12/02/2021
If you are too cold then they are too cold!
WHAT NOT TO DO IN COLD WEATHER:
DO NOT leave your pet unmonitored outside for long periods of time. This goes for both dogs and cats – please keep your cat indoors during winter.
DO NOT allow your pet near bodies of water that may not be frozen all the way, and do not bathe your pet and then go for a walk. Wet pets and the cold just don’t mix!
DO NOT leave your pet unattended in the car on a cold day. During the summer, we educate pet owners on how a hot car acts as an oven; it traps heat inside and can cause a fatal heat stroke in pets. During winter, it’s the opposite effect; a cold car acts like a refrigerator and traps cold air inside the car. Being left in a cold car will cause your pet to lose body heat quickly, potentially leading to hypothermia and/or frostbite.
DO NOT use heating pads or hat water bottles on your pets; they can cause burns. Leave external warming to veterinary professionals who will use blankets that circulate warm air and warm fluids in the vessels.
If your pet experiences frostbite, avoid touching or aggressively heating the area. Instead, use lukewarm water to slowly re-warm the affected spot as you travel to your family veterinarian or local animal emergency hospital.
