Maurillo: Tips for keeping pets healthy in winter – The Citizen

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Robin Maurillo
Ol’ Man Winter is definitely upon us and the holiday season has passed. The cold, freezing, frigid and snowy days and early nights can be disastrous for pets and wildlife. Hopefully you have already done a little bit of planning and preparation so you and your pets can enjoy a more comfortable winter season this year.
You may have considered taking your pet to your veterinarian for a quick check-up to make sure they don’t have any conditions that would put them in danger of serious illness during the winter. Conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, and hormonal imbalances can compromise a pet’s ability to regulate their own body heat. Be considerate of the elderly pet as the cold affects their tender and stiffening joints. Slips, falls and injuries are usually heightened during this season. This was also a good time to ask your veterinarian about vaccinations and general recommendations for winter care for each individual pet.
Keep in mind that the most important aspect of “pet winterization” is protection from the elements. In nature, animals know that they need to bulk up for winter. Maintaining body temperature is vital to winter survival. As pet owners, our concern begins with “does my pet have adequate body weight to handle the upcoming inclement weather?” Routine veterinary care to evaluate the pet’s dental needs is also a good ideal. If the pet has loose, deteriorating or floatation dental needs that are unaddressed, they may not want to eat well and thus have nutritional issues. Feeding a good quality food so your pet can absorb more nutrients will assist in providing the extra fat, protein and calories required during the colder months to maintain a comfortable body temperature. Always store plenty of hay and grain for horses and livestock-type pets.
During these winter months, try keeping your pets indoors instead of outdoors. Many pets are used to living indoors resulting often in not having the adequate fur coat that can handle the cold effectively. Holiday time wasn’t much to celebrate if you are a pet used to living indoors and suddenly get kicked outdoors when the house becomes full of holiday guests or now when homeowners are often performing indoor house renovations. If you do leave your pets outdoors for a significant period of time, provide them with a warm, dry and comfortable shelter that protects them from wind and ice. Also provide them appropriate bedding (straw, no blankets or towels that can become wet) and unfrozen water in this shelter. For short-haired animals, provide them with a warm coat or sweater (horses often need a water-resistant blanket), this will provide extra protection and keep them warm while outdoors. Remember cats do not tolerate the cold well and are best kept indoors for the winter months.
Do not allow your pets to be exposed to the weather by allowing them to ride in the back of truck beds or confining them inside a car alone, wind chill can freeze your pet, and a car can act like a refrigerator, holding the cold. Your pets could freeze to death. Remember, animals can get frost bite and hypothermia just like people. Very young, geriatric or chronically ill pets do not have the same tolerance to cold as healthy mature pets do. Never let your dogs, cats or horses out unsupervised in snowstorms. Dogs and cats can lose their scent in snow and ice, becoming easily lost. Horses can lose their sense of direction and wander over buried fencing and frozen waterways into danger. The ASPCA states that more dogs are lost during the winter than any other season, so make sure your dog has a secure collar with tags, or even better have your pet micro-chipped by your veterinarian to ensure your pet makes it home during any season. Once a year take a recent picture of your pet to assist in identification.
Make sure all outdoor garbage containers are tightly closed. With the increased need for food during the winter, pets will often try getting into garbage containers to eat the discarded food inside, that repeatedly freezes and thaws and can be harmful if ingested. Many pets and wildlife are attracted to the sweet taste of antifreeze and even a very small dose is lethal. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills and dispose of the materials used in the clean-up appropriately. Make sure all containers remain closed tightly. If you think your pet has ingested antifreeze do not wait for symptoms, call your veterinarian or animal emergency center IMMEDIATELY!
When your pets do go outside, examine them when they come inside for potential issues associated with being outdoors. Pets can pick up road salt, ice, rock salt and chemical ice melts in the pads of their feet, on legs and belly fur. Have a towel ready to wipe down your pet. To prevent the pet’s pads from becoming chapped and raw, use a warm cloth to wash the paws when they come inside, and dry thoroughly. These also help to keep the pets from cleaning (licking) their own paws and ingesting these products. Consider trimming the fur around the pads to prevent snow and ice build-up. Horses should have their hooves picked to prevent snow and ice build-up and potential slips and falls (often when appropriate, horse owners will have the horses shoes removed to also prevent snow and ice build-up).
Pets will be drawn to heat. Check your vehicle engine during the winter by honking the horn or rapping loudly on the hood before starting your vehicle. Pets, strays and wildlife can curl up next to anything that gives off heat, including vehicle engines. Be very careful when using fireplaces and space heaters as they can severely burn your pet. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation, and that no tails or paws come in contact with flames, heating coils or hot surfaces. Also be sure to monitor your pets movements around any heating devices to prevent knock overs and potential damage and fires.
Don’t forget to prepare yourself and help your relationship with your pet while being indoors during the winter by “pet allergy-proofing” your home. Bathing pets regularly is one of the best options for combating pet allergies. Cat baths are usually the most difficult but still very effective. A hepa-filtered vacuum cleaner will be your best friend and is very important for cleaning up excess hair and dander. Vacuum daily, dust counters, and wash carpets often to reduce the amount of allergens. We all like to curl up with our pets on the couch or in bed, but people who are allergic may be asking for trouble. Teach pets to sleep in pet beds, usually separate from the bedrooms.
And let’s not forget about those less fortunate animals that are living on the streets struggling to survive; many of them will not survive especially in winter. Winter is an extremely hard time for homeless animals and most of these animals are cats.
The best way to help a homeless animal is to get it off of the street. Spaying and neutering pets to control the overwhelming number of unwanted pets is first and foremost earlier in the year. Another way is to find homes through veterinarians, humane or rescue organization. It may be extremely hard to get feral or semi-feral animals off the streets. You may need to assist them through the winter months by providing a safe, dry shelter, food and water. You can live trap these animals but, winter trapping is strongly not recommended. The dangers of stress from being in a live trap, combined with cold temperatures can kill an animal very quickly. If an animal must be trapped because of injury or illness, it is best left up to a professional organization to provide the proper guidance. You must wait with a trap, never leaving it unattended during winter months and you must have a plan on how to handle and treat the animal once you have trapped it. You would be responsible for any veterinary care and it is highly unlikely a feral or semi-feral animal will allow you to take care of it.
Sometimes providing them the necessary tools to survive all year round and especially in the winter is all you can do. Providing a dry, shelter (that is away from high traffic areas so they won’t be too scared to use it) is important in giving the animal refuge from wind and ice. This also provides a good spot for water to prevent from freezing and getting snow covered. Animals tend to prefer their food and water at room temperature. Remember, providing good quality food in the winter months is vital to assist in maintaining the caloric and nutritional needs the animal will require to try to have energy and stay warm during the winter months. Organizations like the Finger Lakes SPCA and CNY Cat Coalition are terrific places to obtain knowledgeable information and guidance from.
Another way to help homeless pets is to contact your local animal shelter and find out what its needs are. They may need newspaper, towels, rugs, food, volunteers, donations … just to name a few.
Planning, preparation and implementation will help both you and your pet have a more enjoyable winter season.
Robin Maurillo, of Auburn, has worked as a veterinary technician and animal cruelty investigator for several years in central New York.

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Robin Maurillo
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