Does the cooler weather cause your bones to ache and your allergies to flare? Well, you're not the only one. Pets also suffer from winter woes.
'In the winter all sorts of pollens blow in from the mainland, causing allergic reactions in dogs, and cats too,' says Dr Richard Potter, senior veterinarian at East Island Animal Hospital. 'Dogs start scratching in the winter. They can get flared and irritated skin, and not because it's hot and sticky out.'
Potter says the pollens can cause a host of skin problems such as watery eyes, sneezing and breathing difficulties. According to the veterinarian, on the days when the air pollution is high, about one-third of the animals he examines has a weather-related ailment.
'There's more pollution and debris in the air when you can't see across the harbour,' says Potter, who graduated from the University of Queensland.
He says pet owners can buy eye drops and ointments for pets to relieve itchy eyes. Another way to get relief is to turn on the air conditioner. 'A lot of people don't use air conditioning in the winter, but in fact it's a good way of cleaning the air,' Potter says. 'The air tends to be rather dirty and cats with asthma will suffer on thick soupy days.'
Treatment for feline asthma is similar to that for humans, says Potter, with drugs and inhalers common remedies. Rabbits are the most sensitive pet to pollutants and dry air. 'They will have much more trouble with pollution than any other species,' says Potter.
