Pets often are like one of the family, and when it comes to their care during severe winter weather that’s the way they should be treated, said Dr. Darrell Monfort at Red Barn Veterinary Clinic.
“They need to be fed and watered, kept dry and be able to stay in as warm a place as possible,” Monfort said.
They also have human traits in that winter weather is harder on older pets and the very young, said Dr. Leann Flowers, also of Red Barn.
“If they’re healthy and body weight is maintained, they usually can avoid problems,” Monfort said. “It’s not something that can be done overnight. You have to prepare them ahead of time.
“You want them to have good coats,” which comes from being healthy, he said. “If a dog, or cat, has a thin coat, it’s hard for them to ward off the cold.”
Diet is a part of the equation.
“An animal that’s too thin can have problems, while ones that may be a little too heavy can fair better,” Monfort observed.
Food and water take on added importance when a pet has to deal with cold weather.
“They need more food to generate body heat,” he said, as well as water to keep them hydrated.
“Every farmer knows that he has to feed more hay when weather turns cold,” to provide fuel for a cow’s internal furnace, Monfort said. “It’s also important for horses to be fed hay, rather than grain, when it’s cold. The hay cycles through a horse slower and provides more body heat.”
INDOOR PETS have an advantage, although Flowers said owners should remember it may be drafty at floor-level.
“It’s also important to keep pets dry,” she said, especially after they’ve been outdoors. “Being wet can really chill an animal.”
The pads on animals’ feet have enough insulation for them to go outdoors without concern of frostbite or damage, until snow and ice starts to melt.
“Then, you need to be careful,” Flowers said. “When it refreezes it can have jagged edges that will cut an animal’s feet.”
Monfort also noted it’s a good idea to wipe off a pet’s feet.
“Ice-melt probably won’t hurt them, but some people use fertilizer to melt ice, which contains insecticide. That’s not good for a pet to lick off his feet,” he said.
