Winter Storm Reminder: Take Care of Your Pet's Needs, Too!

With the first major snowstorm of the season blanketing Northeast Ohio, it's good to review things to watch for to make sure our pets are healthy and safe during the winter months.

If you’re like most people and have a dog or cat that lives indoor with you, it’s important to limit their outdoor time in extremely cold conditions.

If you occasionally allow your cat to go outside, it’s not advisable to do so in freezing temperatures. Their tendency to explore, even close to home, may be overcome by their need to seek warmth. This can lead them to dryer vents on homes, or worse, to climb into a nearby vehicle’s engine compartment—and such locations can lead to tragedy. Keep your cat indoors until the weather warms up again.

If you own an indoor dog, you’ll naturally let it go outside for potty times and some exercise. However, whether it’s on a leash or able to roam free in a fenced or invisible-fenced area, your dog can be overcome by freezing temperatures more rapidly than you may think. If their coat becomes damp from snow or ice, hypothermia can set in.

In particular, keep an eye on the pads of their feet. Snow and ice can become packed between their pads, and cause severe discomfort even after they’ve come back inside.

If you have a dog or cat that typically stays outside, or perhaps in a garage, take precautions to make them more comfortable in the winter. Make sure their houses are lined with cardboard or a piece of carpet to add extra warmth, and turn the opening away from the wind. In a garage,  try to seal up any air leaks that may cause an unnecessary draft, and make sure there is something—cardboard, an old blanket, or carpet scraps—that they can snuggle up on other than the concrete floor.

Again, take precautions to keep them away from your car’s engine. Clean up any antifreeze spills, which are hazardous, and from time to time check your pet’s coat for ice-melting salt or chemicals, which they’ll try to lick from their fur.

Winter can be a wonderful and invigorating time of year, but it can be perilous, too. Take precautions to make sure you and your pet remain happy and healthy until the first signs of spring!