Winter: Temperature decreases and caring for pets Increases
With the arrival of winter, pets need some special care . Not because they have hair, they do not feel cold and are immune to disease! To mitigate the effects of the chill is necessary to review some habits.
The article was published in the Journal Times São Paulo ( link ). Read below the full story.
Vaccination , the tours schedule of change, wary of the baths and the adoption of clothes, but only for pets who do not bother with them, are some preventive measures to protect the vermin of the typical threats this time of year.
Just like humans, animals also are more susceptible to respiratory diseases in winter . The main one is the tracheobronchitis canine infectious (popularly known as canine influenza or kennel cough), a disease that causes dry cough as if the animal was choked and can be associated with viral and bacterial infections. Since cats have a higher incidence of urethral obstruction, as more sleep and end up eating less water in winter.
According to the veterinarian Marcelo Quinzani , clinical director of the Veterinary Hospital Pet Care , shelter animals in protected locations of the time variation as winds, rain and serene, is the first item of care list that should be taken during the months more cold. The recommendation applies to pets of all ages. “If your pet sleeps in an outside area of the house he must have your home or kennel,” punctuates the veterinarian. Some dogs and cats even taking over their heads prefer to sleep outdoors. “If this is the case, take hold of the animal, especially on rainy days,” advises Quinzani.
Newborns should take extra care during the cold. All puppies until two months of age, does not have an effective ability to maintain body temperature and lose heat easily. “So we rely on shelter and energy provided by food, which should be offered up to four times a day,” he explains. In the cold, the need for energy increases and the animals that do not receive adequate food and heating may end up dying. “Attitudes to keep the litter in a protected location, confined in small, heated rooms, with cloth lining underneath and inside the house or walk where little sleep is a simple attitude that keeps warming.”
The older dogs or suffering from osteoarticular problems – arthritis, calcification in the spine and disc herniation – tend to feel more pain on cold days. These, as well as short fur animals must be bundled. “It is important to keep them warm and the clothes can be great allies,” he points out . “If the animal showing overt symptoms of pain, limited mobility or getting up in the morning, aggressiveness and sensitivity to touch, it is best to see a specialist to check the analgesia possibilities.” Never give medicines – not human, not specific to animals – to your animal without consulting a veterinarian.
Increase the supply of food is also among the tips to help the animal to pass the time without much suffering. If the animal does not tend to obesity or problems arising from it, increase by 15-20% the food supply during the cold. Also change the tour schedule this time of year. “Try to take the animal to the street still hot times of the day and when the sun is still present, as in the early morning or later in the day and avoid take it home when it gets too cold or overnight.”
Less baths and more by
Routine baths and tosas also deserves some modifications. Increase the interval between a shower and the other, choosing the protected sites and warmer days to clean, dry animals with dryers and leave them with a longer coat are attitudes that guarantee the welfare of animals. It is also important to be careful with the shock of temperatures. “Whether in the bath, at home or pet shop, keep the animal in a protected place for at least 20 minutes after the dryer section,” teaches. “This prevents the animal’s body becomes vulnerable to respiratory diseases.”
Sneezy: Can be flu
Just like humans, dogs can also suffer with respiratory problems in the months of cold, dry air. Caused by viruses or bacteria, these tables show symptoms similar to any cold – cough, sneezing, fever, lack of appetite and runny nose – and are called kennel cough or tracheobronchitis. “These diseases can be caused by parainfluenza virus and adenovirus type 2, which are not transmissible to humans and the bacteria Bordetella bronchiseptica,” says Quinzani. “They can happen at any time of year, but have an increased incidence during winter, especially the drier air and cold and agglomerations hotels and kennels due to holiday travel.”
To prevent, the ideal is to keep the vaccination day. In addition to the anti-rabies vaccine and multiple, which prevents against distemper , hepatitis, leptospirosis , parvovirus, coronavirus and parainfluenza, animals can be protected from kennel cough annually. “Prevention can be made from the two months of life,” points Quinzani. “There are two implementation options, the single intranasal dose at which the liquid is placed within the animal ‘s nostrils, or the injection method is to be done in two doses.”
Always on alert
As temperatures drop , the decrease rain and lawns and pastures are drier, tick populations increase considerably and the risk of infestation live becomes large. As well as nuisance and itching, ticks bring some diseases that can be lethal to pets and even humans. “Ehrlichiosis, babesiosis and Lyme disease are the most common among dogs. Among men have the spotted fever that can reach your home with ticks brought by your dog after a walk in the countryside, park or even in the square closer to your home, “he warns. “So we need to keep the prevention, applying appropriate products in both the animal and the environment,” said Quinzani.
Soap, shampoo, lotion, spray, collars and pour-on, that pipette is placed on the animal’s neck, are some options to fill up the shelves of petshops promising prevent the onset of fleas and ticks and eliminate the parasites which may exist. “Among all these options are considered collars, sprays and pour-ons as the most efficient. The effectiveness of the product depends largely on the active ingredient used and the resistance to certain products. You have to be careful because many can be toxic, “warns.