With the bitter cold expected tonight, it’s important that we keep a close eye on our pets.
As humans, we’re able to make the choice of whether or not we got out, but with our pet dogs, they aren’t so lucky. It’s important that they pay a visit every so often to the outdoors.
Nanette Pearl with Animal Welfare at the Greater Moncton SPCA says on days and nights with extreme windchills, pets shouldn’t be staying out for long lengths of time because they are susceptible to frost bite and hypothermia, just like humans are, “Look at the dog that you have, look at the coat that they have. If it’s too cold for you, it’s too cold for them. Watch for shivering, and you’re going to want to watch that they don’t ingest a lot of snow, because it can cause their body temperature to drop. Also, watch for salt ingestion and anti-freeze ingestion, There are a lot of winter hazards.”
Pearl says when it comes to cats, they should be kept indoors, “Cats are really, really susceptible to frost bite and we get cats every year that the ears are peeling, tails and pads of the feet are affected, as well.”
