Saturday, January 23, 2010
animal advice
By DENISE DICK
denise_dick@vindy.com
If you think it’s cold, just imagine what it would be like with nothing protecting you from the elements except a light coat.
While most people are tucked warmly in their homes, their pets, even some of those that live inside, must brave the cold.
Area veterinarians and animal-welfare officials offer some tips for protecting furry, four-legged friends from the elements.
“For a dog or cat that lives outside, the most important thing is to make sure they have access to shelter,” said Dr. Donald Allen, a Youngstown veterinarian. That could involve a dog or cat flap on a garage.
Proper shelter consists of something with at least three sides and a top, said Nikole Owen, chief executive officer of Animal Charity of Ohio, Youngstown.
“You can’t consider a tree proper shelter,” she said. “You can’t consider a shed with a roof and one wall shelter.”
The animal has to be protected from the wind, Owen said.
Outside pets also need more nutrition and more calories when it’s cold so they can maintain their body temperature, Allen said.
Animals also need some type of bedding such as hay, straw or blankets to help them stay warm, said Dr. Aaron Tangeman of the Austintown Veterinary Clinic.
Even with shelter, an animal may die without some kind of bedding to help it keep warm, Owen added.
Owners also have to make sure animals have water — which freezes quickly outside, Tangeman said.
Without adequate water, the animal may dehydrate.
“Eating snow doesn’t provide adequate hydration,” said Kate McDermott, general manager at Angels for Animals, an animal shelter in Beaver Township.
When walking a dog or letting them outside, the dog’s size and type of coat need to be considered in the length of time the animal spends outdoors.
A husky, for example, Tangeman said, with its double coat, will be able to tolerate the cold longer than a smaller, light-coated dog.
Puppies and older dogs also can’t tolerate the cold as well as their middle-aged counterparts.
“It’s just like with people,” McDermott said. “Babies and elderly people can’t tolerate the cold as well.”
When temperatures dip much below 20 degrees, it’s best to bring pets inside, Allen said.
Animals can suffer frostbite on their ear tips, tails and foot pads. After that, hypothermia may set in, he said.
“And at that point, they’re not too far from freezing to death,” Allen said.
Owners also may want to invest in a sweater for their pet based on the size, age and breed of their dog, Owen said. You can even cut up one of your old sweat shirts and retrofit it for the dog, she said.
“There’s a lot of different ways to give them that little extra protection,” Owen said. “You can wrap a scarf around their neck — they sell those for dogs, too.”
Road salt and ice can also harm pets’ paws. McDermott pointed out that pet-safe ice-melt formulas are available, but you can’t control what your neighbor uses.
Allen suggests putting boots on a dog at walk time.
It’s also a good idea to wipe your pets’ feet after they’ve been outside to get rid of those chemicals, Tangeman said.
Antifreeze, which is deadly to animals, is another item of concern, McDermott said.
Animals are attracted to its sweet scent and taste, so it’s important to store antifreeze out of pets’ reach and to prevent them from getting into what may leak out of a vehicle, she said.
If you have poinsettias left over from the holidays, keep them out of reach of your dogs and cats, Owen said. They’re poisonous.