Looking after your fur babies in winter, here are some top tips… by Jodie Humphries.

With winter lots of rainy days followed by cold nights and the concern of how do we best take care of the furry members of our family. Here are some top tips to help keep your pets warm, healthy and happy this winter. 

Tips for looking after your pets in winter

Keeping them warm

A lot of people balk at the idea of putting jumpers or coats on their pets saying “don’t they have fur to keep them warm?” Yes our pets have fur to keep them warm but just like an extra layer of clothing helps you stay toasty warm, a coat or jumper does the same for our pets. This is particularly true for short haired breeds like Gemma & Ollie. 

Using a jumper to give your pet that extra warmth is great, especially when they are out and about, but you should also give them time out of their jumper. They have natural grooming instincts that need to be nurtured and this can be hard with a jumper or jacket on.

If your pet is more of any outside pet you should make sure they have access to warm and dry shelter. If you don’t already perhaps getting a pet door to allow them easy access in and out of the house for when they want to get warm. 

Grooming and care

It might sound nice to let your pet’s fur grow extra long during the winter to help keep them warm but with a longer coat comes more maintenance. Longer coats are more prone to matting and knots. You will need to keep up regular brushing to avoid these.

Being out and about in winter also means your pet is bound to get dirty due to the inevitable mud that comes with rain. This means you pet will need extra baths. 

There are a few things you might want to remember when bathing your pet in winter:

• Make sure the water is warm but not too hot as to scald your pet
• When drying them off make sure their fur is completely dry so they don’t get cold
• If you are bathing them more than usual, pay attention to their skin to make sure it doesn’t get too dry or use a soap that has mosturising abilities
• You can also give their paw pads some extra TLC after a walk with a paw balm massage

Keeping them active

It can be hard to get motivated to go out for walks or to the park when it’s horrible weather outside but for the sake of your dog you have to try to get outside even if it’s only a quick trip between rain. 

Don’t forget to protect you and your pet from the elements when outside with a raincoat or umbrella or even some boots. 

And for the times you can’t get them out and about there is a lot of toys you can get to keep them occupied inside. 

Consider the different needs of different pets

There is no one size fits all advice for every pet. Different breeds will require different care. For instance short hair breeds will need to wear more outer wear as they don’t have as much fur to keep them warm. 

Older pets will also need different care, they may suffer from stiff and sore joints due to the colder weather so look at possible supplements to help keep them comfortable.

These are just some tips that could help you look after your pets in winter. Do you have any tips or tricks you use to look after your pet in winter?