Winter is one of the special times of the year, but if you are a pet owner, you might wonder how winter affects your pet. You may need to adopt a distinct form of care for your pet during this season. Keep reading this article. It will help you know more about how seasonal change affects pets.
Effects of seasonal change on pets,
- Like humans, dogs and cats also look for sources of warmth during winters. During this time, pets look for a warm spot in the kitchen or near the window, curling up near the fireplace; some pets won’t even like to move from their beds.
- Pets enjoy warming themselves up, but there is little risk associated with the warming process. However, with overheating, pets can injure themselves or even get burned if they sit too close to the heater or the fireplace. If your cat goes outside the house, keep a check because they sometimes climb the car engine to keep themselves warm. During winter, it is better not to leave your pet outside because the consequences can cause hypothermia (unable to regulate their body temperature back to normal.
- Another effect of seasonal weather that you may observe in your pet is that they might eat more to keep themselves warmer for a more extended period. Eating more can make your pet overweight. Being overweight is bad for pets as it is wrong for humans and can bring in other problems like arthritis.
Few tips to keep your pet warm during the seasonal changes:
You can do a lot to keep your pet safe during seasonal weather changes, but below are a few of the essential tips to keep your pet protected.
- Help your pet beat the winter blues by providing shelter, preferably by keeping them indoors with warm bedding away from drafts or cold surfaces.
- Add extra blankets and even a pet heating pad but avoid hot water bottles or electric blankets.
- Supervise pets around fires and heaters and always use a safety grill and screen.
- Provide outdoor pets with a warm waterproof enclosure that protects them from the wind and rain.
- Keep the cold at bay for your pet through a well-fitted pet coat or jumper if they tolerate this, but remember to remove these when indoors to prevent overheating.
- Continue your pet’s regular grooming to remove mats or knots.
- Dry your dog’s coat thoroughly and wipe their feet after walking in wet weather.
- Maintain your pet’s exercise routine or adopt this as needed by playing indoor games providing mental stimulation.
- Speak to your veterinarian about your pet’s diet during the colder months.
- Follow your veterinarian’s recommendations about arthritis management for your pet, and keep up their regular health checks.
These are some things you can do yourself to keep your pet safe during winter times. But, the best and complete proof way to keep your pet safe is to get insurance. Pet insurance is affordable, and having a pet insurance cost will help you access the best medical treatment for your pet. In today’s time, getting pet insurance is as simple as getting car insurance or human health insurance. Everything is available online. So plan everything for seasonal change around your pet and get pet health insurance as soon as possible.
