Keeping pets safe as temperatures plunge

Temperatures dropped below -20 degrees in northwest Montana last winter, and while most animals bear the brunt of the state’s harshest season with ease, officials recommend taking certain precautions to keep pets safe in the approaching cold.

The number one issue Dennis Dugger, a veterinarian with Kalispell’s Central Valley Animal Hospital, sees each winter is not frostbite, but complications caused when pets ingest anti-freeze.

“Dogs and cats love the taste of that stupid stuff,” he said. “It will kill them deader than a hammer.”

According to Dugger, anti-freeze tastes sweet to cats and dogs, and a leak from the car or an open container provides a poisonous all-you-can-eat buffet for wandering animals.

He advised properly using and storing the chemical out of reach and maintaining tools and machines that could potentially leak the fluid.

The cold also proves little trouble for cats, which can usually find a warm place to take cover. A problem arises when their choice of shelter includes the wheel well of a warm car.

Drivers are advised to check their tires and wheel wells for furry friends before pulling out of the driveway in the mornings.

Dogs that are susceptible to freezing temperatures include small, short-haired dogs, older dogs and sick dogs, though Dugger said tolerance levels depend on the individual animal.

Pets kept outdoors have two basic needs in the winter — access to fresh, unfrozen water and shelter from the wind.

He suggested a doghouse or kennel with some sort of bedding with the entrance facing away from the wind and a daily check on the animal’s water source.

Frostbite, Dugger said, is rare but can occur.

It typically affects the tips of ears first, deteriorating the blood vessels and causing them to first turn bright red and then become dark and crusty.

Leaving an animal in a car, even in below freezing temperatures is typically safe for up to a few hours.

The heat, Dugger said, kills much faster than the cold, and a dog in a car is usually no worse off than a dog in an outdoor kennel.

Kalispell Animal Control Officer Niki Sevesind said she’s never had to remove an animal from a cold car, but should the car be abandoned and the owner unreachable, she is authorized to do so.

According to Sevesind, there are no laws against leaving an animal in a car or that give a specific temperature when animals should be brought inside.

She and Dugger agreed that the best thing to do is just use common sense.

“If you know the temperature is going to be 19 below, bring your dog inside,” Dugger said.

Horses and cattle rely on their food to keep themselves warm. Their bodies convert the calories into heat during the winter, so Sevesind advised keeping an eye on their weight and increasing their food intake if it begins to drop.

Horses’ hooves can also collect water and crack in freezing temps, and owners should watch for problems in the feet throughout the winter.

High-energy dogs, like those of the working, hunting or sporting breeds, can become “obnoxious or even destructive” when they get bored, according to Dugger.

He suggested owners take advantage of opportunities to take their dog with them on showshoeing expeditions or cross-country skiing, when permissible, to run off some of their excess energy.

Otherwise, he said, there is really no need to change their daily routines.

“Most dogs and cats can tolerate almost anything Montana can dish out,” Dugger said.

For questions or concerns about pet safety or to report a violation, call Sevesind at 758-7780.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.