Happy New Year from the Doctors and staff of the Riverview Animal Hospital! We hope you have been enjoying your holidays!
Even with the new year here we still have a few months of winter left. With that we would like to let you know about a few things to help keep your fur babies safe during the cold season.
When coming indoors from a walk with your pup wash his paws with warm water and dry thoroughly. Ingestion of road salt can cause issues. Also when left on paws it can dry out their pads and cause them to crack which can be painful. Keep an eye on the area you’re walking in, crusty snow or ice can cut the pads of their paws (ouch!). There are booties specially designed for winter use to help eliminate some of these problems.
We’ve all probably been enjoying a little more chocolate over the last few weeks but hopefully our curious pups haven’t! Please ensure that chocolate is put away and out of reach from your pooch! Chocolate may be tasty for them but can cause severe illness.
Because it’s been so cold out, antifreeze tends to get used more often. Always clean up any spills and leaks that may be appealing to your pet. Ingestion can regrettably cause severe illness or death.
Remember, if we find it too cold to be out too long so will our pets. Exposure to such low temperatures can cause hypothermia and even frostbite. Bring your kitties in at night and for those of us who enjoy winter walks with your dog, there are special coats you can purchase to help keep them warm.
Last but not least. Keep them moving! Winter months means some of us tend to slow down and our exercise regime is a little lacking. Unfortunately this effects our pets just as much as us and weight gain is inevitable. Gaining weight can be detrimental to our pets health and we like to see them slim and fit and healthy!
We wish you and your fur babies all the best in 2014!
