1. At this time of year it’s likely that you’ll have a bottle of anti-freeze around the house or garage, make sure the bottle cap is tightly screwed on and the bottle is away in a cupboard and off ground level. Unfortunately propylene glycol, which is very palatable to animals, is also toxic and highly poisonous, causing diarrhoea, sickness, fits and even fatal kidney failure.

2. Wash your dog’s paws after walks on roads that have been de-iced with salt. The salt can dry your dog’s paws out, making them sore and likely to crack which will irritate your dog leaving them to chew them once home. Washing with warm water and drying after will remove any salt they’ve picked up on the walk.

3. If you’re dog is a fan of eating snow & ice, try to prevent them as best you can, excessive amounts will upset their stomach.

4. Keep your dog’s claws short and the hair between the pads short to stop snow sticking to their paws; this will also help prevent balls of ice forming on their paws which can be uncomfortable. Short claws will also help increase their stability as longer claws are more likely to slip on the ice.

5. If you have a small or skinny dog, consider buying them a winter coat, this will prevent them from any shivers in what has become the UK’s coldest winter for 30 years.

6. Some dog’s hate the snow altogether, which can be a problem in just getting them to go to the toilet in the garden, let alone a walk. In these cases make sure you take your dog out into the garden, if you don’t its likely there will be an accident at home. Clear them a snow free space in the garden if necessary so they can go, and buy them a coat if it’s the temperature not the snow! If they really want to go for a walk, but hate the snow, try keeping them active with a ball and games inside for a few days, a much better alternative than trying to drag them around on the ice, dangerous for both you and your best friend.

7. It may seem obvious, but another point worth a mention, make sure your walk doesn’t go too close to any frozen ponds, lakes or rivers, if you do need to go past them keep your dog on the lead so they can’t run onto the frozen water and injure themselves.

8. Don’t leave your dog outside in the cold for long periods of time and try to limit their time in the cold temperatures, especially important if your dog is ill in anyway.

9. Towel or blow-dry your dog if they get wet from the rain or snow, especially important for thick coated breeds as this will help prevent colds or even worse, frostbite.

Whilst a lot of these tips may seem obvious, it’s sad to see how many pets can become ill in this climate and weather, please let your friends know about these tips, if this post helps just one pet then it’s been worth mentioning.