Don’t forget about your furry friends

Samantha Wigfield

Windsor gets an extreme cold warning from Environment Canada to keep furry friends indoors in arctic temperatures.

With last week’s temperature hitting a low of -22.4 degrees Celsius, keeping pets indoors is just as important as keeping yourself warm in this record breaking winter.

“For your own animals, especially when it’s been this cold as it has been this week, we always say bring them inside. If it’s uncomfortable for you out there, if it’s really cold weather out there, they really should be coming inside with you,” said Melanie Coulter, the executive director of the Windsor/Essex County Humane Society, “If bringing them in isn’t an option, making sure they have insulated shelter available, that they have fresh water available and that they have extra food so that they have extra calories.”

The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also recommends to never leave a cat or dog in a car alone because the car keeps in the cold and could cause a pet to freeze to death.

“For all animals, you’re looking at hypothermia being an issue, as well as frostbite. The other difficulty is that for other animals living outside like birds or feral cats, they are going to have difficulty finding food in the cold weather. It can be harder for them to get the amount of calories they need to keep their body fat up,” said Coulter.

Ethylene glycol is found in antifreeze and brake fluids and is deadly to all animals. Since it tastes sweet and it is difficult to find food in the winter, animals may ingest it so be alert for spills when out for walks.

Kathleen Hearns owns three dogs and said it is harder for her in the winter to keep all of her dogs indoors because they get bored.

“I have big dogs and they don’t like being cooped up inside with my kids, but it’s too cruel to leave your pets outside in negative 20 weather,” Hearns said.

According to the OSPCA website,  dogs should be provided with adequate shelter and require a dry doghouse built with weatherproof materials. The door should face away from the winds and they need a constant supply of fresh water. Make sure the water and food is not frozen and use a plastic or a ceramic bowl instead of a metal bowl to prevent the dog’s tongue from sticking to cold metal.

“A lot of them surprisingly do well, but we still caution they should be inside and not left outside in the cold. For example, cats when they’re outside, if they don’t have a shelter available they may go inside a car engine and that can cause some serious injuries when they start their car,” Coulter said.

Cats will try and find warmth under the hood of a vehicle. If the car is turned on the cat could be severely injured or killed by the fan belt. To prevent this, knock on the hood or honk the horn to scare away any potential cats trying to stay out of the cold.

“For your own animals, especially when it’s been this cold as it has been this week, we always say bring them inside. If it’s uncomfortable for you out there, if it’s really cold weather out there, they really should be coming inside with you,” said Coulter. “If bringing them in isn’t an option, making sure they have insulted shelter available, that they have fresh water available and that they have extra food so that they have extra calories.”

For more information on how to protect pets and outside animals from the bitingly cold weather, you can visit the OSPCA website, www.ontariospca.ca or windsorhumane.org.