Tips to Keep Your Pet Safe in the Cold

by Steve Dale

The weather outside can still be frightful. Here are 12 tips to keep your pets safe in the cold.

1. Frostbite

If it's cold enough outside, dogs and cats truly are susceptible to frostbite. Most at risk are dogs with long ears, such as Basset Hounds and Weimaraners. Noses of cats or dogs can also become frostbitten.

2. Street Salt

This explains why you see dogs dancing like Britney Spears. The salt really does hurt their feet.

3. Macho Dogs Wear Booties

They may not seem macho, but even rugged sled dogs wear booties. That's because when little ice balls form in their footpads, it's uncomfortable. Other options: Check out a product called Musher's Secret or try a non-stick cooking spray, such as Pam, on your pet's paws.

4. Knock Three Times

Outdoor cats will slink under warm car hoods as if they were electric blankets. They can end up dead or mangled when a driver unknowingly turns on the engine. This is just one argument for keeping cats indoors in the first place. You can warn kitties who might be cozying up to your car's engine by knocking three times on the hood - perhaps while singing a few lines of "Knock Three Times." If the knocking doesn't alert the snoozing cat, your singing might.

5. Hearty Dogs

Breeds such as Malamutes, Siberian Huskies and Samoyeds sometimes prefer the zero degrees to being indoors. Still, theses cold-weather canines require unfrozen drinking water (you can buy water bowls with heaters to prevent freezing) and shelter from wind and snow.

6. Not So Hearty Dogs

The smaller a dog, the less efficient it is at maintaining body heat. Also, the less fur, the colder a dog will become. Pups like Miniature Pinschers and Chihuahuas, both petite and follically-challenged, are happier in coats and sweaters. In fact, as temperatures sink below freezing, most toy breeds benefit from the extra protection. Sight hounds, such as Greyhounds, Salukis and Whippets, which have little body fat, also need sweaters or jackets in winter.

7. Skating On Thin Ice

Each year, there are news reports of people falling through the ice attempting to save their dogs. If you have any doubts, keep your dog off the ice. If your pet does fall in -- and dogs can die of hypothermia as easily as people -- get help before risking your own life.

8. Where Are You?

Dogs who wander onto a froze lake can become disoriented, particularly if it's snowing and visibility is low. They may run toward open water rather than toward shore. Watch your pet closely under such conditions.

9. Killer Garages

Warming up your car in the garage might be convenient, but if your pet can get into the garage it's not a good idea. A small dog or cat can die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

10. Antifreeze Warning

Sweet-tasting antifreeze is tempting to most pets. Less than a quarter cup of antifreeze can kill a Great Dane, and a teaspoon's worth can kill a small dog or a cat. Seek out antifreeze brands which contain bittering agents making them taste awful.

11. Snowdrifts

Small dogs can get lost after jumping in a big drift, so be sure to supervise. Also, bounding through drifts isn't like walking down the street; dogs can strain muscles they're not accustomed to using.

12. Enough is Enough

Some dogs will fetch forever because they're having fun and they also want to please you. Still, if they're cold, even shivering, take a warm-up break indoors.

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