When temperature starts dropping and snow covers the outer layer of the ground outside, you need to take care of your Emotional Support animals and make sure they’re in a warm, safe and comfortable space until the ray of sunlight showers upon the earth.

Be it an emotional Support Animal or any other pet, they need extra care during the winter season just like us humans. And you have to be extra careful, especially, when you got your emotional support animal after an ESA letter online.

Below we have enlisted some of the top and basic winter care tips you need for your emotional support animal-

Wrap Your ESA in Woolens

Would you go out in winter without a jacket or woolen on? No, right? The same applies to your pet. Especially, if they are young and need extra care, wrap them in cute woolens. This will keep them warm and protect them from the cold breeze of December. It might be possible that your emotional support animal doesn’t like the idea of putting a warmer on but you make sure they’re well-packed and look ultra-cute.

Keep Them Indoors

Needless to say, keep your pets indoors during the winter season, especially during the months of December and January when the cold is excruciating. Make sure to lock up all the doors so that your dog or cat doesn’t get a chance to run outside.

While you will be keeping them indoors most of the time, remember that their energy levels will be highly increased within the four walls of your house. Make sure you give them time and play as much as you can. You can even let them roam free in the house so that they get the chance to enjoy their freedom.

Their Fur Coat Keeps Them Warm

Dogs and cats are generally blessed with their thick fur that helps them keep warm during the winter season. Ensure that you don’t shave off their coat. In addition, don’t take them for a walk right after giving a bath. Let their fur coat dry out completely and then go on a walk with your cuties.

Check Their Paws

Keep an eye regularly on their different body parts and look for signs of discomfort or any other problem. Your pet’s paws are at more risk of getting injured during the winter season. Walking and playing outside can result in injured paws like cracked paws and bleeding. Take care of their paws by making them wear dog booties as they will keep your dog’s paws warm. If your dog doesn’t wear the booties, don’t forget to clean his paws right after every walk with a towel.

Keep Them in a Comfy Bedding

Along with limiting your emotional support animal’s outdoor time, don’t let him sleep on a cold floor during winter. Keeping him in a warm cozy bedding is essential to protect him from the cold air. Also, choose one of his favorite spots to set the bedding where he feels the most comfortable to sleep in. Just to be a little more caring, don’t set their sleeping arrangement in an uncarpeted area.

Take Them for a Health Checkup

Regular health checkup is necessary for keeping an eye on your pet’s overall health. Some dogs are prone to arthritis and hence, can experience excruciating joint pain during the winter season. If your emotional support animal experiences joint pain, then it’s time you should call your veterinarian or take your pet to the clinic and get some health supplements and medications.

Don’t Forget to Change Their Drinking Water

It is normal to feel less thirsty during the winter season, both in the case of humans and pets. It might be possible that your emotional support animal does not drink his water often, one of the reasons being that the water quickly turns ice-cold in winters. To make sure that your ESA stays properly hydrated, keep replenishing his water bowl every 2-3 hours.

Play With Them

They love it when you give them your time! Just like working out boosts us with energy, playing around keeps their energy levels in balance which keeps them warm. Don’t be a lazy lad when your pet wants to have a running session with you within the boundaries of your house. If you have a dog, you must have gone through this experience when they ask for your attention and want you to run behind them. Try to understand their signs and treat them with love and care.

This Is What You Can Do to Protect Homeless Animals

While you will be worried about how to take care of your emotional support animal during this winter season, there are so many homeless pets near your area who don’t have anybody to look after them. If you are a true animal lover and want to do some good for the community, start off the initiative by protecting those homeless animals near your home. Here’s what you can do:

• You can make a little warm shelter for them which will protect them from the freezing cold of winters.
• Provide them food and water. It hardly hurts your pocket to feed homeless animals some water and food.
• Small wildlife animals generally get attracted by the warm engines in parked cars and end up hiding there. This could be dangerous for them. To prevent any injuries, make sure you bang on your car’s hood before actually starting driving.
• You can also team up with the people of your society and invest together to make a shelter for homeless animals. To go the extra mile, you can also hire a person to look after all the unsheltered stray animals in your locality.