Winter in Ohio sucks
for the obvious reasons and some, not so obvious. Last week, our highest
temperature barely made it to 20°F and this week looks to be about the same. We
also got about 6 inches of snow last week but the way Ohioans drove in it, you would
have thought it was 6 feet of snow! I,
myself, love the snow and I’m one of the crazy people that enjoy driving in it.
I just wish 95% of the other people on the roads would stay home or at least
stay out of my way! What normally took me
15 minutes to drive, took me over an hour to do. The ride home wasn't much
better either and when I finally did make it home, I had to shovel.
GrrrrBrrrrr…UGH! Nothing like working up a sweat and then having it immediately
freeze on you. And let’s not get started on a nose that can’t decide to drip or
freeze!
But I really shouldn't complain. Not when I have a good running van with a great heater in it, plenty of clean, dry clothes, insulated boots, gloves and a hat to keep me warm. And when I’m not wearing layers of clothes, I can sit in my 68°F house, with my 2 legged and 4 legged kids surrounding me, staying warm and healthy. Not everyone is as lucky and blessed as I am.
Ohio winters aren't as harsh as some other states are but,
harsh is harsh, no matter where you are. Especially if you’re homeless, old,
sick or all the above. Even more so if you’re a defenseless animal that is old,
sick and/or homeless.
I've heard many of my elders talk about how hard winter is
on their body and their mind. Same goes for the animals. Whether it’s winter or
summer, we often get requests for an appointment because the pet seems painful,
that it’s having a hard time getting up and down, and that the quality of life
has declined. During the summer months, this can come and go but during the
winter months, the quality of life seems to decline more drastically and the
pet has a harder time of bouncing back. Maybe it’s our dreary imagination
during these cold, grey months but several of my coworkers and I agree, we seem
to lose more of our older clients to euthanasia in the winter than in the
summer. Just within the past week alone, we've euthanized more senior pets than
we would during a whole summer month. Like winter isn't cold enough, losing our
best friend during this time of the year, makes winter feel even colder.
Due to the bitter cold this time of the year, social media
is filled with horror stories about rescuing pets that have been left out in
the freezing cold. Stories about pets
not having shelter available, water dishes being frozen solid, pets literally
frozen to the ground and with such extreme cases of frostbite that they needed
to have a limb amputated. We don’t see a lot of the extreme cases but we have
certainly seen enough frostbitten ears to make us want to pull the owners ear
for more than just a good talking to!
Luckily though, Ohio winters really aren’t that bad. We
didn’t get hit with several FEET of snow like some of the North Eastern states
received. And even though we have beaten numerous records for low temps, that
just goes to prove that it’s not normally this cold! Plus, two more things; 1)
We have less than 30 days till the first day of spring and 2) If you don’t like
the weather right now, just wait a moment, we’re in Ohio and it’ll change!
P.S.
I’m sorry for those that might have been saddened by this
post. I had stated in my first blog posting that most of the time I would have
positive postings but I would keep “Behind the Scenes at an Animal Hospital”
realistic. Unfortunately, with this line of work, reality is sometimes sad. But
on a brighter note, my next blog will most likely be about all the kittens and
puppies that spring brings us!
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