Temperature have started dropping and while many worry about how to care for themselves, it’s still important to think about caring for your pets.
Many people have indoor pet, but for those with outdoor only pets, you need to take extra care for them in the coming months.
I spoke with Dr. Sheila Erickson a vet from Horse Heaven Hills Pet Urgent Care who says some de-icers and snow can damage your pets paws. De-icer damages the skin and snow can lead to frost bite when getting stuck in their fur.
Some household items to keep an eye out for is anti-freeze. Because of it’s sweet taste, it attracts animals and not all anti-freeze is animal friendly.
So when you take you pets out for a walk, think about rinsing their paws off when you get home.
Dr. Erickson made an emphasis on thinking about, if you’re cold, your pet will definitely be cold too so thinking about have a blanket or a sweater for those with less fur.
For those that stay outdoors, keeping a warm home and fresh food and water is important too.
“Making sure they have fresh food and water, maybe a little bit more food than normal. their body has a lot of work to maintain body temperature when it’s colder outside,” says Dr. Erickson.
Outdoor cats are something else to be extra careful with. Most tend to nest under car hoods because they stay warm with the engine.
So next time you heading out, tap on the hood a couple times before you start the car and think about bringing your outdoor cats inside for the winter might be something to consider.
