Pet owners are being now being warned to protect their cats and dogs from hidden and potentially fatal hazards this winter.
The associations are advising to walk dogs for a lot less time but more often when temperatures dip, and consider putting a dog coat on old dogs or those with thin fur to keep them warm.
Our mature cats should be kept inside when the weather gets very bad and make sure that even healthy cats are able to access shelter and warmth.
Pet owners are also urged not to bathe your dog or cat very often over the winter months - unless of course they have rolled in something unbearable. If you do bathe your pets, make sure the water is luke warm and that they are dried thoroughly to prevent them getting cold and becoming ill.
When walking your dog in icy and snowy conditions, do not let it off the lead and avoid walking in areas where ponds or lakes may have frozen over - animals often don’t understand the difference between the solid ground and ice and can fall through. In this situation vets urge owners not to go in after their pet as although distressing, it is never worth risking your own life as well as your dog’s.
Sean Wensley, president of the British Veterinary Association said each season brings its own set of new hazards and winter is no different.
He also said: “We ask owners to make sure their animals are kept safe and warm over the winter months.”
Top tips to keep your dogs and cats safe this winter:
- Make sure your pet’s bed is in a draft free, warm spot off the floor in the house.
- Dogs need to be exercised, however during the darker winter months try to walk your dog before the night falls. If that isn’t possible, then make sure you use a reflective lead, collar or dog coat for your dog and always carry a torch so that other road users can see to avoid you.
- Make sure to wipe your dog’s paws and belly upon returning home from a snowy walk to remove any ice or salt, and to regularly check for cracks in paw-pads or for redness between the toes.
- Wiping your pets’ paws, (both cats and dogs,) can also prevent them from ingesting toxins that they may have stood in whilst outside. Antifreeze in particular is completely toxic and could result in death, with one in four vets reporting having to treat cats for antifreeze poisoning in the last year and a further 2% also treating dogs.