Ed. Note: The following content was provided by Cinema Veterinary Centre, who is a client of KHTS AM-1220.
As temperatures continue to drop this holiday season, a Santa Clarita veterinarian is offering helpful advice to pet owners to keep pets safe during cold winter weather.
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While Santa Clarita Valley winters may be relatively mild, prolonged exposure to cold temperatures is still extremely dangerous for both dogs and cats, according to Dr. Jaimie Ronchetto of Cinema Veterinary Centre.
“If it’s too cold for you to withstand being outside, then it’s too cold for them too,” she said. “It doesn’t really much matter that they have a fur coat or not– they still will lose body heat relatively quickly.”
The safest option for both dogs and cats during winter is to keep them inside at night, but if a pet needs to stay outside, Ronchetto advises pet owners to be prepared.
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“If (dogs) have to stay outside, give them ample shelter; give them extra blankets so they can burrow and snuggle down to find extra warmth there,” she said. “Make sure that their water dishes that are outside don’t get frozen over– that’s really important. If it’s at all possible, just bring them inside. That’s the safest thing.”
While cats who are allowed outdoors may be able to find warmer places and squeeze into tight spaces to keep warm at night, Ronchetto still recommends bringing them inside.
“It’s always best to keep (cats) indoors overnight for other reasons too: predators and things like that, and just keeping them warmer and keeping them safe,” she said.
Residents who travel outside the Santa Clarita Valley in the winter to places like Palmdale, Lancaster or anywhere in the mountains where it tends to frost or snow overnight should always keep pets inside overnight, according to Ronchetto.
If a pet has been exposed to cold temperatures for too long, they may act lethargic, confused and unresponsive.
Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.“When they’re too cold, they’re gonna be sort of tighter into themselves, not moving so much and they certainly can shiver just like people do when they’re cold,” Ronchetto said, adding that their limbs and ears will lose heat quicker than other parts of their body.
Home remedies to warm up a pet include bringing them inside, covering them with blankets and using hot water bottles or heating pads with covers on them to prevent accidentally burning the animal.
“If they’re not really responding to those types of treatments, then definitely get them seen by a vet immediately so we can make sure that there’s no lasting damage,” Ronchetto said.
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