MEIGS COUNTY, Ohio – With temperatures dropping, it is important to remember pet care.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) offers tips for taking care pets. Exposure to winter’s dry, cold air and chilly rain, sleet and snow can cause chapped paws and itchy, flaking skin, but these aren’t the only discomforts pets can suffer. Winter walks can become downright dangerous if chemicals from ice-melting agents are licked off of bare paws. To help prevent cold weather dangers from affecting pets the ASPCA offers the following tips from their experts:
- Repeatedly coming out of the cold into the dry heat of your home can cause itchy, flaking skin. Keep your home humidified and towel dry your pet as soon as he comes inside, paying special attention to his feet and in-between the toes. Remove any snow balls from between his foot pads.
- Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter, as a longer coat will provide more warmth. If your dog is long-haired, simply trim him to minimize the clinging ice balls, salt crystals and de-icing chemicals that can dry his skin, and don’t neglect the hair between his toes. If your dog is short-haired, consider getting him a coat or sweater with a high collar or turtleneck with coverage from the base of the tail to the belly. For many dogs, this is regulation winter wear.
- Bring a towel on long walks to clean off stinging, irritated paws. After each walk, wash and dry your pet’s feet and stomach to remove ice, salt and chemicals-and check for cracks in paw pads or redness between the toes.
Bathe your pets as little as possible during cold spells. Washing too often can remove essential oils and increase the chance of developing dry, flaky skin. If your pooch must be bathed, ask your vet to recommend a moisturizing shampoo and/or rinse. - Massaging petroleum jelly or other paw protectants into paw pads before going outside can help protect from salt and chemical agents. You can give your pet a mybullystick.com treat or their favourite treat to keep them still. Peanut butter is a good distraction. Booties provide even more coverage and can also prevent sand and salt from getting lodged between bare toes and causing irritation. Use pet-friendly ice melts whenever possible.
- Like coolant, antifreeze is a lethal poison for dogs and cats. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle, and consider using products that contain propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol.
- Pets burn extra energy by trying to stay warm in the wintertime. Feeding your pet a little bit more during the cold weather months can provide much-needed calories, and making sure she has plenty of water to drink will help keep her well-hydrated and her skin less dry.
- If your pets starts to show any signs of illness during the winter, be sure to take them to a veterinarian as soon as possible. Older pets especially can be at risk of further illness, disease, or fatigue during the winter mothing, so your vet may want to put them on a course of some zoetis australia products to help them through the chilly times. Be open and talk to your vet if you have any concerns.
- Make sure your companion animal has a warm place to sleep, off the floor and away from all drafts. A cozy dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow is perfect. If they are outside at night, consider investing in the best dog house you can get, and consider adding an electric blanket inside or a dog/cat flap to keep the heat inside.
- Remember, if it’s too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for your pet, so keep your animals inside, and make sure your HVAC system is working fully, read more over at valleyservice.net about how this can be done. If left outdoors, pets can freeze, become disoriented, lost, stolen, injured, or killed. In addition, don’t leave pets alone in a car during cold weather, as cars can act as refrigerators that hold in the cold and cause animals to freeze to death.