Fairbanks North Star Borough Animal Shelter shares tips on winter pet care

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - Winter is here, and the Fairbanks North Star Borough Animal Shelter has some tips and tricks on how to prepare your pets for the drop in temperature.

The Shelter suggests that if your pet is big and you want to leave them outside, do so by insulating their shelter -- such as filling a dog house with straw.

When feeding pets outside in the winter, they say to add water to the food to make a broth. This way pets get the water they need without it freezing.

Booties are a great way of keeping your dog’s feet warm while walking outside, and using sweaters and jackets can be useful too.

The Animal Shelter also advised owners to be cautious with how your animal is acting, especially when they need to go out, in order to see how they are handling the weather.

Kimberly Imbert, operations supervisor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough Animal Shelter said there are a lot of things to think about when preparing your outdoor pets for winter

“One good thing to do is to give them an overall assessment, and see how you think their looking,” Imbert said. “If you have any concerns, now is a great time to contact your veterinarian because it’s not quite cold yet, and you want them to be the healthiest they can possibly be.

On the subject of proper shelters, Imbert said, “Most animals need an insulated house they can go into to get away from the cold and to warm up. For instance sled dogs, they really need an insulated dog house that’s up off the ground and it’s also stuffed with straw and fluffed, with fresh straw added daily so it has a really good insulated qualities.”

Imbert added that housing concerns aren’t just relevant for dogs. “For livestock, same kind of thing - they need a dry insulated area where they can get away from the weather, get away from wind, get away from snow, and where they can be warm and comfortable when the temperature is really cold.”

Finally, Imbert also suggested that scheduling a vet appointment could be beneficial.