Effect of Climate change on your Dog.

I understand how stressed pet owners can get whenever their pets get sick, who wants to stay home with a sick pet? we want a healthy and well-looking pet, who has the strength to play and run around the house. I would like to inform you today dear friends, that not only viruses and bacteria can make your pet feel weak or sick, but changes in weather conditions can make that happen as well.

Whether it is rainy, snowy, extremely hot or there is a fluctuation in temperature, it can affect your dog's behavior, very similar to the weather effect on the human body. When your pet is used to a cool condition, there is a great tendency of slowing down when the weather gets hot, some dogs have also been found to get very moody, and close attention must be paid to them to prevent an attack on children, other pets as well as strangers.

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When the weather gets extremely hot, you need to protect your dogs as a stand a chance of getting heat-related illnesses, make sure that your dog gets the needed access to an air conditioner or a spot protected from the sun, alongside, make sure they are always provided with clean fresh water. Humans would put on shoes while outside and that might make it difficult for us to understand how hot or warm the ground is, if you want to feel the temperature of the spot your dog is standing, then you may need to place your palm on it and if it is too hot, you understand to change position. Sometimes, dogs slow down during cold weather as well and cold may cause arthritis in dogs just like it does in humans. Keep your dog as warm and as comfortable as possible, and ensure steady movement (but certainly not necessarily), an orthopedic dog bed to further support movement wouldn't be a bad idea.

Certain dogs can get terrified due to thunder, some may get into depression during winter and others do not even react at all, it all depends on how sensitive your pet could be. When your pet is scared of thunder, you will find him barking, whimpering, panting, and even trying to hide. As a result of the fear linked with rainy weather, you may find your pet behaving in an overly-excited or agitated manner.

Dogs have the ability to sense the incoming change in weather conditions, moments when a strong storm is approaching, your dog may sense it a long time before you even do, and their character may be as a result of their search for comfort or safety against the incoming storm. You may have hot climate conditions, it is almost normal for your dog to become less active and eat less, you may also find that your dog is refusing to go for exercise or go for a walk.

The effect of extremely cold weather on your dog could either be a normal cold symptom or create serious cold symptoms. A runny nose and reduced appetite will easily come up, but may not really be a big deal, but when the fever begins to get intense, it is a more serious sign and could be a sign of a very serious illness. A sign of frostbite could take days before they finally begin to show up, this could even be after tissue damage has happened. Hypothermia is another serious one that could begin with shivering and body weakness, but it could also lead to a section of total stiffness and then complete body shutdown.

As the warm-blooded animals our pets are, constantly getting exposed to really low temperatures over a long time will be really difficult on the body, and clearly, the cause of any cold-related illness is obviously cold. Once there is a suspicion of either a common cold, hypothermia, or other serious health effects, it would be easier for the vet to confirm through a test in order to save your pet.

As humans, we are so similar to our pets in lots of ways, some of the symptoms we feel when cold affects us, could also be similar to the symptoms felt in our pets as well; Cold weather creates serious issues for humans who do not have substantial blubber, some of the common issues are;

A frozen external tissue.
Slowed heart rate.
Weak nasal and respiratory defense.
Death.

Our pets could handle cold weather better than us, this is because they have fur, so even dogs who are short-haired breeds, survive better in a cold outer region than humans. Dogs also conserve heat through their feet and their lungs,
In the presence of extreme cold, the weak point of humans is our nose while that of dogs is their bronchial tube. Dogs are able to tolerate and handle cold one more than the other, depending on the breed and the health condition of the pet. Healthy dogs have the ability to handle cold temperatures more than those pets with existing health conditions, a good reason for a constant visit to the vet clinic for check-ups.

If it is cold or hot outside, try to take your dog inside, only let him out when there is a need to relieve himself, and even at that, try to supervise him and get him indoors after that. When you are outside with your dog, there are signs that will make you know that, he needs to go indoors, you see signs like;

Completely stopping movement.
Begins to shiver.
Starts acting anxious.
Begins to run around for safety.
Hot skin.
Disorientation.
Red gums.
Panting excessively.
Diarrhea/vomiting.

Conclusion.

Not all pet sicknesses are caused by viral or bacterial infection, some of them can simply be avoided if we understand how climate condition affects our pets if we are able to tell when it is too hot or too cold for them.