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Cold paws, cold noses: Dropping temperatures also impact pets

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BOZEMAN – You’re not the only one shivering in these cold temperatures.

If you’ve noticed the cold temperatures in Bozeman over the past few days, chances are your pets have also been cold when they go outside.

Gallatin Valley Veterinary Hospital says it’s best to keep your pets inside as much as possible in the frigid temperatures. If you do go for walks, it’s best to shorten your normal route and make sure they have protective gear to prevent frostbite. The animal experts add that the frozen ponds at the parks aren’t the safest places to play.

“Keeping them on a leash is best, and trying to limit the areas to maybe shallow ice, if you’re going to have any contact with ice,” said Veterinarian Michelle Pogge, at the Gallatin Valley Veterinary Hospital. “But I certainly wouldn’t go anywhere near a deep lake or somewhere that would put either of you in danger because it can quickly become a fatal situation.”

Pogge added that if you have a jacket on, your pet probably needs one too.

Reporting by Emma Hamilton for MTN News