Higher levels of moisture could encourage mildew and possibly contribute to food spoilage and fungal infections . A nother subtle concern during winter is chronic dehydration. Because it is cooler, people and animals are inclined to drink less. Make sure the water is changed daily, because it becomes rancid. It may be wise to feed more foods of high water content to ensure more liquid intake.
Chronic dehydration takes the greatest toll on kidney function.
Notice if the eyes are retracted, check the skin on the feet for wrinkling, or separate the feathers and twist the skin. Dehydrated animals will exhibit wrinkles in the skin or slowness in returning to a normal state when twisted. There may be less urine in the droppings, indicating dehydration. A nother side effect of winter is stale air. Most furnace systems recycle the air in the home over and over.