SPCA Winter Pet Care Tips
Special steps need to be taken to keep pets safe in cold weather. The SPCA recommends that all dogs and cats be kept inside with their families.
If you aren't able to keep your animals inside, however, it is important to make provisions for the warmth, health, and safety of your outdoor pets. Animals are at risk of freezing if not provided with adequate shelter, and their caloric needs are much higher in the cold weather.
Dog houses should have four sides, a roof, and a floor. They should not be placed on the ground, but raised a few inches off the ground. Houses should have a door that's just big enough for the dog to go in and out, and should be roomy enough inside for the dog to sleep while stretched out. They should be kept clean at all times and bedding (straw, for example) should be provided. Similar shelter arrangements should be made for cats that live outdoors.
Animals have a hard time regulating their body heat if they're kept outside during the day and brought in at night. Indoor/outdoor animals should be kept in a cooler, draft-free room if they are brought in only at night.
Outdoor animals have greater nutritional requirements in the winter. Their diet should be increased to almost double to help them maintain their body heat. Clean water must be available to animals at all times. The water should be checked several times each day to make sure that it hasn't frozen, and replaced if it has.
Cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of cars in the wintertime. If you have outdoor cats, it's important to bang on the car hood before starting the engine. The fan belt can kill or injure cats under the hood.
Keep all antifreeze away from animals. It has an appealing taste to animals, but it is highly poisonous for pets.
The McKean County SPCA is a not-for-profit organization that is committed to providing care to abandoned animals and to alleviating suffering of animals in McKean County. The SPCA will make every attempt to place animals in an appropriate living environment.
Located at 80 Glenwood Avenue in Braford, the McKean County SPCA is open seven days a week.
If you aren't able to keep your animals inside, however, it is important to make provisions for the warmth, health, and safety of your outdoor pets. Animals are at risk of freezing if not provided with adequate shelter, and their caloric needs are much higher in the cold weather.
Dog houses should have four sides, a roof, and a floor. They should not be placed on the ground, but raised a few inches off the ground. Houses should have a door that's just big enough for the dog to go in and out, and should be roomy enough inside for the dog to sleep while stretched out. They should be kept clean at all times and bedding (straw, for example) should be provided. Similar shelter arrangements should be made for cats that live outdoors.
Animals have a hard time regulating their body heat if they're kept outside during the day and brought in at night. Indoor/outdoor animals should be kept in a cooler, draft-free room if they are brought in only at night.
Outdoor animals have greater nutritional requirements in the winter. Their diet should be increased to almost double to help them maintain their body heat. Clean water must be available to animals at all times. The water should be checked several times each day to make sure that it hasn't frozen, and replaced if it has.
Cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of cars in the wintertime. If you have outdoor cats, it's important to bang on the car hood before starting the engine. The fan belt can kill or injure cats under the hood.
Keep all antifreeze away from animals. It has an appealing taste to animals, but it is highly poisonous for pets.
The McKean County SPCA is a not-for-profit organization that is committed to providing care to abandoned animals and to alleviating suffering of animals in McKean County. The SPCA will make every attempt to place animals in an appropriate living environment.
Located at 80 Glenwood Avenue in Braford, the McKean County SPCA is open seven days a week.
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