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As it gets cold outside, the potential for harsh weather conditions requires some extra care for your canine and feline friends. Here are some tips to help your pet remain safe and comfortable during the winter months ahead.Provide fresh, clean water at all times. Frozen water in outside bowls is a common winter hazard, so check it often and use a plastic bowl instead of a metal one (remember “The Christmas Story!”). Your dog will thank you. Heated water bowls are available if necessary.Bring Fido inside during sub-zero temperatures and winter storms. Even though most dogs grow a winter coat...

Realize that the nights are getting colder and make sure your outdoor pet has a warm, dry shelter that is elevated off the ground, insulated for warmth, and draft free. Add some soft, thick bedding for comfort.Outdoor pets require extra calories to keep warm, so ask you veterinarian whether you should increase the rations slightly. With winter weather coming, now is prime time to get your pet into healthy body condition by feeding your pet a good, quality diet before he faces the stresses of inclement weather.A frost or freeze isn't out of the question this time of year. Should...

With fewer daylight hours and longer cold nights, natural food sources needed for energy to keep warm are scarce. Water supplies can be frozen or snow covered. When the challenge of finding natural shelter increases, wild birds will oftentimes turn to man made habitats to provide refuge from winter winds, rain, snow and ice.• Providing Food: During the winter months, provide high calorie and high fat foods. Offer oil sunflower seed in the winter. It has twice the calories per pound than striped sunflower and its thin shells make less mess when discarded by the birds. Suet is a great...

Changing seasons can bring about potential problems for horses and their owners. Pasture quality changes with every season, but the changes from summer to fall are especially significant. During the fall, there are often warm sunny days and cool nights. Grasses manufacture sugars (through photosynthesis) during these warm sunny days, but will not use the sugars to fuel growth during the night if the temperature is too cold. This leads to increased concentration of stored sugars in the plants, and may increase the risk of digestive upset or laminitis in some horses. Horses at most risk are those that are...

One of the challenges you face as a bird owner is the threat of a common, and potentially devastating, disease called coccidiosis. But once you understand what causes it and how it spreads, you can feel more confident about your ability to limit its impact on your flock.Good HealthCoccidiosis is caused by a microscopic parasite called coccidia that is transmitted via the droppings from infected birds. In other words, anywhere there’s a microscopic trace of bird poop—in a waterer, a feeder, or in bedding—there's almost certainly coccidia present.Symptoms of coccidiosis include weight loss, paleness, ruffled feathers, depression, huddling, unwillingness to...