Autumn and winter with your pet: from dark walks to fireworks

The days are getting shorter, it's turning wet and cold, and at the end of December the fireworks go off. For most pets winter is no problem, as long as you do a few things differently from the summer. Below you'll find what to look out for, topic by topic, for dogs, cats, small pets, birds and fish.

In this article:

• Being seen in the dark
• Wet paws and road salt
• Does your dog need a coat?
• Indoors: warmth and less exercise
• Hazards in the house and garage
• Rabbits and guinea pigs outdoors
• Birds and fish
• Fireworks: start now
• At a glance, per animal

Being seen in the dark

In winter many of your walks happen in the dark, and a dark-coated dog is almost invisible to a driver. Make sure you both stand out:

• A reflective collar, harness or lead. Reflective material works as soon as light falls on it, such as from headlights.
• A light on the collar. An LED clip-on light or a light-up collar makes your dog visible even where there are no headlights, and you can see where he is sniffing.
• You too. A hi-vis vest or a reflective jacket for you completes the picture.
• On a short lead along the road. In the dark you react later to a cat, a hare or a cyclist.

If you let your dog off the lead in the dark, choose a fenced area or a place you know well, and make sure his recall is truly reliable.

Wet paws and road salt

Road salt irritates the soft pads of the feet and can cause small cracks. On top of that, your dog licks his paws clean after the walk and swallows the salt that way.

• Rinse his paws after the walk with lukewarm water and dry them well, including between the toes.
• Trim the hair between the pads short on long-haired dogs. Otherwise little balls of snow and ice form there, and they hurt.
• Use a paw balm before the walk as protection, and afterwards as care for dry or cracked pads.
• Check between the toes regularly for redness, small wounds or bits of grit.

If your dog limps after a walk or keeps licking a paw, check that paw carefully and see the vet if it doesn't get better quickly.

Does your dog need a coat?

Not every dog needs a coat. A husky or a Bernese mountain dog with a thick undercoat is perfectly happy in a Belgian winter. Other dogs do get cold quickly:

• short-haired dogs without an undercoat, such as a greyhound, a whippet or a boxer;
• small dogs, which walk close to the cold, wet ground;
• older dogs and dogs with joint problems;
• puppies and dogs that are ill or recovering.

If your dog shivers, walks with a hunched back or wants to head home quickly, he is cold. A good coat runs from the neck to the base of the tail, lets the legs move freely and fastens under the belly. Measure your dog before you order: back length, chest girth and neck girth. Take the coat off indoors and dry it, because a wet coat actually chills him.

Indoors: warmth and less exercise

In winter a pet often moves less, especially when walks get shorter or your cat goes outside less. Adjust the food portion a little if needed, and feel free to weigh your animal now and then: a few hundred grams extra is already a lot for a cat.

Provide exercise and stimulation indoors too. A snuffle mat, a puzzle game or ten minutes of focused play with a fishing-rod toy does more for a dog or cat than you might think. Cats love to seek out warmth in winter: a bed in the sun or a radiator hammock is ideal. Take care with stoves and open fires: a cat lying too close to a fire can singe its fur, and a candle on a low table is easily knocked over.

Hazards in the house and garage

In autumn and around the holidays, things come into the house that are dangerous for animals.

• Antifreeze. It tastes sweet and is highly poisonous to dogs and cats, even in small amounts. Clean up spilt antifreeze straight away and keep the bottle high up and tightly closed. If you suspect your pet has drunk some, go to the vet immediately: acting fast can save its life.
• Chocolate. Poisonous to dogs and cats, and the darker it is, the more dangerous. Watch out for chocolate under the Christmas tree and in advent calendars.
• Grapes and raisins can cause kidney damage in dogs, including in Christmas bread or biscuits.
• Xylitol, a sweetener in sugar-free chewing gum and some sweets, is highly poisonous to dogs.
• Lilies are poisonous to cats in every part, including the pollen and the water in the vase. Choose a bouquet without lilies.
• Tinsel and ribbon look like toys to a cat, but if swallowed they can seriously damage the intestines. Hang them high up or leave them out.
• Poinsettia and holly irritate the mouth and stomach. Not life-threatening, but unpleasant.

If your pet has eaten something you're not easy about, call your vet, even if it isn't showing any signs yet. Some poisonings only cause symptoms after hours.

Rabbits and guinea pigs outdoors

Rabbits cope well with the cold, provided their hutch is dry and draught-free. Guinea pigs are much more sensitive: when it freezes, they are better off brought indoors or into a frost-free space such as a light, ventilated shed.

• Place the hutch out of the wind and rain, ideally against a wall, and on legs so the floor doesn't get cold and wet.
• Insulate with a blanket or an insulating cover over the hutch, but leave ventilation open: damp air is less healthy than cold air.
• Extra hay and straw to burrow into. Hay is also their most important food, in winter too.
• Drinking water freezes. Check the water bottle at least twice a day, or use an insulating cover. Keeping a second bottle indoors to swap over helps too.
• Clean out more often. Wet bedding chills and causes skin problems.

Birds and fish

Birds don't like draughts. Don't put the cage by a window that is often opened or right next to the heating, which dries the air out. An important, lesser-known danger: overheated non-stick (PTFE) pans give off fumes that can be fatal to birds. So keep your bird out of the kitchen.

Fish in an indoor aquarium notice little of the winter, but they will notice a heater that fails. Check the thermometer daily. If you have a pond, remove leaves before they start to rot, and in frosty weather keep a hole in the ice open with a pond de-icer so gases can escape. Never break a hole in the ice: the shock wave stresses the fish.

Fireworks: start now, not on 31 December

Many dogs and cats are afraid of fireworks, and it often starts weeks before New Year's Eve. The sooner you start, the more you can do.

Weeks in advance

• Get your dog used to the sound. Play recordings of fireworks very quietly while he eats or plays, and slowly turn up the volume over a few weeks. If he reacts fearfully, go back a step.
• Make a safe den. A crate with a blanket over it or a bed in a quiet corner without windows. Get him happy to go there now, with a chew or a treat.
• Is your pet very anxious? Talk to your vet in good time. There are aids and, if needed, medication, but that often has to start days to weeks in advance.
• Check the microchip details and hang a tag with your phone number on the collar. Around New Year more animals run away than at any other time of year.

On the night itself

• Walk your dog before it gets dark, and keep him on the lead, even in your own neighbourhood.
• Keep cats indoors and lock the cat flap during the day.
• Close the curtains and turn the radio or television up a little to muffle the bangs.
• Stay calm yourself. It's fine to comfort your pet if he comes to you: comfort doesn't make fear worse. Don't force him out of his hiding place.
• Give him something to chew or lick; that has a calming effect.

Small pets and birds that live outdoors are best brought indoors or into a shed that night, with the hutch covered to soften the flashes and bangs.

At a glance, per animal

With this preparation, winter becomes simply a cosy time for your pet: long naps, short brisk walks and a warm spot close to you.

This guide offers general advice. If you have any doubts about your pet's health, or think it has swallowed something poisonous, contact your vet straight away.