Lincoln Animal Control is cautioning pet owners before dangerous cold fronts move into the area this weekend.
Sub-zero temperatures are expected tonight into early Friday, and LAC Manager Denise Bollwitt is reminding that the safest place for pets is out of the elements and inside the home, or any heated building.
“If your dogs or cats are going to be outdoors, they need to have a well-insulated shelter,” Bollwitt said. “Offer them extra food, make sure their water bowls are not frozen, use a heated water bowl if you can. Clear some areas for them to go to use the restroom. Just make sure that they’re being taken care of.”
Pet owners should also consider their paws, Bollwitt added. If your pet walks on treated services, ice-melting chemicals can irritate and burn the pads of your pet’s feet. Don’t allow your pet to lick its feet after it has walked outdoors. Use a damp towel to wipe off feet and underside.
The dangerous cold is expected to continue through Monday morning with wind chills each morning as low as 20 degrees below zero.
Bollwitt said even dog breeds more acclimated to the winter, like huskies and malamutes, need to be protected when temperatures drop this low.
“You still have to provide dog houses to those dogs, whether they use it or not. We can’t force the dogs to go into those shelters, but you do, by law, have to provide it. You can be cited if you don’t,” she said.
Lincoln pet owners have been good this year, Bolwitt said, listing no recent citation for animal neglect.
The latest outlook includes a 60 to 80 percent chance of snow moving into the area Friday afternoon through Saturday. Snowfall totals are expected to peak in the 2 to 4-inch range in southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa, with totals decreasing northward.