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Winter Safety Tip For Pets

If you live in a warm climate, you may think you don't need to be concerned about Winter Safety for your dog or cat.  Not true, especially if you travel to colder climes with your pet!  Ever head up to the mountains for the weekend?
If you travel to colder climates w/ pets, beware of ice melt!
Beautiful view from the car traveling through New Mexico
We live in Phoenix Arizona but we travel quite extensively with our 2 dogs.  I recently had a Pet Winter Safety scare I wasn't prepared for during our trip back to Phoenix from the East coast. 

We drive from Phoenix to NY at least once a year to visit family and friends.  We stay for a few months so having our car with us is essential.  We've made this road trip many times now, but on the last leg of our road trip home to Phoenix I had a Winter Safety scare with my Siberian Husky, Isis (a.k.a. Icy) that caught me off guard.

Safety while traveling with our pets is priority one!
Safety when traveling with our dogs is priority one!
We were in Albuquerque, New Mexico feeling great about dodging bad weather and making good time during our 6 day trek.  We were almost home!  The morning we were leaving Albuquerque to head to Phoenix it was very cold with light snow. 

I had just taken Icy for her morning potty walk when 3 college girls who were traveling came bounding over.  They wanted to meet this gorgeous Husky!  I was happy to oblige and so was Icy, she loves meeting new people!  She has a tendency to flop over to get belly rubs from everyone she meets. No such thing as Stranger Danger for her!

Keep your pets safe & warm when traveling during Winter
I did not get any belly rubs in the cold outside, I stayed safe & warm in the room! 
As she was getting lots of love from the girls, I suddenly realized with horror that there was ice melt  (also called rock salt) all over the walkway!  Icy was rolling around in it, getting it all over her fur.  After the girls left, we walked back inside and I became increasingly nervous knowing that she had both rolled in and walked on the ice melt!

I knew she'd soon start licking her paws and her belly to clean off the ice melt.  I was starting to panic, knowing that ice melt products are mostly made of Sodium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, or Magnesium Chloride which can irritate paws and can be harmful to pets if ingested.  If a large enough amount is ingested, it can even poison them. Drooling, vomiting or seizures are symptoms to watch out for.  If that happens get your pet to a Veterinarian as soon as possible.

When I returned to the room I grabbed a washcloth, wetting it with warm water and a little soap.  I wiped down her Icy's paws, belly, and even her back to get the ice melt OFF her body.

Thankfully, I was able to wipe it all off before she licked any of it.  Potential crisis averted!  Even if you don't live in a cold climate, if you plan to travel into colder climes with your pets beware of ice melt in parking lots, on sidewalks and bags of it that may be stored nearby!

Travel safe with pets, be prepared for anything
Beautiful snow covered evergreen trees as we drove through Flagstaff, AZ
Have you ever had a Winter Safety scare with your pet?  What's your favorite Winter Safety tip for pets?  Leave us a comment and share!

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11 comments:

zoepheedogs said...

Great post! The ice melt is definitely a scary thing! I'm glad you were able to get it all off before she licked it! I usually have my dogs wear booties when there's any ice melt around!

Hailey and Zaphod and their Lady said...

Luckily we have not. When we lived in the city, I always cleaned the paws when we were out for the salt. Where we live now they use sand, so I don't have to worry. Our biggest concern is the temperature. Which we monitor closely.

Dachshund Nola said...

One great thing about Florida is this isn't a concern!

Unknown said...

Great tips!
I know here in Canada, the weather can get so cold that even my huskies don't want to be out there. It can even start to hurt their feet!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

M. K. Clinton said...

When you aren't used to winter precipitation, it can really throw you for a loop! I don't even think our city has rock salt! That's why we shut down if it snows.

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

Thanks Lauren! I'm glad you liked the post. Booties are a great idea when there's ice melt on the ground.

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

Sand is much better than ice melt, no danger to pets with sand. Yes, the temperature is a big concern for most dogs, they can't be left out in the cold just because they have fur!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

True, not much ice melt being used in Florida, huh? Same thing here in Phoenix If you travel North however, there may be snow & ice. Northern AZ is very cold and gets a lot of snow & ice I need to be conscious of that.

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

Oh wow, I can't imagine it being so cold that my Husky wouldn't want to be outside. She loves the cold, I can't keep her inside!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

It really can throw you for a loop, especially if you're traveling from one climate to another & are not prepared for it.

Unknown said...

We struggle with it all winter long. 8 paws to wash after every icy walk can be a pain in the butt. The stuff works so well to melt the ice though so it's worth the trade off for us.

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