Cold Weather Pet Care Checklist

25 items · Lifestyle · Easy difficulty · 1 hour

Get your dog or cat ready for freezing weather: antifreeze, cats in car engines, paw care after salted walks, coats, shelter and water that will not freeze.

• Wipe up any antifreeze drips in the garage or driveway

  Ethylene glycol antifreeze tastes sweet and is deadly to pets in small amounts.

• Store antifreeze sealed and up high

  Antifreeze made with propylene glycol is less toxic, though not harmless. Look for it when you buy more.

• Knock on the car hood or honk before starting on cold mornings

  Cats crawl into warm engines and wheel wells to sleep.

• Switch to a pet-safe ice melt for your own steps and path
• 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.

• Check between the toes for ice balls and cuts
• Trim the long fur between the pads of long-haired dogs

  Ice and salt collect in it.

• Try booties or a paw balm if your dog's pads crack
• 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.

• Hold off on shaving a long-coated dog down to the skin until spring
• Dry your pet fully after a bath before it goes outside
• Shorten walks on the coldest days

  Turn back when your dog shivers or keeps lifting its paws.

• Add reflective gear or a light to the collar or leash

  Winter walks often happen in the dark, before or after work.

• 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.

• 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.

• Never leave a pet waiting in a cold car

  With the engine off, a car chills fast and holds the cold like a refrigerator.

• Bring outdoor pets inside when it is freezing
• 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.

• 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.

• Ask your vet whether an outdoor pet needs more food in winter
• Move beds away from drafts and off cold floors
• Keep pets clear of space heaters and the fireplace
• 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.

• 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.

• Put a few days of pet food, water and medicine in your storm kit

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