Baby It's Cold Outside

                                            Baby It's Cold Outside


      If you live here in Kentucky (go big Blue!), it has probably been a long time since you saw snow like we have gotten recently. I don't know about the rest of you but I have 4 small dogs, one big dog, and a foster that's about 16 pounds. My foster (Squiggles) and big dog (Ollie) looked a little bit like this during this week......
                                                                                                      Now don't get me wrong..I didn't force them out into the snow. Those two actually wanted to go out and play..and they did. The other four however stayed inside..and continue to do so! But now things have changed again and we have seen temperatures in the negatives...way in the negatives..which is definitely something we are not used to! Even Squiggles and Ollie don't want to go out for too long (who cold blame them!) Especially when momma wraps them up like this....
   Sadly, we have already had reports of dogs freezing to death, falling into frozen ponds/rivers, and lost dogs running down the road suffering from hypothermia. Thus..this blog. Here are some tips and advice on how to keep your dog warm and what to do if you see a dog suffering from hypothermia. And some advice on what to do if you know a dog hasn't been provided adequate shelter and fresh water. (Now we are in Kentucky folks, many don't care much about animals so we really have to rally together on this last one!)

How to keep your pet warm...
Well, there is the obvious...BRING THEM INSIDE!

                                     

 But they have a dog house..they should be fine! NOT NECESSARILY! With temperatures -17 degrees dogs can still freeze to death in a dog house. If you absolutely can not bring them in then check with local rescues...some are offering to shelter dogs with no other option for FREE for a short period of time. This will take some Google and research on you part. 

Always provide your pets with fresh water and adequate shelter..and don't think for a second that there aren't people out there watching.....

Who to call......
Guess what? If you legally cant remove an animal from its home then neither can rescue. There is something you can do though! 

1. If you think you can do so SAFELY - speak to your neighbors or the person that has the animal. Offer them help. You never know how grateful some people are when it comes to their animals and they have no other options.  
2. Call local animal control. (I know that no one wants to do this. But, when it comes to life and death sometimes we have no choice.) You will need to report the incident, have as much information available as you can including an address for the location where the animal is being held. 
3. Sometimes animal control will handle the situation and check on the animal. Not always though. The next step would be to contact local authorities as well as the county Judge Executive if the shelter is not a non-profit. The JE is the big guy in charge when it comes to Animal Control funded by the state. 
4. Call the local humane society or the Humane Society of the United States. There isn't much they can do so far away, but the more reports they get the better! (Especially from this area of the world).
5. And possibly the most important step of all..call, call, call. Do a follow up call to see if they went out to check on the dog....be persistent!! 

Hypothermia in dogs... 
 
     What to do...

1. Warm some blankets on a radiator or in the clothes dryer with haste.
2. Wrap the dog in the blankets.
3. Wrap a hot water bottle in a towel and place it against the dog’s abdomen. Do not use it unwrapped, as this will burn the skin.
4. If the dog is conscious, give him warmed fluids to drink.
5. Check the dog’s temperature every 10 minutes: if it is below 98°F (36.7°C), get immediate veterinary attention.
6. Once the temperature is above 100°F ( 37.8°C), you can remove the hot water bottle to avoid overheating. Keep the dog in a warm room.    
7. http://www.petmd.com/dog/emergency/common-emergencies/e_dg_hypothermia SOURCE

Frostbite
 

And..if you are snowed in, iced in, too cold to go out...then enjoy some good snuggle time with your fur friends..I'm sure they welcome it!