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Cold Weather Pet Care Checklist

Easy 25 items · 1 hour
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testuser Published 2 days ago
Lifestyle

Run through this list the first week the forecast drops below freezing, before the first snow rather than after it. It is written for dog and cat owners, including anyone feeding a cat that lives outdoors.

Two winter dangers to a pet sit in the garage and the driveway. Antifreeze tastes sweet, and a small amount of the ethylene glycol kind can kill a cat or a dog, so a drip under the car matters. Cats also climb into warm engine compartments to sleep. Knock on the hood or honk before you start the car on a cold morning.

On walks, road salt and de-icers sting cracked paw pads and make a dog sick if it licks them off, which is why a towel by the door earns its place on this list.

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  1. Wipe up any antifreeze drips in the garage or driveway — Ethylene glycol antifreeze tastes sweet and is deadly to pets in small amounts.
  2. Store antifreeze sealed and up high — Antifreeze made with propylene glycol is less toxic, though not harmless. Look for it when you buy more.
  3. Knock on the car hood or honk before starting on cold mornings — Cats crawl into warm engines and wheel wells to sleep.
  4. Switch to a pet-safe ice melt for your own steps and path
  5. Keep a towel by the door to wipe paws and belly after walks — This removes salt and de-icer before your dog licks it off.
  6. Check between the toes for ice balls and cuts
  7. Trim the long fur between the pads of long-haired dogs — Ice and salt collect in it.
  8. Try booties or a paw balm if your dog's pads crack
  9. Get a coat or sweater for a short-haired, small, very young or older dog — Have two if you can, so one dries while the other is in use.
  10. Hold off on shaving a long-coated dog down to the skin until spring
  11. Dry your pet fully after a bath before it goes outside
  12. Shorten walks on the coldest days — Turn back when your dog shivers or keeps lifting its paws.
  13. Add reflective gear or a light to the collar or leash — Winter walks often happen in the dark, before or after work.
  14. Keep your dog on a leash near frozen ponds and lakes — Ice that looks solid may not hold a dog, or the person who goes in after it.
  15. Check that the microchip and ID tag details are current — Snow can cover the scents a lost dog would use to find its way home.
  16. Never leave a pet waiting in a cold car — With the engine off, a car chills fast and holds the cold like a refrigerator.
  17. Bring outdoor pets inside when it is freezing
  18. For a pet or community cat that stays out, give it a dry, raised shelter — Point the door away from the wind and line it with straw, which stays drier than blankets.
  19. Use a heated or plastic water bowl outdoors and check it twice a day — A tongue can stick to a metal bowl in freezing weather.
  20. Ask your vet whether an outdoor pet needs more food in winter
  21. Move beds away from drafts and off cold floors
  22. Keep pets clear of space heaters and the fireplace
  23. Book a vet check for an older pet with stiff joints — Arthritis often looks worse in cold weather, and there may be something that helps.
  24. Learn the signs of hypothermia and frostbite — Strong shivering, weakness, or pale and cold ears, tail tip or paws mean the pet needs warming up and a call to the vet.
  25. Put a few days of pet food, water and medicine in your storm kit
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