With a high of 2 degrees and wind chills making the outdoors feel like 36 degrees below zero on today, it’s important to not only bundle yourself up, but take extra precautions with animals.

“Dogs that don’t have winter coats shouldn’t be outside. They can freeze to death,” said Tracy Schroer of the Freeborn County Humane Society. “Huskies are bred for being out in the cold, and a lot of other dogs, like shepherds, handle the cold OK, but short-coated dogs can freeze to death even with a doghouse.”

Schroer said the shelter gets an increase of calls from people concerned about stray dogs and cats as the weather gets colder. Inadequate shelter for dogs is probably the most common complaint they receive.

“If a dog lives outside, it must have a doghouse,” she said.

The Animal Welfare Act is a federal law enacted to protect certain animals, including dogs and cats. Schroer said the law requires doghouses to have flaps installed to protect dogs from the wind, by Nov. 1 each year. The mandate also requires that doghouses be raised at least 4 inches off the ground to help keep them warm.

Dan Smith, veterinarian with the Albert Lea Veterinary Clinic, suggested also putting straw on the floor of the doghouse, to increase warmth.

“Blankets are OK, but hay or straw works best,” he said, adding that dog beds with polyeurathane also work well.

Smith also wanted to remind people to increase the food and water supply for outdoor pets this time of year, as animals use more of their energy trying to stay warm. Making sure their water doesn’t freeze up is also important, and he suggested a heated water source be installed, if possible.

The same type of guidelines go for cats, as well. Smith said cats tolerate this weather even worse than dogs and in a matter of minutes, they can suffer frostbite to the tips of their ears and pads of their feet.

Smith also advised taking extra precautions with indoor animals who need to be let outside to go to the bathroom.

“Pets can become overwhelmed in a matter of minutes,” he said. “If temperatures are below 10 below zero, walking a dog outside is not a good idea because the pads of their feet can get cold and freeze.”

Because dogs over the age of 11 years have an increased risk of developing a canine version of Alzheimer’s disease, Smith said old dogs running away to die is often the misinterpretation of dogs getting lost outside and never finding their way back home. He advised, especially with older dogs, in extremely cold weather to either go outside with dogs or watch them out the window to make sure this does not happen.

Dogs may also suffer from cold stress, where they get cold and collapse.

In the case that a dog is left outside for an extended period of time, Smith advised, like people who’ve been out in the cold too long, to warm up slowly at room temperature or in someone’s lap. A warm bath could also work well.

“They’re like people. If you run in and put them in water too warm, it can be painful,” he said.

Another tip for small dogs reluctant to go outside in cold weather, Smith suggested, is making a litter box from potting soil or mulch and putting it in the garage or on the back porch, recreating an outdoor effect but saving them from having to go outside, and indoor accidents.