Winter, in the Pacific Northwest, is pretty cold, wet and miserable. Make sure your pet has warm shelter away from the wind and rain.
Here are some useful winter awareness tips that can save animals lives:
Tip #1: Check for cats sheltering under cars. Cats will seek any form of shelter during this chilly season and cars have a great number of nooks and crannies for them to hid in. Bang on the hood or give the horn a “toot” before starting your engine.
Tip #2: BEWARE deadly anitfreeze. Antifreeze is sweet smelling and tasting and is deadly even in small amounts. Keep lids screwed on tightly and bottles away in cupboards or on out-of-reach shelves. If you suspect your pet has ingested any of this toxin bring them to a veterinarian immediately.
Tip #3: Holiday meals aren’t for dogs and cats. Although it is fun and rewarding to share our holiday feasts with our pets many items we readily eat are toxic to our pets.
• Chocolate • Coffee • Onions and Onion Powder • Garlic • Grapes • Raisins • Macadamia Nuts • Alcoholic beverages • Moldy/spoiled foods • Salt • Fatty foods • Xylitol (artificial sweetener in many gums, candies, etc) • Tea leaves • Raw yeast dough • Bones (bones from cooked food can splinter and lodge in your pets intestinal tract and can be a choking hazard)
Tip #4: Holiday Decorations and Wrappings are beautiful but can be a hazard to your animals.
• Holiday Plants (Poinsettia, Holly, Lillies, and Mistletoe are toxic) • Ribbons • Tinsel • Bubbling Lights • Sidewalk salts • Christmas tree water • Styrofoam • Ornaments • Decoration hooks • Balloons • Confetti • Fire salts
Tip #5: Watch pets around fire places, pellet stoves, wood stoves, fire pits, etc. Animals like to curl up in front of the fire just as much as we do, make sure they don’t lay too close and don’t get over-heated.
