Evansville Animal Control Shares Tips To Keep Your Pets Safe & Warm This Winter

There's cold, and then there's Wyoming Cold. Wyoming Cold is just like normal cold, except it also includes blistering wind chill that makes the air hurt our face. Why do we live somewhere where the air hurts our face?

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That's a question many Wyomingites ask themselves this time of year but we sometimes forget that it's cold for our pets too! Luckily, Evansville WY Animal Control and Code Enforcement shared some tips to help Wyomingites keep their pets safe and warm during these cold winter days and nights.

First of all, Evansville Animal Control wants to remind you that if you're cold, they're cold. That should be the golden rule of pet ownership.

Next, they suggest that you should consider a sweater for shorthaired dogs. They look adorable AND they offer added padding. It's a win/win. They also suggest limiting outdoor time and, if you have to leave your pets outside, you should make sure they have a dry, warm shelter to escape to.

Evansville Animal Control also suggests making sure that you have pet supplies in your winter emergency kit. Furthermore, they stated that sidewalk salt can actually injure your pets' paws. It's important to create walkable conditions for humans, but make sure you're thinking of your pets too. Wipe their paws off with a warm cloth after they've been outside.

If you think that your pet or any animal you come across may have developed frostbite, there are symptoms you can look for, such as: discolored skin, whether they're cold and hard to the touch, whether they are in pain with a touch, if they have blisters on their skin, or if they have pale or blackened skin. If you find that an animal does have frostbite, you should contact your vet immediately. Following that, you should move your pet to a warm, dry area, wrap your pet in a warm towel (not a heated blanket) and you should not rub the frostbitten area.

Additionally, Evansville Animal Control noted that stray cats may hide in the engine blocks of cars to stay warm, so they suggest tapping your hood before starting your car.

All of these tips and more are designed to protect your pets and keep them safe and warm this winter. Winter in Wyoming is a long few months, so make sure that you're taking care of them, and yourself.