Looks like the cold weather came to Estevan to stay. After last week’s extremely cold days, when the windchill was well below -40C, this week's -20C day highs feel almost fine. But this weather still might be quite dangerous for pets.
The Estevan Humane Society (EHS) had a lot of animals coming into the shelter during these cold days. Most of them were cats.
“We had three animals coming in today (Feb.8) because they were astray in the cold. One of them (a cat), his ears froze off and he is skinny, but he is doing good. He is out of the cold, and that’s important,” said shelter manager Elizabeth Murphy-Dryden.
Murphy-Dryden reminded people that pets are usually as sensitive to the weather as humans. So when it’s cold it’s a good idea to limit their walk-time to 5-10 minutes, or even avoid walks if they are not absolutely necessary.
Dressing a dog up also would be a good idea.
“When you are walking your dog there is no shame in putting your dog in one of those parkas and even in some boots to help them keep warm in this weather,” said Murphy-Dryden.
If there are stray cats in the area it’s important to make some kind of an insulated shelter for them and offer them food. Maintaining a healthy weight is critical when it comes to survival in winter.
Both cats and dogs get frostbite on their years quite easy; dogs also may quickly freeze their paws and noses.
Outdoor dogs like huskies, Pyrenees, St. Bernards and other a lot of fur type dogs resist cold weather better and may stay outside longer. But in extremely cold weather even they need insulated and usually heated shelters.
When cold, pets demonstrate similar to human’s symptoms of hypothermia.
“The animal will be shivering and showing signs of being cold. They might even be not moving, just lying there. If they are not moving at all, they don’t want to get up and move around, that means that something isn’t right,” Murphy-Dryden said.
And as with us if there is a risk to life the first aid steps have to be taken.
“Best to get them into a warm environment, and if you have a reflective blanket or something like that (cover them), and then get to the vet clinic right away.”
When the weather is cold, EHS always tries to keep some space open to make sure they can accept any pets that need shelter. If someone notices stray cats or dogs, they also can just report the case to Estevan Police Service or to EHS, and they will take care of an animal.
