Animal welfare advocates have a warning for horse owners: Failing to stockpile hay before summer ends could leave animals at risk of starving this winter.

"We do not want to see a repeat of 2019 during the upcoming winter," Dan Kobe, spokesperson for the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said in a news release Tuesday.

"Owners who do not secure feed now may be putting their animals at risk."

'Not acceptable excuses'

The warning follows what Kobe described as a "tumultuous" year for investigations of underfed livestock, especially horses.

From last November to June, the Alberta SPCA investigated 402 cases of neglect concerning horses.

As a result, 233 horses were taken into protective custody, resulting in $187,000 in care and transportation costs for the SPCA.

Most of the calls came in during a frigid cold snap in February. Temperatures stayed below the freezing mark for four weeks across most of the province, dropping below –30 C overnight for days in some places. At the same time, feed prices soared as supplies waned.

Horse owners need to ensure they have an adequate supply of high-quality feed before temperatures drop, Kobe said.

There may be hay shortages or price increases following an unusually wet growing season.

"The quality of the hay is still an unknown due to all the rain," Ken Dean, director of animal protection services for the Alberta SPCA, said in a statement.

"Owners who wait until the fall or winter to look for high-quality feed may find it difficult to buy and those who do find it will have to pay a premium price."

Horses and other livestock require additional feed to stay warm during the winter. Horses not adequately fed during a cold snap will deteriorate quickly, Dean said.

"If livestock owners cannot afford to feed their animals, they will have to look at reducing their herd before winter arrives," he said.

"'I can't find feed,' or 'I can't afford to feed,' are not acceptable excuses for starving your animals."

Animal owners who allow their animals to be in distress due to a lack of food or water could face a maximum fine of $20,000 and a lifetime prohibition from owning animals under the Animal Protection Act.