RSPCA SA warning to keep animals safe and warm ahead of extreme cold forecast
June 21, 2023
RSPCA South Australia has put out a warning for animal owners ahead of the weather bureau’s forecast of temperatures below 10C for the next four nights.
Conditions will be especially chilly in the hills, with both Stirling and Mount Barker forecast to drop to just 5C tonight.
Across most of SA, low temperatures are forecast to be accompanied by strong winds and rain.
RSPCA South Australia is urging pet owners to keep animals indoors wherever possible. This is especially important for small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs, whose body temperatures can drop dangerously low in cold weather.
If animals must remain outdoors, solid and warm shelter that is able to withstand rain, hail and wind is vital for the animal’s safety and comfort. Extra bedding may be required to ensure animals stay warm, especially very young or elderly animals, or animals suffering from health conditions such as arthritis.
Additionally, animals often require more food during the winter months as it takes more energy to regulate their body temperature in the cold.
Farm animals are also at risk in extreme cold weather, and RSPCA advises the provision of three-sided shelters will enable paddocked animals to escape the cold, rain and wind. Extra bedding for chickens is also highly recommended.
RSPCA advises that some horses may benefit from being rugged, but rugs must be well-fitted, fully waterproof and checked daily. All horses should have access to shelter and, where they have good shelter, healthy younger horses do not always need to be rugged.
(For more advice about rugging horses – https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/do-i-need-to-rug-my-horse/)
Meanwhile, RSPCA staff are celebrating what will be their last winter at the organisation’s Lonsdale shelter. Construction is well underway on the O’Halloran Hill site of RSPCA’s new Animal Care Campus, on schedule to be ready to open by April next year.
“We all can’t wait for the day we can accommodate our animals in climate-controlled, energy-efficient housing, and say good bye for good to kennels that flood and enclosures that are near impossible to heat,” RSPCA SA CEO Marcus Gehrig said.
Donations to RSPCA SA’s Tax Appeal will help care for animals who have nowhere else to turn this winter. Donate here: http://rspcasa.org.au/ivy