Salt, Antifreeze, and Other Winter Warnings for Your Pet

From our wonderful veterinary technician team, here are some tips to keep your pet healthy and safe this winter. As the winter weather worsens you will most likely need to use ice-melt. Your pets walk on it and it will irritate their paws and while they are cleaning it off themselves, they may even ingest it. It can be toxic to them, so in order to prevent this, please purchase pet safe ice-melt. Most stores offer one variety or another. We believe that pet-safe versions work just as well as the others. Another hazard lurking in your home this winter is antifreeze. What you may not realize is that antifreeze smells and tastes very sweet. So that puddle that leaked on the garage floor or the bottle that doesn’t have the cap on tight is very inviting to our four-legged friends. Even the smallest amount is extremely poisonous to cats and dogs. Please take your pet to the veterinarian right away if you suspect they have ingested antifreeze. Most people believe that they don’t have to worry about their pets getting ticks in the winter. This is untrue. We see pets with ticks attached year-round in this area of the United States. Ticks are hardy little creatures and as you know, they carry many dangerous diseases. The worst one being Lyme disease. So in order to protect your animals, please use Frontline year-round and keep your dog’s Lyme vaccine up to date. If your dog is not vaccinated for Lyme disease, please call and ask about it. Keep in mind, Lyme disease can be transmitted to humans if they are bit by an infected tick. So not only are you keeping your animals safe by following these recommendations, you are protecting yourself and your family. All it takes is a few small steps to keep your pets safe and happy this winter. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us. – Leslie Staab, C.V.T.