Vets warn of cold weather dangers for dogs

Local veterinarians are warning that freezingwinter weathercan be dangerous for people's furry friends.

Janice Huntingford from theEssex Animal Hospital said one of the most common problems animals encounter is road salt cutting their paws, but there are other dangers to be aware of as well.

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"We'll see dogs who have even frostbite on their toes and tips of the ears or the tail," she said. "We also can see anti-freeze toxicity, so if the anti-freeze is dripping from the car, it's sweet and the animals lick it, that can cause a real problem."

Amanda Haggart said she walks her Rottweiler-mixZekein areas where there isn't much salt.

"We try to stay either where it's shoveled and completely clear so they don't use salt or where it's actual snow and there's no salt because we know it's dangerous for her to be exposed to it too much," she explained.

Walking in the cold and salt can cause Zeke to get sore paws and limp a bit so they tend to keep winter walks short, she added.

"Sometimes she'll step on a big chunk and whine about it a lot then I'll get nervous and clean her paws out," Haggert said.

Cheryl Burr said she uses salve to keep her pooch's paws from getting dried out during the colder months.

"I know for me in the summertime if my feet start to get cracked it's painful to walk on," she said. "I moisturize and take care of my feet so I don't have that problem so I wouldn't want her to go through that."

Huntingford encourages pet owners to buy winter boots and coats for their animals to keep them safe and warm.