NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Keeping your pets safe from the cold may not be easy, but it is simple, according to Jonathan Austin, DVM, with Hutchinson Small Animal Hospital.
"The kindest thing would be to bring them in the house with you," Austin said. "That would be the nicest thing. If it's a normally outside pet, bring it in the garage. Bring it somewhere where it's out of those elements. Can you imagine trying to survive when the base temperature was below zero and then you add wind and snow and moisture to it? It's terrible. It's cruel."
However, if you have a pet with its own house that refuses to come in anywhere, there are things you can do.
"You have to make sure that it's facing away from the wind," Austin said. "You need a door or a flap, something over the opening to protect them from the wind and the moisture. You need some insulating materials there. Whatever your structure is needs to not be resting on the ground. It needs to be elevated off the ground. Otherwise, you'll have the transmission of the cold from the ground into that structure. If it's a wood doghouse, put a couple bricks underneath it to get it up off the ground and then fill it with straw or hay or something that will allow that pet to make a bed and be insulated."
It's also important to keep your pet well-fed and well-hydrated.
"When the temperature is like this, water freezes very quickly," Austin said. "They need to drink throughout the day, just like you do. I bet you don't drink once a day. I bet you drink twice or three times through the day. They need that, as well. You're going to have to have some means of providing them water that isn't frozen. Whether that means you carrying a bucket out there three or four times a day or having some kind of a heater. If you have something that's automated, you need to check it. Make sure that it's working. Make sure that there's water to drink daily. They need water, more importantly than food. But, they also need good quality food to help generate heat in their body. It's time to pay a little bit of attention if you're an outside pet person."
If you see a pet outdoors on a chain for hours without a structure, Austin says, call it in.
"Call Animal Control and have them drive by and do a welfare check," Austin said. "That's what we're paying taxes for. Think about those poor animals out there, suffering."
If you have questions about care for your pet in the cold, call your veterinarian.
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