Keep Your Pets Warm This Winter
Winter cold affects everyone, including your pets!
Dogs, cats, and birds are all are affected by cold and also wind and rain, so it is important to make sure that all your pets are kept warm particularly in winter when temperatures can drop very fast overnight.
For outside dogs, having a kennel and positioning it a place that is secure, with the entrance facing away from direct rain or wind is a must. Kennels are best kept off the ground, and there are lots of sizes to suit all dogs, as well as kennels built using different materials and roof styles to not only suit your budget, but also to provide a stylish home for your dog.
Probably equally important is keeping the inside of the kennel free of dirt, and cleaning the kennel regularly to ensure that when your dog uses the kennel it is always clean.
There are also many types of blankets, rugs and bedding available to buy, also with different levels of comfort and priced to suit different budgets. The bed may be as simple as a Hessian bag, or a jute mat or mattress filled with foam, but equally it might also be a bed or futon filled with polyester, polycotton, wool or even lambswool.
The Snooza range of pet bedding is a range sold by Petbarn whose range of beds is enormous. Petbarn have a huge range of beds on display, everything from trampolines designed to keep dogs off the ground, and flea free in summer, to which a wool cover can be attached in winter to add warmth, to cosy beds with insert cushions and sides, more like a basket shape, to keep out the winter chills. These come in some great colours and patterns, and some can be turned inside out to create even more colour combinations.
One of the most popular products is a Futon Bed, made with a calico cover and a wool/polyester filling which can be machined washed or even dry cleaned. This futon is ideal to use inside the house, and can even be used as a takeaway bed for use in the car when travelling with your pet dog.
If you think that there are a huge number of dog beds, there are even more for cats, with some amazing foam houses, cubbie holes, and even a fabric igloo! These also come in allsorts of patterns and fabric combinations including Scottish tartans, leopard skin, and paw print designs.
Cats love to hide and find cosy places to sleep, so some of these enclosed cubbie houses are a great way to keep your cat warm, when you don't have a heater.
Play tents, and amazing wild leopard skin patterned play tunnels, which have toys inside and pop out holes for cats to pop in and out of while rustling their way in and out of the tunnel are also sold at Petbarn. These are more for play then keeping your cat warm, but will certainly entertain you and well as your feline friend or friends.
For dogs and cats that live indoors, cat doors come in a huge range of sizes and materials, designed to be self installed or installed by a handyman or professional installer. There are a range of sizes and ones with two or four way locks, clear glass or acrylic windows, and closure features like magnetic closing or sealed edges. Again Petbarn has many of these on display.
It used to be that only horses had horse rugs, but dog rugs are now widely used too.
WeatherBeeta, who make the horse rugs, also make a whole range of dog rugs as well, designed in a range of fabrics and colours, and designed to both keep dogs warm in winter and also some which are designed to be rain proof or rain resistant. These come in a range of sizes to suit every dog, from a small Chihuahua to a Great Dane. Again Petbarn has these on display through the winter months.
While dogs and cats are well cared for, don't forget about your birds! While most people just throw a sheet over the top of their cages at night to shield out the light as well as keep the cold air, it is possible to buy Niger seed, Rape seed or a Tonic food seed mix, which helps to warm up the blood of birds, particularly smaller breeds during the winter months.
Winter is great time to come home and snuggle up in front of the TV, ideally with a fire or radiator to keep you warm.
Just as it's important to be aware of the dangers of leaving heaters on unattended, or allowing blankets or clothing to be get too close to the heat, it's equally important that your pets and their rugs or cushions are kept well away from heaters too. Every winter there are house fires caused by heaters and radiators, so while keeping pets warm is important, so too is keeping them safe by keeping their bedding far enough away from the radiator, so that there is no chance that it will catch fire.
At Petbarn, the staff can help you select the right product to suit your pet's needs and keep them warm through the winter months. Many dogs and cats suffer in later life from arthritis and joint problems, so it also makes sense to keep them warmer and free from cold when they are young.
If you need advice in relation to any of the products detailed in this article, feel free to call your nearest Petbarn store, or drop in and see them. They even welcome pets, so you can match the size of your pet to the product that you are thinking of buying, or even fit a dog rug at the store.
Petbarn stores are located at Penrith, Campbelltown, Moorebank, Northmead, Chatswood, Alexandria, West Gosford and Canberra.