Keeping pets warm amid winter weather

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - A dramatic plunge in temperatures has some people scrambling for supplies to stay warm. When it comes to protecting your furry or feathered friends from the cold, local veterinarians say pets should be kept indoors.

“If you can’t, heat lamps are always good; but be careful, those can be a fire hazard”, says Dr. Crystal Kroes, a veterinarian with Gill Bright Animal Hospital. “Definitely provide shelter for your pets, especially with the rain and everything that’s coming in. They need to be in a covered location, preferably like a garage.”

When you need to take those pets on a walk, vets recommend keeping their paws dry and wiping off any ice.

“We have two towels, one on the outside of the door, and one on the inside of the door - so it gets the mud on the first try,” says cat owner, Teci Blocker. “On the second try, we just wipe their paws off really good.”

“A towel for whenever she gets wet so we can dry her off,” says dog owner, Emery Desonier. “If she does wanna stay outside for some random reason, I have her in her little raised bed and we put blankets down.”

For some, it’s not just raining cats and dogs. How do you protect those animals you can’t necessarily cuddle up with?

”Three full size horses, we have three mini horses, we have a little Brahman Calf, we have three goats, we have a sheep, we have a llama, two donkeys, I have more llamas, a camel on this side with two alpacas, we have ducks, a goose, mini chickens, parrots, ferrets, tortoise...Noah’s Ark,” says animal owner, Michelle Trahan. 

Trahan says she’s been preparing for several days.

“I watched the forecast, and when I saw how cold it was going to be this week, last week I about dropped out,” says Trahan. “I hurried up and got online and ordered more blankets. Yesterday morning around 8 o’clock I started riling them up, get all their blankets on them. So, I finally started getting them winter ready about 6 o’clock last night. It’s an all day affair.”

Veterinarians says to check your pet’s water supply as well to make sure it does not freeze over. If you can’t bring your pets inside, vets also recommend providing them with straw, hay, or blankets to bundle up in and stay warm.

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