While illnesses and minor injuries can happen at any time during the year, seasonally speaking, some are more prevalent at this time of the year than at other times.
Here we highlight a couple of things to be mindful of to keep your pet safe, warm and healthy this winter.
Cover up!
Allowing your dog’s fur to grow longer during the winter is a good, easy and natural way to keep them warm. If you have a puppy, kitten, or a shorthair-breed pet, consider purchasing a jersey to cover their back and belly areas — wooly / fleece is a nice option.
Stay in.
Keep your pets indoors as much as possible, especially cats and small, sick, or short-haired dogs. Winter is a great time to look into indoor training or obedience classes, like agility and flyball, so your dog can get plenty of mental and physical exercise.
Safety around warm cars.
In the cold winter, outdoor cats in the area may find the engine block under the bonnet to be a great spot to snooze. Before you start your car in the morning, bang on your hood a little to wake up any sleeping cats.
Diet for Winter
Cold weather causes your pet to burn more kilojoules to keep warm. If your pet exercises outdoors a lot, think about increasing their food intake by a little bit. You should be able to feel, but not see, your pet’s ribs.