Five Fur-Friendly Winter Tips
If you live someplace that turns icy and cold, you may already be counting down the days to spring. Winter is tough on animals, too. Here are five winter tips to keep furry friends safe and wildlife healthy. When temperatures dip, basic needs for shelter, food, and water are top priority for all animals.
Domestic Animals – In a nutshell, it’s best for cats and dogs to be indoors, especially over the winter months and at least overnight. Despite the persistent idea that dogs can just take care of themselves, not all dogs are suited to outdoor life. If extended periods of outdoor time are unavoidable, here are some simple steps you can take to minimize risks of injury from extreme temperatures:
- Gimme Shelter: Make sure adequate shelter is accessible and appropriate for their size (room to stand up and turn around). Place the dog house so the door faces away from prevailing winds and on a sheltered side of house or garage. Add a door flap as a layer of protection from harsh elements. Make sure the doghouse is moisture and windproof and made of nontoxic materials. Bedding: A dog house with a layer of straw can help insulate against the cold. Bedding should be changed regularly to make sure it’s clean and dry.
- Water: Even if your dog is only outside part time, make sure there is always access to fresh, clean water
- Food: Extra caloric intake may be appropriate, so monitor food intake and weight carefully
- Paws First: Use a non-toxic ice-melter in paths your dog travels at home and wipe their paws after walks to clean irritating chemicals off of their tender paw pads.
- Exercise: If it’s too harsh to play or walk, indoor play can be a great substitute
Wildlife – Yes, wildlife is wild, but you can make even a small backyard more hospitable and welcoming with a few easy steps, like those suggested for the National Wildlife Federation’s Backyard Habitat. Planning ahead, you can plant shrubs with edible berries to offer natural food sources to birds, but there are other ways to offset winter extremes, too.
- Shed Happens: If you shedding dogs, don’t throw it away! Set it outside, stuff that fuzzy fur into the fence or into a small netted bag so birds can use it as insulation in their nests.
- Food: Offering bird seed and suet from raised feeders can make a big difference over the winter months. Mythbuster: No bird eats all its food from one source, so bird feeders don’t “create dependency,” they create options.
- Shelter: Bird houses, wood piles, leaf piles – all offer options for critters of various sizes.
- Water: Offering water over winter can help, too. Placing a bird bath in a very sunny area of the yard can help keep ice melted. Place stones and sticks in the bird bath so visitors have perches at various levels. Do not use anti-freezing additives in water features in your yard.