Hi Friends! Schedule a Photo Session or be a part of creating a highly personalized video of your family and your family pets. To get a glimpse into capturing special moments of your family with your familys pets, click on the link below for a small sampling: https://youtube/watch?v=KB6VITwqjBw&feature=youtu.be Always a hot topic is the weather. Well, I use the word hot loosely. The Arctic outbreak sending the longest and most widespread cold surge of the season across the country will be bringing local record breaking low temps. While youre digging out your winter coat, take a few minutes to think about your pets, which are much more sensitive to cold than most people realize. Cold winter weather can be very dangerous to our companion animals. Here are some tips that can help make our pets more comfortable and possibly save their lives. Cats should be kept indoors. If allowed to roam outdoors, cats can freeze and become lost or stolen. If a cat is allowed to stray, it will be exposed to potentially fatal infectious diseases such as rabies. Cats that roam outdoors during the winter will sometimes seek shelter under the hoods of cars. Before starting the engine, bang loudly on the hood of the car to allow a cat to escape and avoid injury or being killed by the fan belt or blades. Dogs If you have a dog that enjoys the outdoors, be sure he has a dry, draft-free shelter so that he can escape the cold. The shelter should be large enough for your dog to move around in freely, but be small enough to keep him warm. The floor of the shelter needs to be elevated from the damp ground and a layer of cedar chips or straw will provide insulation to keep your dog warm. Never allow your dog off leash in snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm. Dogs will lose their ability to detect scents and can easily become lost under these conditions. Be sure your dog is wearing identification tags, especially since more dogs become lost during the winter months than during any other season. When your dog comes back into the house during messy winter weather, be sure to thoroughly wipe off his legs and stomach. Dogs will lick their paws and can ingest salt, antifreeze or other chemicals that may be hazardous to their health. Also, be on the lookout for bleeding from the paw pads that may be caused by overexposure to snow or ice. If you own a short-haired breed, it is a good idea to buy a coat or sweater for your dog. If your dog is elderly, ill, or a breed which sensitive to cold, you should take him outdoors only to relieve himself. Never shave a dog’s coat to a short length in the winter. Leave the coat longer for more warmth. If you bathe your dog during the winter, be sure that his coat is completely dry before taking him outdoors. Cats and Dogs During severely cold weather, all pets should be kept indoors. Never leave a dog or cat alone in the car during cold weather. A car can become a refrigerator or freezer and hold in cold air. A cat or dog can literally freeze to death. Antifreeze is extremely toxic to cats and dogs. It has a sweet taste and is extremely attractive to animals. Be sure to clean up any spills from vehicles and repair leaks. Consider using products which contain propylene glycol which are less toxic rather than the more hazardous products which contain ethylene glycol. Be certain to give your companion animal a warm place to sleep. Sleeping areas should be free of drafts and elevated from the floor. A dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow is ideal. In frigid temperatures, even pets that are used to being outside for extended periods for walks or romps in the yard can quickly suffer hypothermia and frost bite. Hypothermia occurs when your dogs temperature falls, and stays below its normal range of 100.5 to 102.5 degrees. Causes include exposure to cold, wet fur and skin and submersion in cold water. On a really cold day, it only takes a few steps for the heat from your dogs paws to transfer to the ground, and it wont be able to replace the heat its losing with each step. Early signs of hypothermia are paleness and strong shivering, possibly followed by listlessness. Frostbite occurs to extremities like the tips of tails, ears and foot pads as the body pulls in heat to warm the core. Young pets, old pets, those with health issues and those with short or thin hair are especially at risk in cold weather. If your pet appears to be suffering from hypothermia, throw some blankets and towels in the dryer, set it on high to get them warm and then cover the pet with blankets, and call the vet immediately. Other tips for treating hypothermia include wrapping a hot-water bottle in a towel and placing it against the animals abdomen – dont use it unwrapped because it can burn their skin. If the animal is conscious, give it warm fluids to drink. The cold temperatures will have neighbors getting their cars winter-ready. When you walk your dog, steer clear of puddles of antifreeze, which does not freeze and is toxic to animals, and watch out for de-icing agents. To be on the safe side, when you go in, wipe your dog thoroughly, especially its stomach, legs and paws, to remove ice and water and be sure no residue of anything it might have walked in is left if it licks its hair or feet. If paw pads are cracked, coat them with petroleum jelly. The ASPCA recommend booties for small dogs to protect their feet. Its best to keep your pets inside in the cold, where they have a warm place to sleep off the floor. If nothing else, give them some soft, snuggly pillows or a blanket. Stray cats often will climb into your cars engine to keep warm. Before you start up the car in the morning, give the hood a good thump to make sure you dont have a stowaway that could be injured or killed by the fan belt. You can provide strays with temporary shelter by putting straw under a porch or inside a Styrofoam box. Cut a hole in the box to allow the cat to climb in and out. Household pets arent the only domesticated animals at risk in the cold. Animals that live outside, including horses, goats, llamas and rabbits, need extra food to keep up their body fat and extra shelter when the icy winds blow. Hydration is vital for animals left outside. Check their water regularly to make sure it is not too cold or frozen and has not been knocked over. Consider buying a water bowl heater. Additional cold-weather tips from the ASPCA: • Keep your cat inside. Outdoors, felines can freeze, become lost or be stolen, injured or killed. • Never let your dog off the leash. More dogs are lost during the winter than during any other season, so make sure yours always wears ID tags. • Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter, as a longer coat will provide more warmth. When you bathe your dog in the colder months, be sure to completely dry it before going for a walk. If you own a short-haired breed, consider getting it a coat or sweater with a high collar or turtleneck with coverage from the base of the tail to the belly. Stay Warm With Your Pets & Enjoy Snuggling Up! Warmly, Paul Paul F. Flotron Creature Comforts Great & Small, LLC Giving your creatures the comfort they deserve CreatureComfortsGreatnSmall 314-200-8561 Cell: 314-775-7107 PaulFFlotron@yahoo
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 16:00:27 +0000
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