Your Small Pet And Global Warming - Why Should You Be In The Know?

As someone who has always been involved heavily in conservation and the studying of geography, global warming is something that is always is in the back of my head when it comes to our pets. There are plenty of folk who still don’t take the global warming crisis seriously (beggars believe really with what is already happening to our climate!). But it’s so important to understand that the change in climate, is not just effecting humans but our pets too.

Baking hot days where it’s too hot to walk your dog will over the years increase until it becomes the norm. And since all our small fury pets are by nature, fury…how will they cope with this? While some species may do better than others, if we are focusing on the very fury such as rabbits and piggies and any long haired breeds of pets then surely they will find it hard to cope? Especially if they originate from a cold climate?  

So maybe you’re saying right now…..yes but we don’t have baking hot days all the time. Yes that is true but it’s important to understand that global warming doesn’t mean none stop heat, it means more disrupted weather which equals more extreme changes in weather systems, storms etc. It also means that air quality may be more comprised in the future causing a spike in pet related respiratory conditions and deaths.  If your pet lives inside your home then the effects will not be so obvious compared to pets that live outside in secure enclosures but if our climate continues on the path it currently is set, then within the next two to three decades, it will become impossible to have small pets like rabbits and pigs housed outside in your garden. Hundreds of pets die from heat-related illnesses every year, and the actual number is likely higher because many cases go unreported. An ideal temperature for a rabbit for example is between 12 and 21 degree’s. So when you get days that are well over 25 degree’s, this puts strain on their little hearts and can cause them to get heat stroke which is life threatening.  A crisis of hot weather over the last few years has caused a huge spike also in deaths of dogs and cats which is occurring nationwide. And don’t be fooled into thinking that your pet is safe if they are inside your home. Houses can act like glass domes if you don’t take the right steps to keep the space cool. Remember that if you’re hot then think what they must be feeling with a thick fur coat on?  

So what can we do about it? Well I think the main point I’m trying to make as responsible pet owners is that we all need to be more alert and in tune with our climate. Common sense stuff, like don’t take your dog out if it’s baking hot. Use methods such as fans to keep your pet cool and monitor closely for signs of illness. Also have in the back of your mind what you might do in the future to change your pets set up if needed to protect them from the worst of the climate changes. For example, I adore lion head rabbits but they are very very fury and every summer, I face the same battle of making sure they are cool and happy and don’t get poorly from the heat. I know that in the future, realistically keeping any pet that is so fury will sadly probably mean that they need to be kept indoors in a climate controlled space, most likely with air con built in. Fans are great but once you hit a certain temperature they become obsolete and simply move around hot air. It is my belief therefore that in the future, we will need to house all small pets in climate controlled spaces. As the heat comes for longer and longer, it will become impossible to keep our tiny pets cool enough and so new measures will need to be taken.

As a pet service, I am constantly thinking about ways to ensure the health and safety of pets under my care. And as we have grand plans for a future luxury small pet hotel, I have already decided that we will be having climate controls fitted to the space which will ensure all pets within it will be protected from extreme temperatures in the following years to come. While it is possible to use fans and heaters in an outside enclosure, these measures only go so far and as the weather gets more and more unpredictable and severe, fans and heaters will become less effective- meaning that simply by having your pet outside will pose a health risk. This will be a huge logistical nightmare for so many small pet rescues and for other pet services that house pet clients in out buildings but sadly with time, this will need to change in order to stop pets from suffering.

On a final note….. remember it’s not just heat that can be a health risk with our pets, it’s extreme cold, poor air quality, flooding and more. Going forward, if you are planning on becoming a pet owner then please make sure that the accommodation you place the animal in, is suitable and able to protect them from the worst of the extreme weather that is to come and most importantly- can be adapted if needed.

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