their own.

  - Watch your pets closely around space heaters and fireplaces. Keep an eye out as your dog or cat snuggles up to the warmth and make sure that no tails or paws come in contact with flames, heating coils, or hot surfaces.

- Have your furnace checked for carbon monoxide leakage. Carbon monoxide is odorless and invisible, but can easily cause problems from headaches and fatigue to trouble breathing.

 - When outside pets can pick up rock salt, ice, and chemical ice melts in their footpads. Use paw-safe ice melts available at your local pet shop. If exposed to other types of ice melts wipe their feet with a washcloth.

 - Put a jacket on your pooch, if she’ll put up with it. It will help a little, but pets lose most of their body heat from the pads of their feet, their ears, and their respiratory tract.

- If you suspect your pet may have frostbite, get her warm and soak her extremities in warm water for about 20 minutes to melt the ice crystals and restore circulation. Do not rub the frostbitten tissue. Once your pet is warm, wrap her up in some blankets and take her to the veterinarian.

- Watch for signs of hypothermia. In mild cases, animals will shiver and show signs of depression, lethargy, and weakness. As the condition progresses, an animal's muscles will stiffen, her heart and breathing rates will slow down, and she will stop responding to stimuli. Get your pet warm and take her to the veterinarian right away.

When you're outside with your pets during the cold weather, you can watch them for signs of discomfort with the cold. If they whine, shiver, seem anxious, slow down or stop moving, or start to look for warm places to burrow, they're saying they want to get back someplace warm.

Winter is a beautiful time of year. It can be a dangerous time as well, but it certainly doesn't have to be. If you take some precautions, you and your pet can have a wonderful time taking in the icicles, the snow banks, and the warm fire at the end of the day.