BRRRRRR Baby Its Cold Outside!

Brrrrr, Its cold outside! Winter in the Northwest means time to bundle up in your winter clothes and boots so that you don’t get wet and cold. It means umbrellas, toasty fires, puddles, snow, and mud. You take precautions to keep you and your family warm and dry; what about your furry family members? Just because they are wearing a fur coat does not mean that they are staying plenty warm and dry.
Dogs and cats alike can get too cold outside in the frosty, waterlogged months of the year. You may think that they are accustomed to being outside and that they are being kept warm enough, but wind chill can make it many degrees chillier than the actual temperature readings outdoors leaving your pet shivering in the cold. Bring your pet indoors and monitor them when they are out. If you cannot bring them in, make sure that you have provided adequate shelter for them. Give them blankets and rugs to sleep on so they are not on the frozen ground. Make sure that water sources do not freeze and that plenty of fluids are available. Animals do not know that eating snow can quench thirst. If, sadly, they are on a chain, they may not be able to reach sources of shelter or fresh water if left out when the temperature drops.
Make sure that you clean and dry your animal’s feet and legs when they come in from the cold. There are many things that they can get into when they are out and about in the winter months. Salt from walkways, antifreeze, and other wintertime chemicals can end up on your pet’s paws and when they lick them, they can be poisoned.
More animals are lost, hurt, and killed in the winter months than any other time of the year. They can wander off from home and get lost because water and snow can cause them to loose their sense of direction or detour their ability to follow the scent of home. They can wander into the road and be run over, drown after wandering onto a frozen body of water, or become lost and never find their way back to their home.
They also crawl onto the tires and into the engine compartments of cars where it can seem nice and warm. They do not know when the car will be started or moved again, they just know it is much more welcoming than the outdoors to snuggle up to the engine block. They then run the risk of being run over or being badly injured or killed when the unsuspecting owner starts the car. This also includes not leaving your pet in the car alone. If you leave them in with the car and heat running, they could get carbon monoxide poisoning. If you leave them alone in the cold, they could freeze to death.
Make sure that your pets are safe and healthy this winter. They rely on you for safety as well as love. They will love you until the end; return their love!