Search Results for: blog pets and cold weather

Keep Pets Safe from Outdoor Seasonal Dangers

Oh, the weather outside is frightful! People who have one or more pets that primarily live outdoors need to take extra precautions to keep them safe as the weather gets cold and miserable. VPI has created a helpful list of 10 seasonal dangers to outdoor pets. When you go out into the snowy, Winter, weather, you probably bundle up. Most of us wear warm coats, gloves, hats, and scarves if we are expecting to be outside for more than a minute or two. Your pets can’t do that. This could lead to a very serious, and tragic, situation. You might … Continue reading →

Cold-Weather Gear for Your Pet

As the weather turns colder for most of us, it’s time to get our coats out of the back of the closet. Some of our pets require winter apparel as well, and ZooToo has a rundown of some of the latest products out on the market for keeping your pets warm. You can go with the traditional cute little sweaters and jackets that fill aisles at pet stores, or you can try something a bit different for your pets this winter. What you need depends on you and your pet’s lifestyle, so we’ll take a look at three different types. … Continue reading →

Should Pets Be Kept Inside or Outside?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much our views on owning pets have changed. I grew up keeping all pets in the house. Everyone I knew did the same; the most they had were indoor-outdoor cats. Since moving down here, I’ve encountered other takes on pet ownership. A lot of people in my area keep their dogs outside 90% of the time. They might only bring them inside during extreme weather: storms, particularly hot or cold days, etc. A lot of people also keep their cats outside all of the time, which is a more accepted practice. What’s … Continue reading →

Tips for Flying with Pets

Every time I fly somewhere I always swear I’m never going to do it again. It’s not so much being in the plane itself, but all the stress that comes with it: baggage check, connecting flights, delayed flights, etc. Attempting to cruise the skies with pets adds another major burden to the process. I have a friend here in Maryland who is a cat lover. She adores getting to cat-sit for friends. But she’s a British citizen who will be going home in a few years, and she won’t get a cat for herself until she does so. It’s all … Continue reading →

Caring for Pets in Cold Weather

In June I posted about the dangers of heatstroke for animals. Now that we’ve entered the opposite extreme of seasonal weather, I’d like to take a look at ways to keep our pets safe when it’s cold outside. The ASPCA has a list of several things to remember when looking after pets in the winter. Just as leaving a dog in the car is dangerous in the heat the same is true in the cold. Especially when it isn’t sunny outside, cars trap the cold and can drop to dangerous freezing temperatures. If you must leave your pet in the … Continue reading →

Dressing Up Pets

With my favorite holiday Halloween coming up soon, costumes are on the mind. We have to help the kids get theirs ready, and maybe some of us still dress up ourselves (I certainly do). But what about buying or creating costumes for our pets? I’m curious what you guys think about dressing pets up in costumes. For the past few years I’ve managed to come up with partnered costume ideas for my husband and I (which is a feat, because he won’t wear many types of costumes) to wear to our friends’ annual Halloween party. We usually stay for the … Continue reading →

Warm Weather Car Safety

Depending on where you live, winter can be long, depressing, and, let’s face it, cold. When warm weather arrives, many of us can hardly wait to get outside. There are parks to visit, playgrounds to explore, and beaches to comb. And yet, with all the fun surrounding warm-weather outings, some precautions need to be taken when traveling with a baby. Before you even place your child in the car, check the car seat, especially any metal buckles or other metal parts. These can get extremely hot during a warm day, especially if they are in the direct sunlight. The last … Continue reading →

Keeping Pets Warm in Cold Weather

We’ve been having an “arctic blast” here in the Pacific Northwest… and boy has it been COLD! I worry about keeping my dogs warm when we’re out walking — I bundle up with coat, hat, and gloves, but they’re out there in just their fur. My dogs Moose and Lally tolerate wearing clothes reasonably well. So if I were to buy them coats to wear, I think they would be willing to wear them. But booties to protect their feet? No way. A hat to protect their ears? Doubtful. So what can you do to protect your pets from the … Continue reading →

China Protects Pandas Against Swine Flu

We have evidence here in the United States that both cats and ferrets can catch swine flu (H1N1) from humans. Officials in China are concerned that pandas may also be susceptible to the disease. A panda research center has been closed to visitors in hopes of protecting the endangered pandas from swine flu. The Shaanxi Wild Animal Rescue and Research Center started seeing increased numbers of swine flu cases and flu symptoms in general after the weather turned cold and snowy in November. Now they’ve put a halt on recruiting new volunteers and are not allowing staff members with flu-like … Continue reading →

Indoor Activities for Stir-Crazy Pets

Bad weather can be tough on pets AND owners — your usual walks or yard time are cut short, sometimes for days on end. How can you keep your pets entertained and yourself sane? Here are a few ideas. Homemade toys can provide a few minutes (or hours) of entertainment so you can get some peace. I’ve been stuffing treats into paper towel tubes and then taping the ends shut, so the dogs have to chew or rip them open. Moose figured out that he can tear the tube on the seam and get to his treats quickly; Lally likes … Continue reading →