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Experts offer winter safety tips for pets
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Friday, January 9, 2009 10:08 AM EST
SHIAWASSEE COUNTY - Staying safe in the winter is not always easy. The slick ice, below-zero temperatures and relentless snow can make safety during this time a challenge.
The same problem applies to pets, according to Shiawassee County animal experts.
Shiawassee County Humane Society Kennel Manager Amanda Reed said if you are keeping your animal outdoors, make sure there is an outdoor shelter - such as a dog house - of some kind. However, one mistake many people make is they put blankets in the shelter, when they should instead use straw.
“Blankets hold moisture and can actually make the animal more cold,” Reed said. “Straw does not hold water or moisture like a blanket would.”
Also, she added, animals eat a lot more food in the winter to maintain body heat.
“Even though they are less active, they need more nourishment to keep them warm,” she said.
Another tip she gave was to check your animal's collar on a regular basis.
“We've had a couple of calls recently where people have found dogs where their collars are almost completely embedded into the skin,” Reed said. “Animals grow and their fur becomes much more thick during the winter.”
The Shiawassee Humane Society prefers for animals to be indoor pets, and it is its policy to not adopt out any of its animals as outside pets, according to Reed.
Becky Scherer, owner of Elite Pet Styling, said some people do not realize that dogs - or other pets - can suffer from frostbite, just like humans.
“A lot of times it is colder than you think, especially if there is a wind chill,” Scherer said. “You should also shovel a place for your dog to play in. Because they are just like kids, they like to be outside even though it's cold and play in the snow.”
Road and sidewalk salt can also pose a danger to animals - especially if it is consumed.
“Don't allow them to eat or lick the salt,” Scherer said.
The salt also can hurt the padding at the bottom of an animals' foot and cause a burning sensation if it becomes embedded.
“The fastest way to relieve them of that is to put their foot in warm water right away to melt the salt,” Scherer said. “You can soak a washcloth and wrap it around their feet, or just stick their feet right under the sink if they are a small dog.”
She advised pet owners to have a bucket of warm water and a washcloth by the door for such an occasion. Also, if a pet has long hair it may get snow matted into its' coat. The water and cloth can also clean that off easily.
There are pet-safe salts available, but Scherer said they usually do not work as well as normal salt.
She also added owners need to be more careful with younger and elderly pets.
“Because dogs age so much faster in a year than we do, people may not realize the difference from one winter to the next,” Scherer said. “It may be the first winter the dog has aged more than you thought.”
Shiawassee County Animal Control Deputy Lauren Shelly advised making sure outdoor pets' water does not become frozen from the cold.
“People need to make sure the water stays unfrozen all day long because pets are supposed to have access to water at all times,” Shelly said.
He said there are specialized electric bowls that heat the water to keep it from freezing.
Also, if a pet is chained outdoors, the chain needs to be three times the length of the dog. If it gets tangled in the chord, it can still make it back to shelter. The length also will allow them to run around and get exercise.
“Some people tie their dogs out with a choke chain. You are not supposed to do that because they could get caught and it would end up choking the dog,” Shelly said. “They can be walked using a choke chain. You are right there with them in case something goes wrong.”
- Contact Michael Peterson at 725-5136 extension 223 or mpetersonarguspress@gmail.com.
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- A friend to "man's best friend". "