TEXAS, USA — As you prepare for the freezing weather, make sure to not forget about your outside animals.
Smith County Animal Shelter director Amber Greene is sharing tips on how to keep animals safe from the cold.
Greene urges pet owners to if theyhave an outside animal to bring them in but if it's not possible to make sure they have a shelter that is just large enough for them stand up, turn around, and lay down in. If the animal is too big, it will be hard to keep the heat in. So owners will have to line it with something to help keep them warm.
"I would use hay instead of blankets because blankets can get wet due to the rain. Or if there is a winter remix, it can melt on these blankets and the blankets freeze, then they’ll be laying on ice.," Greene said. "So I would use hay because it’s a good insulator they can keep them warm."
Green also suggest owners to feed their animals about 20% more food than normal to help them battle the cold. For indoor dogs when you take them on a walk make sure to bundle them up. Also cut your walks a little bit shorter because the animals may tired more quickly in the cold.