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Vet offers helpful advice on what is too cold for your pets in winter
As freezing temperatures grip the US, vets offer helpful advice on what should be considered too cold for your pets and other animals.
As the US continues to battle freezing temperatures, snowstorms, and icy conditions, pet owners across the country are wondering at what point their pets shouldnt brave the winter weather. Thankfully, there is some helpful advice on whats too cold for different animals, including dogs and cats, during this nasty cold snap.
Vets offer advice on whats likely too cold for dogs in winter
How cold is too cold for your pet dog depends on a few factors, each of which can vary depending on the age and breed of your canine friend – these are things like their coat type, color, size, weight, and age.
President of the American Veterinary Medical Association Dr Rena Carlson says that the first point of call should always be talking to your local vet, who can explain how your specific breed might be affected by the cold weather.
When it comes to pets, if you can consult your veterinarian, they have that medical history to be able to help you understand how cold tolerant your pet will be.
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Dr Wasi Ashraf of the Veterinary Emergency Group says that she becomes concerned about a dogs wellbeing when the outside temperature drops to around freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit).
In those conditions, it might be a good idea to limit outdoor play to around 10 15 minutes at a time as Ashraf explains, If it’s too cold and you can’t handle it any longer, your dog probably can’t either.
I’m really, really worried if it’s like under 20 [degrees Fahrenheit], for most average dogs. But again, this kind of depends on what type of dog you have, and how well they’re going to tolerate being outside.”
If you are worried about taking your pet dog out for walks in freezing temperatures, it might be a good idea to purchase a dog coat, sweater, or boots to help them cope with the cold conditions.
Something to note is that, while it might be tempting to let your dog walk on salted or gritted surfaces, this can cause irritation to their paws and become painful.
Experts advise that you should avoid prolonged walks on salted/gritted paths and instead, you should try walking dogs in the middle of the afternoon when much of the salt has been brushed away.
What about cats and other animals?
Cats typically have much less insulation than your average dog, with outdoor cats often being on the thinner side than their indoor counterparts.
General advice is that anything below 45 degrees Fahrenheit will be uncomfortable for outdoor cats, and that temperatures under 32 degrees Fahrenheit can be considered dangerous.
Here, the important thing is to provide adequate shelter and access to water that hasnt frozen over.
The same advice goes for both larger animals such as horses, and smaller friends like chickens, ducks and other birds: shelter, non-frozen food, and water access are key.
Dr Carlson explained how “Adequate nutrition and really good water sources are super important for those species to be able to survive and tolerate those super cold temperatures,”
If you do have smaller birds, chickens, you do want to provide some heat for them in the coop. Safely provide some heat source, because those bitter cold temperatures can absolutely affect them.”
So, as a general rule of thumb: US vets advise that owners should start to be concerned when temperatures drop to and below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the species and breed. Just remember that, if you are too cold taking your pets outside in this weather, its probably too cold for them, too.
