Winter dog walk photo courtesy of Photos.com.
Ice melt, or salt, that is commonly used to clear ice from sidewalks and other icy surfaces can be harmful to pets.
The main ingredient in most ice melt products is either sodium chloride or calcium chloride. Both sodium and calcium chloride can irritate a dog's paws or be harmful to the animal if ingested.
A dog's paws should be cleaned after walking outside on snowy days. Even if you don't see the ice melt, it may still be on surfaces. A dog that licks its feet after coming inside could experience vomiting or diarrhea.
To keep your dog from ingesting large amounts of ice melt products, keep him from eating snow or drinking from puddles.
A dog that ingests 4g (less than 1 oz.) of sodium chloride per 1kg (2.3 lbs.) of body weight could die. That would mean a dog that weighs only 4 lbs. would only need to eat about 2 ounces of ice melt containing sodium chloride before resulting in death.
When using ice-melting products around your pet, consider using non-toxic brands, such as Safe Paws or Morton Safe-T-Pet. These products do not contain salt or chloride.
Another alternative for pet owners are dog socks or boots. Simply put the socks or boots on your dog's paws before going out. The dog's paws will be protected from any salt that is on the sidewalks. Most dog socks and boots can be machine-washed after use.
Most people will have to use some sort of ice-melting product this winter. As a pet owner, it is not difficult to protect your animals. Use a non-toxic ice melt product, clean your dogs paws or use dog socks or boots this winter.
Since Memorial Day is typically deemed as the unofficial start to summer, many people of the Northeast may find it hard to believe that frost and freezing temperatures are a concern tonight.
Memorial Day weekend in parts of New England felt more like winter than the unofficial start to summer.
A large mass of tropical moisture is set to impact the Caribbean Sea over the next couple of days, bringing consistently active weather to the region.
The return of showers and thunderstorms today is the last thing residents of San Antonio want to hear in the wake of Saturday's deadly flooding.
Additional drenching and severe thunderstorms over the Plains will not only foil holiday weekend activities through Monday, but will also put some lives at risk.
After a comfortable Memorial Day, May will come to a close on a hot note across the Northeast with numerous communities approaching or cracking the 90-degree mark.
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | N/A | |
| Low | N/A | |
| Precip | N/A |
New England (1967)
(25th-26th) Coastal New England battered by a
great Nor'easter. Winds mounted to 70-80 mph
on the coast. Blue Hill had sustained
winds of 60 mph and Logan had sustained
winds of 50 mph. Lowest pressure of 29.30"
was measured over the ocean; 5-10" of snow
fell in the Berkshires with considerable damage
to the tobacco crop in the Connecticut River
Valley. Temperature dropped to 31 degrees at
Pittsfield on the 30th for a remarkable end
of May freeze.
Illinois (1917)
A tornado of long duration was observed for
7 hours and 20 minutes and was said to extend
293 miles. The storm struck Mattoon and
Charleston, killing 70 people.
Cut Bank, MT (1982)
35 degrees with a mix of snow and rain. The
high temperature from the previous day was 78.
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