Cat & Dog Hypothermia Tips

January typically is the coldest month in Alabama, and areas in the state can experience a variety of winter precipitation, including freezing rain, sleet, and snow, or freezing temperatures. When pets are exposed to these conditions, it can be dangerous for pets and lead to health problems or death. That’s why it’s important to know how to spot cat & dog hypothermia, how to prevent it, and how to treat it.

What Is Cat & Dog Hypothermia?

While the standard body temperature for humans is 98.6, the average body temperature for dogs and cats ranges between 100-102.5. When a dog or cat is exposed to the elements, or is exposed to freezing cold water, it can cause their body temperature to drop below 100 degrees. When this occurs, hypothermia can set in. Small dogs & cats, senior dogs & cats, and pets with chronic health problems have a greater risk of developing hypothermia.

How To Identify Hypothermia in Dogs & Cats

Veterinarians determine if your pet has hypothermia by taking their temperature using a rectal thermometer. Pet parents can use common sense visual cues to determine if their pet has, or is developing, a hypothermic condition. Visual cues include:

• Shivering
• Shallow breathing or difficulty breathing
• Muscle stiffness
• Dilated pupils
• Lethargy

If your pet has been exposed to cold, freezing temperatures, and/or is wet in cold weather, hypothermia can set in. Pets also can develop hypothermia if they’re kept inside an unheated structure such as a dog house or a garage. If this condition goes untreated, pets can die.

How Is Pet Hypothermia Treated?

Initial Home Care

If your pet is showing mild signs of hypothermia, the first step is to get them inside a heated structure, not just a garage, and immediately and get them dried off as best as you can. Then start gradually warming them up by wrapping them in blankets or towels. However, it’s important not to panic because some attempts at warming your pet up can do more harm than good by warming them too quickly. For example, do NOT wrap your pet in a heating pad and do not submerge them in hot water. If your pet’s condition has not improved within 30 minutes of getting them warmed up at home, take your pet to a veterinary hospital for emergency care.

Urgent / Emergency Veterinary Care

Pet hypothermia is a serious condition that can be fatal. If your pet is showing signs of severe hypothermia, urgent veterinary care will be needed to prevent heart and organ damage. Typical veterinary treatments that are designed to safely and gradually raise your pet’s body temperature while protecting your pet’s heart and organs are:

• Warm intravenous (IV) fluids
• Warm oxygen therapy
• Wrapping them in special blankets that safely circulate warm air around your pet’s body
• Having them lie on warming pads that gently circulate warm water through the pad to gradually bring the pet’s temperature back to normal ranges
• Monitoring of the heart with an electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Monitoring of respiration
• Temperature monitoring
• Blood tests to determine if organ damage has occurred

The emergency treatments that would be used to bring your pet out of a hypothermic condition will depend on your pet’s size, age, and the severity of the hypothermia.

How To Prevent Cat & Dog Hypothermia

Obviously, the best way to keep your pets healthy in the winter is to prevent hypothermia. Here’s how you can do that:

• Do not leave your pets outside in winter weather, especially with no shelter or a shelter with no way to stay warm and dry. Blankets can freeze if they get wet. So if a dog or cat must be kept outside, or if you’re setting up a shelter for feral cats, it’s better to use a thick layer of straw for bedding.
• Do not leave your pets in an unheated structure such as a garage. If a pet is being kept in a garage, it’s imperative that they have an enclosed dog shelter with blankets. Freezing temperatures in an unheated structure and/or having to lie on freezing cold cement can lead to hypothermia.
• If you’re taking your pet for a walk in winter weather, make sure their fur is dry before they go outside. Even better, help your pet’s “core” stay warm in cold weather outings with a water-repellant coat.
• Be aware of the signs of hypothermia and then take remedial action if your pet appears to be going into a hypothermia condition.

If you think your pet has hypothermia during normal business hours, contact Alford Avenue Veterinary Clinic. If you think your pet has hypothermia at night or on the weekends, check out our list of Emergency Vets in the area.