Picture this: You’re out for a walk with your dog, the snow swirling against the gray sky all around you, the trees twinkling with the shimmer of each flake, the eerie silence of the still atmosphere mesmerizing. Suddenly you get a chill. Your heavy jacket, boots, gloves, scarf and hat just aren’t cutting it anymore. You glance down at your four-legged friend, envious of his full-body cozy coat of fur. What you don’t realize is that he probably feels that same chill of the winter air.

Just because they have a natural fur coat doesn’t by any stretch of the imagination mean that your pet is warm during the winter. Follow these precautionary steps to make sure your dog stays warm this season.

Pet clothing and booties aren’t a bad idea.

Although you may think of your dog as already being “dressed,” putting on a sweater or blanket of some sort when taking him outside can be beneficial in keeping him warm. Since a dog’s feet are in constant direct contact with the frozen ground while outside in the winter, a pair of warm booties could help keep his natural warmth locked into his paws and keep the cold out. Animals lose most of their body heat through the pads of their feet.

Think of this as a pair of mittens on a human. How quickly do your fingers get cold? Imagine the fingers and toes on your dog as they walk along the frozen roads. Keep this in mind, and consider dressing your pets properly for the outdoors.

Provide proper housing outdoors.

First and foremost, don’t leave your pet outside for a longer period than necessary in the winter. Extended periods of time out in the cold will affect your pet the same way it will affect you – they could become ill very quickly. If your pet enjoys his time outside, make sure you provide proper housing for him while he’s out there. A dog house should be large enough for a dog to stand up and stretch in, but should be small enough to trap some of the dog’s natural body heat.

The dog house should have a windproof flap over the door to keep the interior a bit warmer, and make sure you provide the dog with a bedding material that won’t absorb water or freeze. Try something like hay – it’s not the most comfortable bedding option, but it will likely keep your dog the warmest.

Keep indoor pets indoors.

This one is a no-brainer. If you have an indoor cat, the winter is not a good time to choose that he’s now going to be an indoor-outdoor cat. If your cat has grown up living indoors, he is just as accustomed to the warmth of your home as your home. Let him stay where he’s comfortable – keep him inside.

Limit the amount of time your dog spends outside if you can. Make walks a bit shorter if it’s possible, and don’t leave the house while your pet is outside. If you take your pet with you in the car, don’t leave him in there for too long while you run errands. Cars can turn into mobile refrigerators just as quickly as they turn into mobile heaters in the summer.

Feed your pet more.

Think about it, the more a person eats, the more nature insulation they’re provided with. The same is true for your pets! Prepare them for the winter by feeding them a bit more to “bulk up.” Choose a food that will enhance your pet’s coat health, as a healthy coat provides more protection than a ratty, matted-down one.

Your animal will expend more calories trying to stay warm during the winter than they’ll ever have to use during the summer months. Make sure they have the proper fuel to keep themselves warm.

Consider a heated bed.

Just as you enjoy coming home from work and climbing into a nice toasty bed in the winter, your pet will also love coming in from the cold to find a warm bed awaiting him. You can purchase pet beds that are electrically heated, or just get a heating pad to place underneath the bed you already have for your pet.

If you can’t afford or don’t want to purchase a heated bed, make sure you keep your bed or at least some blanket out and available to your pet to snuggle up in. Just like you, he enjoys curling up with a toasty afghan and taking a nice winter afternoon nap. At least provide him the luxury of a warm bed to do so in. Keep beds off the floor if you can and away from any drafty, cold areas in your house.

Groom your pet frequently.

As mentioned before, keeping your pet’s coat healthy can be crucial in maximizing its effectiveness. Grooming is a big part of this. Brush your pet vigorously and frequently. It will loosen up hair that has been matted down by the wind and the snow and will help increase circulation. More blood flowing to your pet’s extremities equals a happier, warmer pet!

Check under your car before you drive off to work.

This one sounds somewhat silly, but outdoor cats and even abandoned dogs seek out warmth when left out in the cold. A natural place they like to burrow into is under the hood and in the engine of your car, or oftentimes they’ll perch themselves underneath. If you live somewhere that’s populated with outdoor cats, make sure you bang on the hood of your car or honk the horn to scare off any animals hiding under there before you start your car. Animals can be seriously injured or even killed by the belt or engine under your hood.

Take extra care with puppies.

Puppies and smaller breed dogs do not tolerate the weather as well as some of the larger breeds. Keep your puppy indoors or go to extra precautionary lengths to make sure he stays warm when you take him outdoors.

Keep in mind the length of your pet’s hair, as well. Obviously some breeds, like huskies, are more naturally built for cold weather with their long hair. Smaller, shorter hair breeds like dachshunds and most felines are not equipped with the same level of warmth from their hair, so try to confine them to indoor spaces as much as possible during the winter.

Monitor the outdoor water dish.

You’d be surprised at how quickly your pet’s water dish will freeze when left outside. Make sure you frequently check the status of your animal’s dish to make sure this doesn’t happen, because the last thing you want is for your pet to be left without water.

Keep a close eye on your pup when he’s outside.

Never let your dog off his leash when you’re outside during the winter. More dogs get lost during winter months than any other time of year because they can quickly lose their scent and therefore lose track of where they are if they wander off too far in the winter.

Frozen lakes and ponds also pose dangerous threats to unleashed animals. Pets that fall through ice are difficult to pull out of the freezing waters, and your pet could quickly lose consciousness just by being exposed to such temperatures, much like a human’s reaction would be.

Even puddles aren’t safe during the winter months. Puddles can be polluted with toxins such as antifreeze or coolant. If you do a lot of work on your car from your home, consider switching from products that contain ethylene glycol to those that contain propylene glycol, as the latter is somewhat less toxic.

Although pets have that luxurious fur coat permanently wrapped around their bodies from head to toe, they get the chills just as quickly as us humans when the mercury drops in the winter. Take some of these steps to help keep your pet safe and warm during these winter months, and be prepared to see an excited and energetic pet come springtime!

Allison Waters is a freelance writer and avid pet lover in Massachusetts. She specializes in keeping homes warm, keeping pets warm, and finding the best home heating oil prices MA to do these things. She’s thrifty, but she’s warm!

Centuries ago, pet grooming was one of the many most popular pastimes of the prosperous and socially prominent people. Pet grooming was an expensive hobby. Today, there are a lot of people that own pets and so the demand for common people to care for their pets has increased. 2 of the most well known domesticated pets we groom today are dogs and cats. Because of this demand, there is a need for pet grooming supplies for owners.

To keep your animal looking good it is a good idea to get them groomed regularly. By grooming them yourself you can make your pet feel healthy and bright. In reality, it can add longevity to their life as you get free of the dirt on their bodies.

Before taking your pet to the groomers or before you do it yourself, you need to understand what they need and what the benefits are. For example, your cat needs a healthy coat, so a regular brushing of their fur can do this. It removes dead hairs and makes their coat look brighter as they release natural oil. Brushing will help distribute this natural oil to their body and this will make their hair look shinier and it will make it stronger. Also with brushing you can find unhealthy spots on your cat’s body like bruises, sores, bumps, and other minor injuries, thus enabling you to attend to their needs.

Sharp nails or claws is another concern that a pet owner has when keeping a pet in your home. A cat, for example, likes to sharpen their claws or nails. Of course, they are only doing this by instinct, so it is natural for them. One way to keep them from scratching up your furniture and other items is to train them to scratch elsewhere. For example, buying for them a cat tree can save your furniture from being the scratching post. Or you can simply have their nails trimmed with a nail cutter.

If you want to take care of your animals to the best of your ability, then consider getting them groomed or learn to do it yourself. It is no longer for just the rich!

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There is no hard and fast advice on what to do when a pet needs sudden care. It energy look, however, that pet insurance is the financial cure, though it may end up making the emotional determination a little easier.

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