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Cold weather warning for pets.
#1
Some area are experiencing extreme cold. There is a -40C wind chill where I am and my local Humane Society has issued a reminder to keep pets warm.
http://woodtv.com/2015/02/14/tips-to-kee...d-weather/
These temps are in Fahrenheit.
http://www.ontariospca.ca/media-centre-p...arket.html

http://www.arlboston.org/cold-temps-pose-dangers-pets/

They are right. I do not know how the wild birds and squirrels are surviving. It would be sad to have a pet damaged or killed because of the cold. Sadly one person died outside in the cold last night(the fourth this year).
I had to walk home last night and it was brutal. It is no place for a dog or cat to be out. Even walk time must be cut short.
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Catherine

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#2
Please....if we have any readers who have 'yard dogs', or dogs chained outside, and it is below freezing where you live -take a moment to think how they might be feeling and get them inside. Dogs do feel the cold, no matter what anyone tells you, and dogs can and do die from hypothermia. Even a dog who prefers to be outside, should be brought in during brutal weather. It is animal cruelty to leave them out there, and neighbours can report anyone who does.
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#3
I really hope people in my area take this seriously. We are having a brutal cold spell. Even a short time outside can cause frostbite and as you say, hypothermia can happen even to a dog that normally lives outside.
Better safe than sorry.
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Catherine

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#4
Sled dogs and wolves can sleep in the snow and be all right. That is partly because they have special coats. Most dogs do not have this kind of fur. It is double-layered. The first layer near the skin is dense like fine wool, and traps body heat. The second layer is called the 'guard hair layer'. This repels moisture and snow. For them it's like being wrapped in a double duvet, the top one being near-waterproof.

There are other breeds who have a double coat, but it's best not to rely on that to keep them warm in below-freezing temperatures, when they do not have much freedom to run in order to get their circulation going. A dog out in a yard will not be able to keep warm enough. Also, even those coats are not as efficient as the ones on sled dogs and wolves.

Yet even sled dogs need boots sometimes to stop ice collecting between the toes and pads of their feet. This can cause a lot of damage and cripple a dog.
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#5
The sled dogs also get covered in snow and snow is like a blanket. They are able to curl up and tuck their feet and nose under their furry tails. Then a layer of snow covers then. Snow is zero degrees C. If the wind chill is -40 C, zero seems quite warm.

Most breeds don't have the double coat. Even long haired dogs are cold in this weather. In the city they don't have any way to shelter from the cold. The wind blows between buildings and it is colder. No pet should be outside this winter. Even the wild animals are not out and around much.
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Catherine

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#6
Yes that's true. Snow can act as an insulator, but only if the body heat is good to start with. Snow caves can be quite cozy compared to the wind chill outside.

Jet had a double coat, unlike Misty. He could withstand colder conditions than Misty could, without needing a dog coat, before starting to shiver if not active. But I would not have left him outside on a chain when it got below freezing, and neither did his caretakers, even though he was a seriously 'outside' type of dog, and loved being out in the elements.
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#7
With his double coat, Jet probably felt too warm unless he was outside.

The cold we are having now is a more intense cold than most of us are used to. A lot of animals are in trouble because of it.
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Catherine

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#8
It's been unnaturally cold here in Tennessee. Last week we had ice, then snow, then ice again and most nights it has been below freezing. Most years we're lucky to even get a day of snow hen it melts the next day. Not the case this past week. Mia even got cut on some ice one day. She's doing good though. It was a minor cut and it didn't trigger her IMT. That's always on my mind when she gets cut.
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#9
You have had cold down your way. It is not like the cold we have, but you don't have the equipment for it. Our homes are used to temperatures well below freezing. Do you even have central heating systems? I bet you don't even have snow tires and antifreeze.

The dogs here wear snow boots. I am glad Mia is okay. The ice can be pretty rough on a dogs feet.
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Catherine

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#10
(02-26-2015, 05:05 PM)Catherine Wrote: You have had cold down your way. It is not like the cold we have, but you don't have the equipment for it. Our homes are used to temperatures well below freezing. Do you even have central heating systems? I bet you don't even have snow tires and antifreeze.

The dogs here wear snow boots. I am glad Mia is okay. The ice can be pretty rough on a dogs feet.

I'm at the very top of middle Tennessee so most houses here have central heating and air. Especially in my area because the houses have all been build within that last 30 years. My house is actually as old as I am so that's neat, 1989. Some of the older cities around haven't been updated though. That's actually how I lost my hamsters Riot and Annabell a couple years ago. It was in an older neighborhood without central heating and it dipped down too cold one night Sad So I immediately moved my remaining hamster back to my parents house and I followed shortly after.
I do have antifreeze. but no snow tires. Theres no point we just hunker down till it melts. We don't have boots for our puppies cause it hardly ever does that. I've never seen ice like we got last week. It was at least 2 inches on the ground and on my car. Then snow on top of that. I have no problem driving in snow it's the other drivers I have a problem with because they usually drive way too fast for the conditions.
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