Tips to keep your furry friends warm this winter!

You all know, it is starting to get VERY chilly outside, the snow is coming down and it is just cold!! Here are some tips to keep your furry friends warm this winter:

For big dogs: make sure that you don't keep them outside TOO long, they will be able to be out for a while, but make sure it isn't super long. Also, for long haired dogs you don't want to keep them outside to long in deep snow because big snowballs will stick into the dog's fur and are very difficult to get out.

For small dogs: We have a very little dog (about 6 pounds and almost full grown) and she seems to get pretty cold easily! It might be a good idea to get a SnuggleSafe for him/her (see my other post called SnuggleSafe and you can see what it looks like in the pic above) or you can even get a little sweater or jacket (as in the pic above) for them to wear when they will be outside for a little while.

For bunnies: Also, the SnuggleSafe would be nice for them. Try to keep them in a place (if kept outside) that isn't directly in the wind. For instance: a garage, a barn, even a gazebo (that's where we have our bunnies!). My dad put those foam pieces over some of the windows to block out some of the wind and it seems to help tremendously! Make sure that you don't have all of the windows covered with something that won't let in the light. They need to know when it is night and when it is day. Fill their hutch with hay.

For horses: Horses are very hearty animals. If your horse has a warm, dry place to go to, you do not have to put a blanket on him/her in the winter (except if you live in a super cold climate or your horse is sick and you are suppose to put a blanket on him/her). But if your horse does not have a lean-to or barn that it can wander in and out of, you should put a blanket on him/her once it starts to get really cold outside (as mentioned in my "How much do you know about animals" quiz).

For cats: Our cats are indoor/outdoor and are able to do whatever they please. They usually get a little crabby if you don't let them go out, so my suggestion would be to just let them out and if it is too cold they will come in. There have been times when it is really cold or windy that our cats will just walk outside and turn around and come right back in!!! So, we don't really have to do anything different with our cats, they just figure it out.

Well, there we go! Hope this helps you a little bit this winter!!! :D