Caring for Pets in Cold Weather
Veterinary Wellness Partners • January 2, 2014
Caring for Pets in Cold Weather
Veterinary Wellness Partners
Thu, 01/02/2014 - 1:38pm
Caring for Pets During Cold Weather
In Akron, Barberton, Norton and the surrounding regions of Ohio, the weather can turn brutally cold. This extreme cold presents additional risks to our pets, especially those that are outdoor pets. Below are some key areas to keep your pet safe during this cold weather in Ohio.
- Keep all pets indoors whenever possible. If that is not possible, make certain that he/she has adequate shelter from the snow, wind and cold. An enclosed building or garage (see tip #3) can provide additional insulation from the cold and wind. Adding a heat lamp (see tip #2) or a small “cat house” is even better.
- Some small outbuilding and garages can be kept warm by suing a heating lamp. Heat lamps should be used with extreme caution, as they may increase the risk of fire. These should not be used in very small spaces. Pets can also get burned if they come into direct contact with the heat source (mainly the bulb).
- Cats often seek out warm areas to hide in during extreme cold. One such area is located under the hood of a car after it is done running. We recommend to always bang on the hood of your car prior to starting it up. If the cat is there when you start the car, they can be severely injured or killed.
- It is a good idea to keep your dog on a leash at all times when you are outside. This is even more important in the cold, especially when snow and ice are involved. More dogs are lost during the winter months than any other season. We think this is due to the fact that dogs can easily lose their scent (scent trails) since these routes are covered over with the ice and snow.
- We recommend that all pets receive an identification microchip, such as the Home Again microchip system. These microchips are implanted under the skin, so they remain with your pet at all times. At minimum, all pets should have updated and easy to read pet ID tags.
- After returning from a trip outside, wipe your pet down to remove snow, ice and moisture. The paws are a very important portion of the body to clean, as ice and snow easily clings to the hair on the bottom of the feet. This can lead to cracked feet or pads and potentially frostbite. You should also wipe down the bottom of your dog’s abdomen (stomach) to remove snow, ice and any possible chemical residues (salt, antifreeze, and other potentially harmful substances)
- We do not recommend shaving your pet’s hair coat down in the winter. This may be obvious, but the hair coat is their thermal protection against the bitter cold that we tend to see in Barberton, Norton, Akron and the surrounding areas of Summit and Stark Counties.
- For breeds with naturally shorter hair coats, we recommend a blanket, sweater or coat. These help to keep your pet both dry and warm.
- Do not leave your pet inside a car. The inside temperatures in a car can drop rapidly, resulting in an animal freezing to death. Pets that are left inside a running vehicle could potentially inhale fumes from the exhaust, or even put the vehicle into motion.
- Like babies, puppies are not as good at thermoregulation as adult dogs. If your puppy seems to be sensitive to the extreme cold, you may opt to paper train indoors. Some dogs and puppies can still be trained outside, but they may not like the cold on their feet. In these cases, we recommend shoveling an area of grass to keep the amount of snow and ice limited.
- Older pets are also more sensitive to the cold. If you have an elderly pet, let them outside only to relieve themselves, allowing them to return inside as quickly as possible.
- Oftentimes, we do not consider the indoor environment of your pet. It is best to keep pets off of direct contact with the floors. Make sure to locate pet beds away from doors, vents and other drafty areas.
- Double and triple check that you vehicle is not leaking antifreeze. Unfortunately, antifreeze is very sweet in taste, yet highly lethal.
- Have a horse? Click HERE for cold weather tips for Horses (you will be redirected to our partner clinic, The Orrville Veterinary Clinic, Inc.)
Akron Barberton Veterinary Clinic is here for you: We strive to provide relevant and helpful pet care tips to our clients and their beloved pets.
Click HERE for Thanksgiving tips for your pets.
We are always available for animal emergencies through our Orrville Veterinary Clinic. You can reach us after hours by calling (330)682-2971.
This article is written for Akron Barberton Veterinary Clinic by Dr. Jeff Fink
Not all pets can swim – carefully monitor your pet near water until you are sure that he or she can swim without sinking. Xylitol is a sugar substitute commonly found in chewing gum and can be deadly to pets. This chemical is especially dangerous because it is sweet-smelling and tasting. Be sure to keep pets away from purses or contents of pockets, candy baskets, etc. Know your pet’s normal temperature, pulse and breathing rate; gum and inner eyelid membrane color should normally be a healthy pink hue. Take a picture of yourself with your pet for purposes of identification. This way, if your pet is lost or stolen, you can prove that the pet is yours. Never feed your pet chocolate, moldy cheese, onions, raisins, or grapes, as these are poisonous. Many common houseplants (poinsettia, varieties of philodendron) are poisonous to your pet. Keep a pet emergency first aid kit handy, complete with emergency phone numbers for your veterinarian and local 24 hour emergency facility. Think ahead and have an evacuation plan in case of emergency. Do you know which local hotels accept pets? Make sure your pet has an ID tag or microchip – especially when travelling. Never give your pet human medication unless it is prescribed specifically by your veterinarian. Carry an extra leash in your car to use as a collar/lead or muzzle. Watch your pet closely when mulching or gardening, as cocoa-scented mulch can be harmful to dogs if ingested. Never leave your pet in a parked car.
The new season is a great reason to make and keep resolutions. Whether it’s eating right or cleaning out the garage, here are some tips for making and keeping resolutions.
The FDA announced a recall of certain pet foods from Sportmix Brand. These foods contain high levels of aflatoxin, a mold that typically grows on corn. This is in response to 28 deaths and 8 sick patients as of 12/31/2020. Pet owners who have purchased Sportmix pet food products should be aware that this brand is linked to the fatalities. The pet food in question was manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods. According to the FDA's release, aflatoxin is "a toxin produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus which can grow on corn and other grains used as ingredients in pet food." In high levels, it can cause harm to pets. Clinical signs and sympotms include: sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice, and diarrhea. In some cases, it can cause liver damage and can even be fatal. If you happen to have any Sportmix pet food in your possession, the FDA suggests not feeding it to your pets and consulting a veterinarian if they've ingested it recently. In the organization's recall, they wrote that their investigation is ongoing and that as more information is available, they will update their post. Affected products iclude: (copied from the FDA website) The list of recalled dry pet food products announced by Midwestern Pet Food, Inc. on December 30, 2020 is: Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 lb. bag Exp 03/02/22/05/L2 Exp 03/02/22/05/L3 Exp 03/03/22/05/L2 Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag Exp 03/02/22/05/L3 Sportmix Premium High Energy, 50 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Sportmix Premium High Energy, 44 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Sportmix Original Cat, 31 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L2 Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Lot code information may be found on the back of bag and will appear in a three-line code, with the top line in format “EXP 03/03/22/05/L#/B###/HH:MM” Veterinary Wellness Partners recommends the following companies for pet foods, as these companies have higher certification levels and higher quality control measures than some of the smaller companies: IAMS/ EUKANUBA ROYAL CANIN PURINA Hill's/ SCIENCE DIET Article written and published by Dr. Jeffrey R. Fink
With the continuing COVID-19 situation across the country, many veterinary clinics continue to provide curbside care to their clients and patients. Veterinary Wellness Partners, including our four clinics, are continuing with this same curbside care for the foreseeable short-term future. What is Curbside Care? Curbside care is the term used to describe the process that we use to accommodate the social distancing guidelines by having clients wait in the parking lot. We still perform a complete examination and discuss findings and recommendations with each client. How does curbside care work? Upon arrival at one of our clinics, clients are to call the front desk. We ask that all dogs are on leashes and all cats are in carriers, as they could easily get away if not properly placed in a carrier. We also request that clients wear a mask while interacting with our staff. Once the front offices checks your pet in, a medical team member will come out to the vehicle to bring your pet into the clinic. A valid cellphone number will be obtained, so as to allow for communication from the veterinary staff to the clients. A history will be taken either over the phone or discussed at the vehicle. Once your pet has been escorted into the clinic, he/ she will be weighed and then will have a complete physical examination. Following the physical examination, you will be called by the attending veterinarian to discuss our findings, as well as to go over our suggested treatment plan. At the end of the follow-up phone calls, clients will be placed on hold. This will allow the front office staff to discuss payment. A check can be written and given to the team member that returns your pet to the car, or a credit card number can be obtained over the phone. How long will curbside care last? We do not know the end date to this system at this time. We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation and recommendations given by the federal government, as well as the government of the state of Ohio. In addition, we take the safety and concern of our staff into consideration. Our staff members are our greatest aspect of our clinics and we need them to be comfortable and relaxed as we proceed going forward. We have had some client feedback and requests for clients to be allowed into the clinics. We will continue to listen to feedback. Some of the challenges of the social distancing protocols centers around the limited spacing in the examination rooms. With many examination rooms being too small to allow the proper 6 feet of distancing with three to four people in the rooms (one client, the doctor, and a support staff are general required for each examination). Veterinary Wellness Partners want to thank everybody for their understanding. We have had 100% compliance with clients. There have been very few client complaints and a lot of compliments as to how this process is going. We continue to be thankful to be able to provide the best care to our patients and their families!
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