Tips for the Day AFTER the Extreme Cold

So you woke up after the coldest night of the year and all of your critters are still upright and alive and you breath a sigh of relief. After days of planning and preparation, you successfully guided them through the cold and you can quit worrying.

WRONG.

This is my PSA for why it matters to worry AFTER the cold. It's not always the cold itself that kills, it's the stress it caused that leaves your animals wide open to other problems. I'm not a vet, but I have owned critters for a long time in a very cold climate so this is how I approach this issue.

POST-COLD WEATHER CARE FOR LIVESTOCK:
Remember how humans used to believe that physically getting cold is what caused "colds"? Science now tells us colds are caused by viruses, not the environment. BUT, being cold does wear you down and makes it a whole lot easier for viruses to gain a foothold.

Outside animals, even the most heavily coated and resilient, just ran a marathon. They burned thousands of additional calories and their entire metabolism just worked overtime to stay warm. They are wore out--our job is to recognize that and help them recover.

1. Continue the TLC care you gave during the cold for a few days beyond, even if it warms back up right away. Extra food, deep bedding, warm molasses water---give them a window for recovery. Imagine your hardest workout and multiply it by 100 and that is probably how some of them feel.

2. Young, old, or any easily stressed animals could probably use an extra boost for a few days. Our babies, old girls and pregnant mama sheep will all get nutri-drench (a molasses based vitamin supplement) for a few days beyond this cold snap. I might snap a few Vitamin B shots (which really helps with stressed animals) into a few critters as well. Don't make huge changes to feed (that's its own kind of stress), but look for ways to give a boost to those who might be struggling.

3. Avoid adding on more physical or psychological stress. If you can, avoid shipping or working animals for a few days to let them recover. You wouldn't do extra with an animal that was just trailered cross country or gave birth or ran 20 miles on a wild hair---you would let them rest and recover. Ditto for cold.

4. Watch and wait. The real problems from the cold weather might not bubble up for a week or 10 days afterward. Time in which a viral or bacterial infection will have time to take hold and wreak havoc on a weakened animal. Additional, wild swings back to warm temperatures can stress animals in a whole new way. Monitor for signs and symptoms of illness and intervene quickly---you don't know when the next cold snap might hit and an animal fighting pneumonia isn't going to have what it takes to make it through another one.

And remember, all of the above apply to humans as well, especially those who have spent a fair bit of time outside (like all of us taking care of these animals)--get some rest, get some good food into you and do what you can to ward off viruses because your animals need you!