Cold Weather, and Your Pet

DULUTH- From big to small, all animals living in the great white north are affected by the cold temperatures.

"With the small breeds, as you can see, many of them don't have a lot of excess fat. Right now, Moose has a longer hair coat, but if he were trimmed short he would have very little insulation," Dr. Bruce of PetCare of Duluth said.

So the need for having a sweater or boots on to protect him from the cold is extremely important this time of year.

"Dogs, just like people, i mean we would want to have a coat on out there in that. The wind particularly will pull that body heat away from the pets very quickly," Bruce said.

But a dog wearing a sweater or coat while going on a walk outside is not a veterinarian's only concern. Pets that do not live indoors should be a concern as well.

"Outdoor cats are very susceptible to frost bite and so making sure if you have a cat that goes outdoors, that they definitely have a warm place that they can snuggle into that's out of the wind with lots of insulated cover," Bruce said.

Extremities will get cold fast on these animals. Frostbite will show with the loss of eartips or portions of the tail. And if you're planning on taking your dog for a walk, their feet are an important thing to cover up.

"Hair between pads on paws collects snow and chemicals from salt that can lead to infections and chemical burns to the foot, so you want to either have booties on them, keep that hair trimmed up or make sure you're wiping down those feet from when they come in from outside," Bruce said.

It is also important a dog has a cleared, non-slippery pathway through the snow to make it easier for your pet to do its business.

"Sometimes what'll happen is they'll go outside the door, you'll go do other things around the house, you'll come back and they wouldn't have left the step. They actually won't go potty if they have to force themselves through the thick snow, which results in them going in the house," Bruce said.

All in all, think about how you like to bundle up for this frigid weather and how it would feel to not wear a coat or boots. Animals need to stay warm too and their fur just won't cut it alone.