With another system of cold arctic air hovering over Moose Jaw we are being reminded to take special care of our pets.

Earlier in the winter, Gary Overs from Gary Overs Kennelling and Obedience gave DiscoverMooseJaw some tips on pet care in cold weather.

"A lot of it is common sense.  If you have an indoor dog who is not use to being outside they haven't had a chance to get conditioned so it's not fair to leave them out for long periods of time".  Overs says a good rule of thumb would be 5 minutes for a quick bathroom break and then back inside.  Larger outdoor breeds who are conditioned for the weather and have a full winter coat will do better when the temperatures drop.

If you exercise your dogs outside you also need to be careful.  "-20 is too cold for them.  After -20 they can actually freeze their lungs".  If you find a dog in distress from cold weather get it inside as soon as possible.  If you have questions a call to the Moose Jaw Humane Society is always a good idea.

You may also notice that your dog will eat a little more in cold weather and Overs says that is normal.  "They naturally seem to want to eat a little bit more.  Nature I think tells them that, they try to bulk up and get more calories into them.  If you do have a dog that is conditioned (for the weather) and spends lots of time outside you may want to up his feed a little bit".

"It's also very important to always provide a shelter for your pets outside" says Overs.

And pay special attention to your pets feet.  "Hairy feet are cold feet.  If a dogs got lots of hair covering its pads what happens is the snow will stick to their fur, where it will melt, and turns into ice.  I've seen dogs pads be cut wide open from walking on ice stuck to their pads so trim off the bottom on their pads and your dogs feet will be much warmer.

For more tips on cold weather pet care click here.