Budget Earth

Living A Happy, Natural Life with Dogs & Other Furry Friends

You are here: Home / Pets / 5 Winter Dangers for Dogs: How to Keep Your Dog Safe This Winter

5 Winter Dangers for Dogs: How to Keep Your Dog Safe This Winter

by

Is there one thing your dog looks forward to most during the day? For Reya, nothing is better than ‘walkie time’. The moment she sees us pick up the leash she hops and is so excited we almost have to wrestle her to hook her leash. While we know she loves going outside it can be unnerving to pet parents like us since there are so many dangers during the winter. Not only do we have to worry about the cold itself, but the chemicals used in cars and for thawing ice! Knowing that winter can be concerning for all of us, we included 5 of the biggest winter dangers for dogs and cats.

Want to keep your dog as safe as possible during the winter? Check out these 5 winter dangers for dogs!

1. Beware of Salt & Chemicals to Thaw Ice

I know I have stressed this in other articles, but please be careful of salt and chemicals used for melting ice. While they may not seem like anything to us humans, they can cause burns and skin abrasions in dogs. When licked, it can also cause tummy issues. To avoid these issues, clean your dog’s paws well, or better yet, have them wear booties!

2. Antifreeze or Ethylene Glycol Poisoning

If I had to pick the most dangerous thing outdoors for our furry friends, it would be antifreeze. Many people change their antifreeze during the winter and some unintentionally spills (or worse, people just dump it). This very toxic poison smells and tastes sweet to pets. The main ingredients in antifreeze, or Ethylene Glycol, is extremely toxic and is one of the leading causes of accidental illness and death of pets every year. In a short period of time, pets can suffer from severe nervous system and kidney damage. Even with vet assistance, this can still lead to a horrible death. To be safe, keep your dog away from parked cars or anything that looks ‘odd’ on the ground, just to make sure! As well, avoid having your dog eat snow near these areas.

3. Frostbite

If your furry loved ones are anything like my Reya, they love nothing more than running around in snow and having fun. Unfortunately, like us, frostbite is a major concern, especially on exposed skin like paws, the nose, tail, and ears. Dogs may start noticing they feel funny and try licking exposed skin that doesn’t feel right. When you get inside, check to see how these areas feel. One sign of frostbite is pale, hard skin that remains cold after dogs have been inside. Immediately call your vet if this happens and never ever expose this area to hot water or heat packs. To avoid frostbite, dress your dog in booties, a coat (some breeds), and don’t keep them outside for too long!

4. Beware of Ice

Like us, ice can be very dangerous for dogs. While we may carefully try maneuvering on sidewalks, they are running full speed on top of ice covered by snow. Falling on ice can be just as painful for dogs as it is for us, and they don’t have clothes to protect them from scrapes and cuts. For safety, keep dogs away from unknown areas, especially if you don’t know whether there is ice or other hazards under the snow. In addition, avoid lakes and streams that are frozen over. Although they may look solid, they may not be as solid as you think!

5. Food

While we all want to think people are honest, this is the time of year we really need to be careful about food being left in unknown places. Some ‘not so friendly’ people leave out poisoned food to get rid of animals trying to find a warm place for the winter. This can sometimes mean feral cats and dogs, too. As a safety measure, keep your dogs and cats away from any strange food lying around, especially since they may be extra hungry from being out in the cold after a long walk!

Once dogs come inside, make sure they have access to fresh food and water. With the cold, dogs especially need extra calories to keep their body temperature regulated. Just make sure it’s not only calorie dense but also nutritious!

 

Would you like to see other useful posts on dog safety? Make sure to check out our full list of dog care articles here!

About 

Susan Bewley is a professional writer who has been writing content online & in print format for over 10 years. As well, she is an alumni of the University of Louisville with a Masters Degree in Special Education. When not working as an online business consultant or ghost writing, she can be found writing on Budget Earth, on her own novel, or working with various entities in the pet industry.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dogs who spend plenty of time outdoors, even if protected by a doghouse, run a risk of death due to the cold. The doorway of your dog’s house should be faced away from the wind or covered. Also, the house should be well-insulated and just big enough for them to stand up, turn around, and lie down inside comfortably. A doghouse that is too big won’t contain your dog’s body heat and stay warm. For multiple dogs, consider a house large enough to let them cuddle together

  3. all of these tip are just basic common sense ,but my biggest issue is that some people just have their pets out in the very cold ,in their yards instead of inside where it’s warm.Just because animals have fur does not mean they are out door ready.

  4. Excellent points! 🙂 And now i’m just adding text because the application told me I had to.

  5. We have indoor dogs and we’re careful about using salt in the back yard for them.

  6. Thanks so much for your post, it really to bad that people that have dogs don’t get to read this. We have three, and as crowded as it can be they are only let out to releave themselves when it is that could. So they really end up watch a lot of Tv., and playing in the house.The weird thing is they all have there own favorite cartoons.

  8. to me all pets should be kept inside, all yr long. my girls wear jackets, my oldest, almost 14 yrs old, wears 3 jackets. she does not like to wear her booties. if it is too cold, they just go out on the porch, have a big porch.

  9. Good advice! Also, this is cat related: If you live where it gets cold, cats that are outside will sometimes crawl into car wheel wells or near a car’s engine to stay warm. Please bang on the hood of your car before starting your car so the cat will have time to escape and run off before you start it and they won’t get injured or killed!

  11. Thanks for the information, some these thing I didn’t know about how keep them safe from the outside. My both two dogs stay in the house all year around.

  12. Thanks for your information. We bought coats for our dogs but I didn’t think about their pawns, I’m going to check them from now on. Also, I’m glad I don’t keep antifreeze where the dogs hang out.

  13. These are great tips! I livw in wisconsin and we always hear about awful pet stories every year 🙁 These are great reminders to save pets lives!!

  14. This is very informant. Thank you for sharing. My daughter is getting a service dog, soon.

  15. Thanks for summarizing all of this important information in one article. Dogs deserve our TLC.

  16. I love that Budget Earth is so dog oriented and Susan obviously loves her dog!! I see Reya in reviews and other dog posts. It feels almost like I know her. I am glad you are reaching out to educate people about the dangers that dogs face in the winter as well as your other series posts!! Thumbs up for dog education!!

  17. Excellent article, It is good to educate people on care for dogs in the winter time. thank you

  18. Thanks for the good reminders of what danger there is for our animals that we love, the one that I had forgotten was the salt and chemicals for thrawing the ice and snow.

  19. It’s amazing that people still have to be told that their pets are vulnerable to the weather. I don’t understand.

  21. These are truly great tip for anyone owning or caring for pets.. I just recently was told about a dog being poisoned because it ate something that was outside,,, so please make sure to feed your own dogs or those you are caring for,, and if you see a stray dog , call for help… its too cold to be left outside …

  23. thank you so much for this list. i do not currently have a dog, but i housesit a lot for people with dogs, so this is good to remember!

  24. I hate people who chain their dogs! I also do not like it when people keep their animals outside in extreme heat or cold.

  25. Very well written. It makes me so sad to see animals left outside in the freezing cold temperatures, and I think people often don’t even realize the dangers of common winter items like ice melting salt and anti-freeze.

  27. Thank you for sharing all the great advice! Our dog loves to play outside in the snow but we don’t let her out for long and always keep her hydrated 🙂

  28. Good tips. I am always worried that my dog will find and eat/drink antifreeze. I do keep a lookout for anything that could be antifreeze and keep him away from it. I also try to wipe his paws after coming inside to remove the salt and ice melting chemicals from them before he licks it off. He won’t wear booties on a regular basis. He likes to run and play (and eat) the snow, but lately it is getting so deep it is up to his belly. He looks so funny trying to run around in it!

  29. This is a very informative article with some excellent advice! We’re always extra careful with our dogs during the winter.

  31. This dog looks excatly my one Husky. My huskies are spoiled. I am outside with them every 2-3 hours walking them. They need lots of attention. Do they EVER love the snow. It is so fun to watch them play even tho I freeze to death.

  32. I would not of ever thought about this. I need to share with my northern friends

  33. Very interesting article. Cut my eye a few days ago, wanted to read it since then. Will keep it on file.

  34. This applies to both dogs and cats. We took in a very stray cat that we had been keeping an eye on since last Spring. It took my fiance many months to gain her trust. He built her an igloo storage container house outside but she wouldn’t use it so we ended up bringing her indoors to our patio with an electric heater. Now she is indoors and friends with our 2 indoor cats, the 2 year old Yorkie..not so much. 😉

  35. We were lucky enough to have a Golden Retriever for 16 1/2 years, and a lot of it was due to following all of your suggestions before we even knew of them.. You make a lot of common sense and it is too bad dog owners do not follow each and every one of them.

  36. well written with good reminders.
    The salt and chemicals are so dangerous!Seems almost impossible to avoid as it is everywhere this winter

  37. I had a neighbor with a dog that was neglected. They left it outdoors 24-7. It had a dog house but was left on a chain so short that it couldn’t get to it. One harsh winter, I looked out and that poor dog was on it’s chain covered in snow. I couldn’t take it. I had to make a phone call. That dog was taken from them. Two weeks later they got a puppy. Some people never learn.