Caring for pets in the Autumn

During the autumn months the days become shorter, the temperature drops and the nights become darker much quicker. However, this doesn’t mean you and your pets can’t enjoy the great outdoors during the cooler seasons. This article shares some tips and tricks on how to keep your pet safe.

Visibility:

As the nights are darker much quicker now we need to make sure our pets are getting some exercise but are also safe. This can be done by getting your pet reflective accessories, such as a collar, in the same way we would buy a reflective jacket for ourselves to make sure you and your pet are visible when walking near roads. It’s always a good idea to take a torch out on your walks, should the area you walk your dog be poorly lit (such as country roads).

If you have a cat who likes to explore solo,  you can buy a quick release collar so if they get caught on something it will pop open to release your cat so they don’t get stuck or hurt.

Poisonous things to watch out for:

Your pet needs the right amount of exercise everyday but there are some poisonous things  which flourish during the autumn months you’ll need to be aware and observant of.

These could be things such as:

• Mushrooms
• Blue-green algae- you can check for reported cases of blue-green algae on the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology website 
• Rock salt (this is what is used to de-ice roads) If your dog has walked on grit you should wash their paws to make sure they don’t accidentally eat any, or that their paws don’t become damaged.
• Acorns
• Conkers- if you have children who like to collect conkers make sure to keep them out of reach of your dogs

Halloween/Bonfire night:

Even though this is an exciting time of the year for dressing up in ghoulish costumes and watching the fireworks, it can be very scary for pets, especially with the loud noises. 

On Halloween you should: 

• Make sure to walk your dog before it gets dark or play fun games to tire them out as your doorbell will most likely go off. 
• Ensure you stick to your dog’s routine and prepare lots of things to keep your dog quiet and happy. 
• Separate them from the entrance.
• Don’t let your dog greet the children as it can scare your dog with the unusual shapes and it could also scare the children if they don’t know how to act around dogs appropriately. 
• Be careful around chocolate in case they accidentally eat some but if they do talk to your vet to make sure you get professional advice. 
• Make sure they have a space to go to if they don't feel comfortable.

To prepare for Bonfire Night, you can:: 

• Provide your pet with a safe place where they are in control. Make sure it is the quietest place in the house so they can feel safe there.
• Walk your dog in the daylight to avoid times where fireworks may be set off.
• Move your dog to their safe place every evening with some toys.
• Make sure they aren’t left alone.
• Close windows and curtains so the sound is muffled and they can’t see any flashes.
• Put some music on, or put on the TV at a level  to drown out the sound of fireworks. Try to  ignore the firework noises yourself.
• Play with a toy to see if they want to play with you. Don’t force them if they don’t want to.

Summary