petcarefun.info

January 4th, 2010 by KittyKitty

Even pets that normally spend all of their time outside need and appreciate a warm place to sleep on those bitter cold winter nights. Almost any place will do. A mud room or a garage is often a great choice to protect your pet from rain, wind, snow and frigid temperatures. Consider the following to protect your pet.

Even inside the mudroom or garage, the pet will need a nice warm dogs bed to be most comfortable. Many of these rooms have a concrete floor that will quickly remove heat from your pets body. A good quality bed acts as an insulator to keep the pet warm on the coldest of nights.

You might consider adding a portable space heater on low if it can be done safely. Just be sure that it is out of the reach of the dog and away from any flammable materials. Make sure that the cord cannot be reached by the pet to chew it. You should keep an eye on the room and be sure that your pet is safe at all times he is inside the house.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts to keep the room clean and your pet dry when they come inside the house, there will be wet muddy messes in the room. A hoover wet dry vacuum is the perfect tool to clean up the mess. Once most of the water and mud are picked up, you can use an old towel to completely remove the remainder of the mess. The vacuum can also be used to pick up excess pet hair that may be left in the room.

If you cannot provide a place in the house for the pet, be sure that you at least provide a well insulated dog house. A waterproof piece of burlap can be hung over the door to keep the wind from blowing into the house and keep heat inside. Inside the dog house, add straw or wood shavings that will allow the pet to burrow down and keep even warmer.

Be sure that your pet has plenty of food for the cold winter days and nights. You should feed a larger portion than normal as the cold requires more calories for your pet to survive than would be needed on the warmer days.

If the temperatures have dropped below freezing, be sure that you have provided fresh water for the pet. The cold winds can cause dehydration and put your pet’s health in danger.