Overview
- An amber cold-health alert from the UKHSA covers England alongside Met Office snow and ice warnings, with sub-zero temperatures forecast to persist.
- The RSPCA says there is no single minimum temperature for walks and stresses extra care for small, short-coated, very young, elderly, or ill dogs at risk of hypothermia and frostbite.
- Guidance includes keeping indoor temperatures for dogs between 10°C and 25°C, bringing rabbits and guinea pigs indoors below 15°C, providing extra bedding, and ensuring unfrozen drinking water.
- Dogs Trust cautions owners to keep pets off frozen lakes and ponds, keep leads on near icy water, call 999 if a dog falls through, and never attempt a rescue themselves.
- Vets and pet experts urge monitoring for frostbite and hypothermia signs such as pale or bluish skin, shivering, lethargy, and poor coordination, and warn about antifreeze and rock salt exposure, advising paw wiping and secure storage of chemicals.