How Can You Keep Pets Safe and Comfortable From Cold Weather?

Even though cats and dogs tolerate the cold temperatures of winter, it's a good idea to take precautions when it comes to your pets and cold weather. Just like you, pets need protection from the cold in order to maintain a healthy and comfortable life.

Most cats and dogs need the same temperatures we do to thrive. While there are a handful of cat and dog breeds that can handle freezing temperatures, most can't. Keeping their coats combed and mat-free helps them survive winter. But their best defense against cold temperatures is the same as yours: maintaining a warm living and sleeping environment. Here are some key tips to remember when it comes to pets and cold weather.

• Winter isn't the time to have your dog or cat's coat clipped short. If they're a short-haired breed, they may benefit from wearing warm sweaters or coats when they'll be outside.

• A cold car is just as dangerous for your pet as a hot one is in the summer. Cold cars and trucks can quickly cause hypothermia for pets in cold weather. Be sure you have a stack of warm blankets for them to nest inside or, if policies permit, bring them inside with you, since pets and cold weather don't mix well.

• If you notice places around your home where your pets spend little time, investigate them for inadequate insulationor air leaks. A cold room could also indicate a ductwork leak leading to that space that an HVAC technician can diagnose and fix. Not only will everyone's comfort increase, your heating bills will drop.

• Inspect the area where your pet sleeps. If you keep them in the basement, be sure you have a warm bed or an insulated, enclosed area for them. Rigid, foam insulation on the floor, walls, and ceiling will help it maintain body heat. A blanket for the bed will help keep it warmer.

• If you have outdoor cats in your neighborhood and park outside, bang your hand on the hood of your car before you start it to frighten away any who are resting inside your engine compartment where it's warmer.

The pros at Air Assurance can help you with your pets and cold weather. We provide HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.

Homes With Pets: HVAC Tips and Maintenance

Throughout much of the history of the Western world, the prevailing practice regarding the treatment of pets was to leave them outside. Nowadays, that's far from the case. In fact most pet owners can't imagine leaving beloved cats and dogs outside to face the weather without the comfort of air conditioning and heating.But living indoors with pets creates some challenges when it comes to keeping the home clean, and preventing the pets from disrupting our home appliances. Among the major challenges for people in homes with pets is filtering pet hair out of the HVAC system.

Pet Dander and More

The main issue for most homeowners when it comes to shedding pets is the hair. You have to vacuum the home more often, and though you may not have known it, you should be changing your HVAC filter more often too. It's not just the hair you want to keep out of the equipment; pets also shed dander, to which many people are allergic. When dander is pulled into your system, it can get redistributed into your home's air. The best defense is a good quality, dense air filter. The filter should likely be changed even more often than the manufacturer recommends when you have pets.Brush your pets outdoors frequently to remove loose hair and dander. Also, bathe them as often as the vet recommends.

Dirt

Pets, like people, track dirt and dust into the home when they go in and out. While we can take our shoes off, they will be bringing in dirt on their feet. You are probably already in the practice of cleaning their feet if they are muddy, but you may want to wipe their feet off when they come inside just to get the dust off.

Marking Territory

Male dogs are known for marking territory by hiking their legs and urinating on objects in the yard -- including the air conditioner condenser. If your dog does this, erect a barrier around the unit. Urine can corrode the coils.

For more tips for homes with pets, contact Air Assurance, serving Broken Arrow.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

What's the Ideal Temperature for Pets in Fall?

Now that fall is here, the arrival of colder weather isn't far off, so you'll soon have to adjust the temperature settings on your programmable thermostat to lower your wintertime energy bills. Like most Broken Arrow homeowners, you're probably planning to program in substantial temperature adjustments for nights and weekdays when everyone heads off to work or school, and only the family pets are left at home. Before you make any radical setting changes, you'll want to give some thought to the best temperature for pets to stay healthy and comfortable.

Understanding How Temperature Changes Can Affect a Pet

Just like their owners, our pets can react badly to significant or sudden temperature changes, such as any sizable daily setback made on a programmable thermostat. While our dogs and cats do have fur to help them stay warm in a cool environment, an individual pet's tolerance for colder temperatures is also affected by factors like:

• Type of coat. Dogs or cats that have thick and/or long fur may not be bothered by lower temperatures. Those with short hair or smooth coats can mind being in a chilly environment, though, since they don't have a layer of extra insulation.

• Size and weight. Bigger, heavier pets tend to do fine when it's cool, while cats or small dogs may feel some discomfort at colder temperatures.

• Overall health. Pets can have problems regulating their body temperature if they're suffering from heart or kidney disease, or endocrine system issues like thyroid or Cushing's disease, and significant temperature changes may cause them undue stress.

Making Temperature Setbacks With Your Pet in Mind

Before you set specific temperatures for the coming heating season, weigh the above-mentioned factors, and talk to your veterinarian about any concerns with your pet's health. In most cases, you can go by how you'd react to temperature changes: if you find the house too cold for comfort at a specific temperature, it's likely that your pet will too.

For more advice about your comfort settings in your Broken Arrow home, contact us at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ideal indoor temperatures and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “3194556/Pixabay”