PBPD offers cold weather tips

Chief Danny Whiteley of the Poplar Bluff Police Department wants to remind area citizens of the dangers posed by winter weather. He offers the following tips to ensure your safety, as well as your pets, during the cold days ahead.

Clothes should fit properly, especially footwear. If footwear is to tight it can restrict blood flow making your feet colder. Layer clothing using wind and waterproof items. Remember the scarves, mittens and sock hats.

Have a “winter emergency kit” in your vehicle including non-perishable snacks, blankets, candle, matches or lighter, first-aid kit, shovel/ice scraper, etc.

Good nutrition can help fight off cold and flu season. Be sure to eat well-balanced meals which include fruits and vegetables. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, hot-cocoa, and low sugar juices. Stock up at home by having plenty of blankets, bottled water, emergency heat source, batteries, etc. in stock.

Make your home a safe haven. Heat your home safely. Check all heaters, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Keep blankets and items away from heaters. Lastly, have a family safety plan in place by discussing fire and winter safety with your loved ones to prepare them for emergencies.

Whiteley also would like to remind residents to follow the guidelines to help protect your companion animals when the mercury dips.

Keep your cat inside. Outdoors, felines can freeze, become lost or be stolen, injured or killed. Cats who are allowed to stray are exposed to infectious diseases, including rabies, from other cats, dogs, and wildlife. During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of cars. When the motor is started, the cat can be injured or killed by the fan belt. If there are outdoor cats in your area, bang loudly on the car hood before starting the engine to give the cat a chance to escape.

Never let your dog off the leash on snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm, dogs can easily become lost. Make sure your dog always wears ID tags or is microchipped.

Thoroughly wipe off your dog’s legs and stomach when they comes in out of the sleet, snow or ice. Dogs can ingest salt, antifreeze or other potentially dangerous chemicals while licking his paws, and his paw pads may also bleed from snow or encrusted ice.

Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter, as a longer coat will provide more warmth. When bathing your dog in the colder months, be sure to completely dry them before taking them out for a walk.

Own a short-haired breed? Consider getting a coat or sweater with a high collar or turtleneck with coverage from the base of the tail to the belly. For many dogs, this is regulation winter wear.

Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to death. Puppies do not tolerate the cold as well as adult dogs and may be difficult to housebreak during the winter. If your puppy appears to be sensitive to the weather, you may opt to paper-train him inside. If your dog is sensitive to the cold due to age, illness or breed type, take them outdoors only to potty.

Does your dog spend a lot of time engaged in outdoor activities? Increase their supply of food, particularly protein, to keep them, and their fur, in tip-top shape.

Like coolant, antifreeze is a lethal poison for dogs and cats. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle, and consider using products that contain propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol.

Visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center more information. Make sure your companion animal has a warm place to sleep, off the floor and away from all drafts. A cozy dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow is perfect.

Whiteley would like to wish all the citizens of Poplar Bluff and the surrounding counties a safe winter season.