KALISPELL – As temperatures dip below zero and snow falls, it’s important to keep your pet’s health and safety in mind.
Lori Heatherington, Executive Director of the Humane Society of Northwest Montana, says to make sure your pets have identification on them, just in case your dog decides to run away while you’re outside in the cold so they can be identified and then returned to you.
Heatherington suggests that if you’re too cold to stand outside, your pet probably is too. She says let them run around, use the bathroom and then take them back inside. She suggests that after they spend time outside to take a warm towel and wipe off your dog’s paw pads.
She has tips on how to keep an eye out if you suspect your dog has frostbite.
“If you suspect frostbite, if you see a different coloration, kinda whiteish, gray, look on your pet’s skin. Certainly contact your veterinarian,” Heatherington says.
Heatherington also advises owners to provide their dogs with sweaters to keep them warm and booties to keep ice out of their paws.
If your dog isn’t a fan of winter booties, Heatherington suggests you put them on inside the house to let your pet get used to them.
