Nose to Tail: Keeping pets safe in winter weather

By Dr. Meg Varner-Soden, Johnson College’s Veterinary Nursing Instructor

Originally published in the January 28, 2022 edition of the Valley Advantage.

https://www.thevalleyadvantage.com/community-columns/nose-to-tail-keeping-pets-safe-in-winter-weather/article_4f559547-b8ac-53a5-a4b0-db093587b920.html

We’re starting 2022 with a new pets column to help keep your pets healthy and safe. This month, Johnson College’s Dr. Meg Varner-Soden, DVM, talks about some winter hazards that can harm your pets and what we need to do when they’re exposed to them. Let’s get started.

Ice melts

These products are typically made of salt, like potassium chloride or calcium chloride. Their purpose is to lower the freezing point of water to reduce ice formation on sidewalks and provide more traction.

Our dogs and outdoor cats are at risk of developing irritation of the paw pads, or the webbing of the skin between them, when coming into prolonged contact with these salts. They are also at risk of ingesting them — for example, licking their feet upon coming indoors, eating snow in the yard where ice melt was sprinkled, or mischievously getting into a bag of it when not securely stored.

Ingestion of small volumes can trigger gastrointestinal distress such as vomiting and diarrhea. If your pet were to eat a more substantial amount, problems like mouth ulceration or changes in the body’s electrolytes might occur. Severe derangements of the body’s sodium levels may lead to tremors or seizures.

To help minimize paw issues:

• Wipe their paws immediately upon coming back into the house.

• Teach your dog to tolerate booties on their feet for use during walks.

• Apply paw wax or balm before outings.

You can look specifically for “pet-friendly” ice melt products that are typically safer, or consider using kitty litter or sand. Please note that these products may be safer but all still carry some risk of tummy issues if ingested. Also, remember that you can control what is used on your premises but not necessarily everywhere else you and Fido will roam.

Antifreeze

This active toxic ingredient is a sweet-tasting alcohol derivative called ethylene glycol. The most common source of this is radiator coolant, but other liquids that may contain it include motor oil, brake fluid, de-icing windshield wiper fluid, wood stains, paints and solvents.

It can also hide in-home solar units, portable basketball post bases and even snow globes. Some people add antifreeze solutions in seasonally used toilet bowls (such as in cabins) to prevent them from freezing over the winter and forget about it until the warmer months. This can be especially dangerous to dogs and cats who drink from toilets!

Pet owners need to be extremely vigilant in how their antifreeze products are used and stored. Only a few tablespoons, or less if the animal is small, may be a fatal dose. When ingested, ethylene glycol quickly leads to life-threatening acute kidney failure that may be fatal by 72 hours post-exposure.

Clinical signs that an animal may show during toxicosis include depression, disorientation and drunken behavior. Also look for excessive drooling, vomiting, increased drinking and urination, and possibly seizures and coma. A correct and prompt diagnosis is essential, and antidote treatment must be started within three hours for cats and eight hours for dogs, so get to your veterinarian as soon as possible. Those with families should realize that this can also be a toxin to curious young children.

Hypothermia

Most of our beloved companions are acclimated to the indoors with us. Chances are, if you are cold and need to bundle up, so do they. Your pet can become hypothermic if too much time is spent outdoors, unprotected during frigid weather.

Dogs and cats have a higher average body temperature than humans do. Neglectful exposure to the elements is such a concern that a Pennsylvania law known as Libre’s Law was signed by Governor Tom Wolf in 2017, outlawing the tethering of pets out of doors for more than 30 minutes during freezing weather, meaning under 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prolonged low body temperature wreaks havoc in the body in many ways, ranging from harming the heart and blood vessels to debilitating the immune system and the brain. Frostbite is a possibility. Clinical signs of hypothermia include shivering, lethargy, disorientation and incoordination, rigid muscles and decreased heart and respiratory rates.

These issues can progress to a state of shock, brain impairment, coma and death. The best treatment for this condition is prevention. Careful external rewarming is needed to counteract this situation, and prompt veterinary attention may be necessary in the more severe cases.

From Headlights to Taillights: Getting Ready for Winter

By Mark Kozemko, Johnson College’s Automotive Technology Program Director

Originally published in the November 26, 2021 edition of the Valley Advantage.

https://www.thevalleyadvantage.com/community-columns/from-headlights-to-taillights-getting-ready-for-winter/article_fff3569a-a9c4-5855-90f1-9f52d5313b37.html

It is truly amazing just how quickly time passes. If you follow this column, you’ll remember that last fall, we addressed the topic of getting your vehicle ready for the upcoming winter weather. Since this is an important topic, and another winter is about to arrive, I want to revisit the topic. This year, I’ll go through the main things that need to be inspected, adjusted, repaired, or replaced before winter hits.

Before I get into the winterization checklist, I would like to answer a question I received recently about the vehicle’s HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system operation. The question is: “Why do my windows fog up when my heater is on?”

We used to see this condition frequently years ago when most vehicle HVAC systems were manually operated. These systems are now mainly automatic, so we rarely see this condition now in newer car models.

This condition happens because of the way the system operates when the heat mode is selected. There is a fresh air door that is supposed to be open in this mode. If that door is closed, the air circulating through the vehicle will be the air contained in the passenger compartment. This recycled air is always much too humid, meaning too much moisture compared to fresh air. Thus, the windows fog up.

Older vehicles usually have a knob or lever on the control panel that allows you to manually turn or push to select either fresh or recirculated air. In the heat mode, you should always choose the fresh air position. Fresh air will eliminate the fogging condition.

If you experience this fogging condition on more recent models, where the HVAC system is automatically controlled, there may be a problem with the fresh air door being stuck closed. That can happen if the motor that operates the door fails, or the door may be bound to a point where the motor cannot move the door at all. In that case, unless you are very mechanically inclined, contact a repair shop to diagnose and repair the problem. I hope this answers our reader’s questions.

Now let’s get to the vehicle winterization checklist.

1. Check your battery. If you have a multimeter, you can check your battery for available voltage, but you cannot check if it can hold a load, unless, of course, you are a master at using your meter. The meter can also check if your charging system is operating by checking the voltage across the battery terminals while the engine is running. Voltage readings while running should be around 14 volts, give or take a couple. A total battery, starting, and charging system check can be done by a qualified technician.

2. Check your tires. Most fuel stations provide air, but most of those places also charge for air. Free air can be found at Sheetz or your local Lowe’s store, usually by the contractor pick-up area. Whether you pay for the air or not, make sure the tire pressure is adjusted to the specification found on a sticker in the driver’s door jamb. You can check your tire pressure on your own. And remember, check and adjust the spare tire pressure.

3. Check your engine coolant protection. It will make sure the freezing temperatures of a Northeastern Pennsylvania winter will not freeze your engine coolant, which could be disastrous to your engine. You can perform this check using a very inexpensive tool purchased at any auto parts store. The perfect mixture of coolant and water for our area is a 50/50 mix. This mixture will protect the coolant from freezing up to -34°F. Now that’s cold! You can do this check by yourself.

4. Check and top off all the rest of your vehicle’s fluids. The fluids include the washer solvent. Contrary to some opinions, the washer solvent is not an artesian well and does not refill itself. Other fluids to check include the transmission fluid and engine oil. As far as these checks, a vehicle owner can tackle them.

As far as prioritizing the checklist, you don’t necessarily have to follow any order, but all the checks should be completed. If you feel comfortable doing the checks, then, by all means, go for it. If you are not, have your repair shop check off the list. Either way, your vehicle will be ready for the winter of 2021-22.

Headlights to Taillights: Winter is coming, is your vehicle ready?

By Mark Kozemko, Johnson College’s Automotive Technology Program Director

Original published in the October 23, 2020 edition of the Valley Advantage.

https://www.thevalleyadvantage.com/community-columns/headlights-to-taillights-winter-is-coming-is-your-vehicle-ready/article_db15e1b5-d8ef-5d52-b635-c219b11105a6.html

You know winter is fast approaching when leaves start hitting the ground and temperatures drop, like they are now.

Most households have a winterization processes in place. They can include rearranging the closet, so winter clothes are out front, removing air conditioners from windows and preparing the furnace for winter operation.

While you’re working on winterizing your home, you also need to have a plan for your vehicles. This brings us to a few questions I received about how to winterize a vehicle to ensure it runs smoothly through the coldest months of the year.

The first question is, “What steps in the winterization process are priorities and which aren’t?”

All the steps below in your vehicle winterization process are priorities, but they don’t have to be completed in the specific order they’re listed.

Priority No. 1 is your battery. There’s nothing worse than getting in your cold vehicle, turning the key and hearing a clicking noise — or maybe nothing at all.

A battery will not always give you a warning before it fails. They can fail at any time, but cold weather really affects a weak battery. Have your battery tested to determine the current condition, so you know if your battery needs to be replaced so you don’t experience that no-start moment.

Priority No. 2 is the depth of your tires’ treads. There needs to be enough tread to keep the tire safe through the season. The more tread, the better. If you’re someone who uses winter tires, now is the time to swap out the summer tires for winter ones. Remember, if you install studded winter tires, they cannot be installed on your vehicle until Nov. 1, and must be removed by April 15.

With all or most vehicles being equipped with tire pressure monitor systems, it is very important to check and adjust the tire pressure. In cold weather, tire pressure is lower than it would be in warmer weather. This lower pressure, if not corrected, may trigger the tire pressure warning light to illuminate on your dashboard. If it does, check your pressure immediately and add air where needed.

Something very few people think of is the spare tire. If your vehicle comes with a spare, make sure it’s inflated to the proper air pressure.

Priority No. 3 is a coolant freeze protection check. During the check, a sample of your vehicle’s coolant is tested for the concentration of ethylene-glycol in the coolant mixture. This means the percentage of water compared to the percentage of anti-freeze in the mixture. An acceptable mixture for our northeast region is 50/50. This mixture gives the coolant a freeze protection of approximately -34⁰F. If your coolant isn’t protected correctly, it can ice up and cause catastrophic damage to your engine.

Priority No. 4 is checking and monitoring your vehicle’s other fluids through the winter months. The windshield washer reservoir should be filled with a solvent specially made with a lower freeze point than plain water, much like coolant.

Priority No. 5 is the condition of your wiper blades. If your blades aren’t in good condition, they will not be able to properly clear ice and snow from your windshield. As you know, if your windshield isn’t cleared, your vision will be obstructed and the possibility of an accident increases.

Priority No. 6 is preparing a small survival kit to put in your trunk just in case you break down. This kit should include items such as gloves, socks, a blanket or another winter coat, and anything else you might need while you wait for assistance to arrive. No matter when you use your car, always make sure your cell phone is fully charged or close to it. You don’t want to break down in the dead of winter with a cell phone that doesn’t work.

“What steps in the winterization process can be done by an owner and which ones must be completed by a technician?” is our second question.

The battery and coolant freeze point checks should be performed by a qualified technician. The other checks and inspections in our winterization process above can also be completed by a technician, but you can easily do them over a weekend. Equipment, tools and, of course, replacement parts needed for your vehicle winterization project are more than likely available at your local parts store.

However you decide to winterize your vehicle, make sure you do it. This process will help you avoid any major automotive issues during the long, cold winter months.

The next Headlights to Taillights column will be published in the November 27, 2020 edition of the Valley Advantage.