Winter can be a dangerous time of year for all pets. Especially pets that are kept outdoors. Temperatures drop to below freezing and dangerous chemicals can harm or even kill pets. Everybody loves their pets and wants to keep them safe and comfortable so, here are a few helpful tips to protect your pets during the winter months.
To Keep them warm
Frostbite and hypothermia can be deadly for your furry friends and can happen quicker than you think. According to anything below 25 degrees Fahrenheit can be life-threatening to a small, short-haired dog. Make sure to put a sweater on your pup when going outside below these temperatures and keep walks short.
If you have an outdoor pet, bring them in if temperatures drop below freezing. A safe rule to go by is “If it’s too cold for you, it’s too cold for them.” For the rest of the winter days, provide an outdoor shelter and lay hay inside to add insulation. Also, provide a heated water dish, so their water does not freeze over.
Rock salt is thrown all over streets and sidewalks to melt ice that can be dangerous for you. However, rock salt can be harmful to your pet’s paws. The little rocks can get pushed up into your pet’s paws while on walks and actually burn their paw pads. When coming back inside from your walks, check their paws for any salt and remove it. You can also try out dog boots!
When it is cold outside, our bodies burn more calories to keep us warm. The same thing happens with our pets. Feed your pet slightly more food during the winter months, particularly if your pet is an outdoor pet. Along with feeding them more, give your pets more water as well. This will help keep their skin from getting flaky and itchy due to drier conditions.
Antifreeze is highly toxic to animals and they can easily ingest it. All it takes is a leak from your vehicle and your pet can lick it up off the ground or get it on their paws, which they later lick clean. In order to catch antifreeze poisoning, Dsays to check for these 3 signs:
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