This blog post delivers tips on ways to protect your pet in winter.
Maryland’s winter months can be chilly and dry, and the weather’s impact on a pet’s skin and coat can vary from subtle to extreme. Dry, itchy skin is not fun, particularly when symptoms result in pain, irritability, or secondary skin infections. This blog post delivers tips on ways to protect your pet in winter.
Limit Your Pet’s Exposure to the Cold Outdoors
The winter season is notorious for causing dry skin and hair. The humidity drops, and it can be calm and windy. When pets travel between the artificial warmth of the indoors and the chilly outdoors, the effects on the skin and coat can dry.
While you don’t want to curtail how much exercise a pet continues to obtain throughout winter, reducing how long they are exposed to the cold weather might be in their best interest. Even if your pet is not sensitive to the temperatures or susceptible to developing skin conditions, winter’s chill can still harm your pet’s skin.
How to Accomplish Supple Skin
Even though routine baths and grooming are essential to pet wellness, excessive moisture on already dry skin might diminish the skin’s natural oils. Worse, certain pet soaps or shampoos can add to this imbalance and further exhaust the drying of the skin and coat. Here are some ways to protect your pet in winter:
- Limit the number of baths your pet receives during wintertime
- Only use the smallest amount of a moisturizing shampoo or cleanser to thoroughly clean your pet’s coat
- Attempt to adjust the bath water temperature so it’s never hotter than lukewarm
- Gently towel dry your pet afterwards and make sure the heat in the blow dryer is down
- Add humidity near places your pet likes to hang or sleep by setting up a humidifier
- Circulate the humidity throughout the household by turning on fans
- Vacuum carpets and upholstery weekly to lower indoor allergens
- Routinely brush your pet’s coat every few days to eliminate loose hair and dead skin and increase circulation
Balanced Nutrition is Great for Skin and Coat Health
Balanced nutrition contributes significantly to skin and coat health. Adding certain supplements or nutrients can nourish your pet’s skin and protect it from winter’s harsh elements. Protect your pet in winter and take stock of its snacks and food to make changes if necessary.
Winter Pet Grooming
Please reach out to Alexander Animal Hospital at 410-777-8678 if your pet’s itching and irritability persist this winter. Skin conditions can result from allergies, parasites, kidney or liver problems, or hormonal imbalances and must be addressed immediately.
Support Your Pet’s Wellness at Alexander Animal Hospital
Alexander Animal Hospital is a full-service animal hospital located in Severna Park, Maryland, serving the Severna Park, Pasadena, and Arnold Areas. Our goal is educating clients on the needs of their pets and understanding the importance of individualized veterinary care in order to strengthen the human-animal bond between owners and their pets.
We understand you have a choice when deciding on the care for your pets, and we strive to provide you with unparalleled services including wellness exams, vaccines, lost pet microchip ID, dental care, surgical services, digital radiography, and in-hospital laboratory services and diagnostics. Other highlights of Alexander Animal Hospital are the separate cat and dog waiting and exam rooms, as well as after-hours on-call emergency services.
Please take a look around our website and then give us a call at 410-777-8678 to set up an appointment. We’re social! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for all the latest updates!