Here's how to keep pets, animals and livestock warm and safe from the cold, according to SPCA - Action News
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British Columbia

Here's how to keep pets, animals and livestock warm and safe from the cold, according to SPCA

The B.C. SPCA is sharing tips on how to care for pets and livestock amid extreme cold weather.

Shivering, pale or grey gums, lethargy are symptoms of hypothermia, according to B.C. SPCA

Several dogs wander around inside a fenced area outdoors in a farm, with snow on the ground.
Dogs wander inside a fenced area at Double Mac Farms in Prince George, B.C., on Dec. 12. Farm co-owner John MacDonald says he has heaters to keep dogs and other animals warm. (Double Mac Farms/Facebook)

When Rachelle van Zanten checked on the horses in her Burns Lake farmyardon Monday,she found one of them wasn't doingwell.

"Our little rescue Arab he was just shaking and shaking and shaking," the musiciantold CBC's Bill Fee.

Shivering is a symptom of hypothermia, according to B.C. SPCA. The animal welfare organization has been asking human guardians to pay extra attention to their pets and livestock amid the extreme cold weather this week.

Bitterly Arctic flows have led to record-breaking lowtemperatures in many parts of B.C.'s Interior and north.

Burns Lake, for instance, recorded 37.4 C on Monday and 40.8 C on Tuesday. Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasts extreme coldwill continue across central and northern B.C. for the rest of this week.

Keeping livestock warm

In a written release Tuesday, B.C. SPCA said animals may also develop pale or grey gums, lethargy and lack of bodily co-ordination when they experience hypothermia, a medical emergency where the body loses heat faster than it produces heat.

The organization also warns that amid frigid temperatures, animals may also develop frostbite, an injury caused by the freezing of skin and underlying issues, with symptoms such as blueish skin and skin ulcers.

The SPCA strongly urges humans to keep all animals indoors during cold weather.But if the animals need to be kept outside, it recommends keeping them in shelters that are off the ground and providing them enough protection from the wind and cold.

Van Zanten says her equine friend, Chep, continued to shiver after she provided blankets, warm mash and warm water, so she tried something innovative.

"I thought the solution could be knitting him some 1980s leg warmers and keeping them clipped up to his blanket," she said and Chep has stopped shivering.

John MacDonald, co-owner of Double Mac Farmsin Prince George, says he has blankets to keephorses warm, but the same method doesn't necessarily work for every other species he is raising.

A woman with face cover and in jacket stands next to her horse, both covered with snow.
Musician Rachelle van Zanten with her rescue horse Chep, pictured at her farmyard in Burns Lake, B.C., in -40 C weather on Tuesday. (Rachelle van Zanten/Facebook)

"[For] chickens, they need to be in a heated area," he said.

MacDonald admitsit takes a lotof money and effort to keep multiple heaters on.

"It's a lot harder to run the machines when [they are] cold, and things break more easily [amid extreme cold]," he said.

"We'll check to make sure all the waters are not frozen, and make sure the cows are fine and different animals are fine."

Tips for walking pets

For owners of domesticated animals like dogs and cats, the SPCA suggests putting on jackets, socks and booties as protective gear against frostbite, adding that the animals may take time to get used to wearing it.

The organization also asks humans to clean their pets'toes and paw pads after walking them outside.The salt or sand used to melt ice on sidewalks are irritating to paw pads, and could lead to sore paws and dermatitis if they aren't wiped off.

With files from Daybreak North