How to Take Care of Your Pets During Winter *

*This is a collaborative post.

The winter is not only a time to keep ourselves warm and cosy away from the chill, but our pets need the same level of care to stay healthy during these cold months. 

While exposure to the dry, cold air- not to mention the glorious addition of rain, sleet and snow of a UK winter can cause chapped paws and flaky skin. However, those are not the only areas of discomfort our beloved pets can face. They can be exposed to dangerous chemicals from anti-ice products should they lick their paws after being outside. 

Here are some of the ways we can protect our pets during the winter. 

Keep your Home Humidified 

Animals have to go in and out of the house several times a day, and repeatedly coming in and out of the heat of your home to be exposed to the elements can cause dry, flaky skin. Keep your home humid and make sure to keep a towel by the door to dry your pets as they come in from the cold- especially their feet and between the toes, removing any traces of snow, grit and chemicals. 

Feed them a Good Diet 

Animals will burn additional calories trying to keep warm. This means that they need to be fed properly with food that encourages their fur to grow thick and healthy, as well as giving them the nourishment they need. Check out https://www.burgesspetcare.com/ for some great advice about the types of food you should be feeding your pet to keep them healthy during the winter months. Make sure to give them plenty of water to stay hydrated, too. 

Keep your Pets Dry and Warm 

After a walk you should have a towel handy to dry and clean off paws that could become irritated. Make sure you dry their coats thoroughly with a towel (before the damp pet smell sets in!) and focus on washing and drying their deets and tummies to remove debris that could cause cracking and redness of the skin and paw pads.
Smaller animals will feel the cold more than larger animals with thicker coats, so it may be worth investing in a cute little coat for your pet. 

Protect them from the Elements 

While it’s still important to wash your animal’s paws after they have been outside, there are other ways to prevent them being affected by harmful elements, you should bathe them as little as possible during cold spells. Washing too often will strip them of oils that protect their skin. In addition to this, massaging them with petroleum jelly will help to protect them from salt and chemicals used to stop pavements becoming slippery underfoot. 

Antifreeze products are a lethal poison for animals so make sure to be extra vigilant around spills when de-icing your car. 

If it’s too cold for you to be outside, it’s definitely too cold for your pet to stay outside. Don’t risk your animal’s injury, illness, or death by keeping them outside.

Remember, if it’s too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for your pet, so keep your animals inside. If left outdoors, pets can freeze, become disoriented, lost, stolen, injured or killed. In addition, don’t leave pets alone in a car during cold weather, as cars can act as refrigerators that hold in the cold and cause animals to freeze to death.