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Written byJacqueline DeMarco
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13+ years writing insurance and personal finance content
Insurance, lending, and retirement expert
Jacqueline has contributed content, and her personal finance passion, to dozens of noteworthy financial brands, including Credit Karma, Bankrate, and MagnifyMoney.
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Edited byKatie Powers
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Licensed auto and home insurance agent
3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
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Updated September 25, 2024
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Table of contents
Table of contents
The winter season can be dangerous for pets. Pet owners need to watch out for winter perils, like ice, chemicals, and exposure to cold temperatures. Ensuring your pet’s safety during the colder months is essential for its health and well-being.
Here’s what you need to know about keeping your pet safe, including indoor and outdoor winter pet safety tips and how to prepare for emergencies.
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Indoor safety tips
Winter can be a tough time for keeping your pets safe, even if they spend the majority of their time indoors. Having a few winter indoor safety tips prepared can make protecting your pets easier.
To prevent your furry friends from experiencing winter woes, provide a warm place for them to spend time with no drafts, install proper ventilation for healthy air quality, and maintain a routine for exercise and mental stimulation, including indoor activities. This will help keep your pet physically and mentally healthy through the colder months.
Keep your pets warm indoors
If you live in a cold climate, you must take steps to safely heat your home. Make sure your home is at a comfortable temperature for your pet — ideally between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Provide cozy blankets or pet beds in warm spots away from drafts.
While using space heaters or heated blankets may seem helpful, it’s best to avoid using these devices without supervision, as they can cause burns or fires.[1]
Manage indoor air quality
When the temperatures drop, we all shut our windows to keep out the chill. While keeping your windows shut is a good way to stay warm, closed windows limit your home’s air circulation, which can affect the air quality.
Use an air purifier and replace HVAC filters regularly to keep your home’s air clean and healthy for you and your pets. Maintaining good air quality in your home helps reduce the risk of respiratory issues during winter.
Maintain exercise and enrichment
Keeping your pet indoors during winter can help protect it from harsh weather, but spending so much time indoors can also cause it to feel a bit pent up. When long walks and games of fetch in the park aren’t an option, you need to get creative about providing exercise and enrichment opportunities for your dog or cat.
For example, consider practicing scent work with your dog. Hide treats or toys around the house and encourage your dog to use its nose to find them. This activity taps into its natural sniffing instincts and provides great mental stimulation.
Here are some other fun ideas to keep you and your pet busy this winter:
Puzzle feeders
Hide-and-seek with treats
Learning new commands or tricks
Tug of war with a safe toy
Indoor fetch
At-home agility course
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Learn More: A Complete Guide to Pet Insurance
Outdoor safety tips
Whether you have an outdoor cat that likes to roam free during the day or a dog that can’t go without a daily walk, your animal will need to spend time outside during the dangerous winter months for a few reasons.
By avoiding spending long periods outside, dressing your pet for the weather, and preparing for winter mishaps, you can keep your pet safe even when it spends time in the great outdoors.
Limit time spent outdoors in the cold
Rain, wind, and snow can all take a toll on your sweet dog or cat. Pets are vulnerable to frostbite and hypothermia if exposed to freezing temperatures for too long. Avoid long outdoor activities when the temperature drops below 32 F. When spending time outdoors, it’s helpful to continuously monitor your pet for signs of discomfort or cold stress, like shivering or whining.
Have proper winter attire for pets
Some pets have a nice thick coat that prepares them for even the chilliest winter days, but other pets don’t have as much built-in protection. Smaller or short-haired breeds need a little extra assistance staying warm, which is where clothes can be helpful.
You can fashion your dog or cat in winter attire such as coats or sweaters to help it retain body heat and protect its skin from nippy weather.
Protect paws from ice, salt, and chemicals
Don’t forget to complete your pet’s winter look with a good pair of boots. Ice, rock salt, and de-icing chemicals can irritate or injure your cat or dog’s paws. If your pet won’t wear a pair of boots during walks, you can buy a balm designed to protect its paw pads on walks. As a final precaution, always wipe your pet’s paws after outdoor trips to remove harmful substances before it can lick them.
Vehicle owners should also ensure their pets don’t have access to antifreeze. This substance is dangerous for pets because it contains ethylene glycol, which has a sweet taste that can attract animals. But even small amounts can be highly toxic, leading to kidney failure or death if ingested. Propylene glycol-based antifreeze is a safer alternative to traditional antifreeze for pet owners.[2]
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Learn More: 8 Ways to Keep Your Dog Warm in Winter
Prepare for winter emergencies
Winter is a harsh season, but with a little preparation, you can make some common winter emergencies less scary as a pet parent. Having a winter pet emergency kit ready to go and having a plan in place for days with severe weather can help you and your beloved pet get through the winter unscathed.
Make a winter pet emergency kit
Preparing an emergency kit for your pet is a good idea that can give you a lot of peace of mind that you can handle an emergency if it arises. Your emergency kit should include essentials like warm blankets, a waterproof pet bed, and bowls, as well as enough food and fresh water to last a few days.
Pack extra leashes, collars, and an ID tag. Include pet-safe ice melt, a first-aid kit, necessary prescription medications or care items for medical conditions, and paw protection like booties or balm.[3]
Plan for winter weather
Get a step ahead of winter weather by having a plan for any potential problems that may arise. Prepare for extreme cold weather issues by sealing drafts in your home and stocking up on extra food, water, and medications for your family and pets.
Keep shovels and snow-removal equipment easily accessible, and make sure you have pet-safe ice melt. Plan for power outages with flashlights, batteries, and backup heat sources.
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Holiday safety tips
The holidays are a special time of the year, and these festivities can pose some unique threats to pets. From dangerous decorations to toxic foods, pet parents should look out for potential hazards around their homes and keep harmful items out of their pet’s reach to avoid accidents.[4]
Keep chocolate, grapes, and other toxic foods away from pets.
Secure holiday decorations to prevent accidental ingestion.
Avoid using tinsel as decoration, as it can cause intestinal blockages.
Monitor open flames from candles or fireplaces.
Don’t leave gift-wrap paper and ribbons on the floor.
Pet safety tips FAQs
The following information can help you keep all your furry friends safe when cold and wet weather hits.
How do you keep your pet safe in the winter?
To keep your pets safe during the winter, it’s best to keep them inside when temperatures drop below 32 F. Avoid bad weather whenever possible, but when you take your pet outside, try to dress it warmly and protect its feet with boots or a special balm. You want to pay special attention to short-coated dogs and senior pets.
What weather is too cold for pets?
Ideally, your pets should stay indoors whenever the temperature falls below 32 F. But all pets have a different tolerance for winter conditions. Chat with your veterinarian about what temperature is safe for your dog or cat based on its breed and current health status.
What temperature should a house be in winter for pets?
Keeping a home between 68 F and 72 F is a great way to keep your pets comfortable and safe during colder temperatures in the chilly winter season. If you aren’t sure what temperature is best for your pet, consult your vet.
Are pets vulnerable to cold weather?
All pets are vulnerable to cold conditions, but some breeds are particularly at risk from winter hazards — especially small, short-haired dogs or cats, senior pets, young puppies, and kittens. Always monitor your dog or cat for signs of cold distress, like shivering or lethargy.
Sources
- American Veterinary Medical Association. "Cold weather animal safety."
- American Kennel Club. "Antifreeze Poisoning in Dogs: What to Know."
- Ready.gov. "Prepare Your Pets for Disasters."
- The Humane Society of the United States. "Holiday safety tips for pets."
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Jacqueline DeMarco
During college, Jacqueline DeMarco interned at a retirement plan advisory firm and was tasked with creating a presentation on the importance of financial wellness. During her research into how money can affect our health, relationships and career, Jacqueline realized just how important financial education is. Jacqueline is a contributor for Insurify and has worked with more than a dozen financial brands, including LendingTree, Capital One, Credit Karma, Fundera, Chime, Bankrate, Student Loan Hero, ValuePenguin, SoFi, and Northwestern Mutual, providing thoughtful content to give readers insight into complex topics that they likely didn’t learn in school.
Jacqueline has been a contributor at Insurify since October 2022.
Licensed auto and home insurance agent
3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
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