As many parts of the country would have woken up this morning to snow or frost on the ground having experienced near or below freezing temperatures it's worth taking a moment to stop and think about the needs of our pets in the cold weather and whether you have them in your store to sell, here are some winter essentials to consider for your store.
Dog Coats – In recent years there has been an increase in the sales of dog coats and I notice more and more people walking dogs with coats on, whether it's toy dogs with fashion coats, working dog with wax jackets or urban dogs with warmth coats on it seems to be a more common sight these days.
Hi Viz Products – There is a pretty simple message when it comes to road safety in the dark winter mornings and nights, "Be Safe, Be Seen". There is now a wide range of hi viz or reflective products available, from collars, leads, safety wasitcoats, coats with hi viz flashes on them all of which will improve the visibility of your dog in the dark.
Kennel Add Ons – With temperatures dropping to below freezing at times over the course of the winter, if you’ve an outside dog it's worth spending that wee bit extra to help keep them warm. Draft excluders are available for our EcoChoice range and some of our wooden kennels and the Cosy Crib is an excellent add on to improve the insulation of the Wooden Flat Roof Kennels. (Watch Out for Offers on the Wooden Kennels on our New Promotions – Starting Monday 19th)
Heat Pads – Ancol produce a very popular range of self heating pads, they are a soft bed on the outside which contains a reflective pad on the inside which reflects the dogs heat back to them, much in the same way an emergency survival blanket works. Snugglessafe and Petlife also do Microwavable heat pads, which as the description suggests can be heated in the Microwave and continue to store and radiate the heat for quite some time afterwards. These are all great products if you’ve an outside dog in a kennel or even a house dog sleeping on a cold floor or in a cold room within the house. While heat pads could be seen as a luxury to add heat, a bed or mattress would be seen as an essential.
Pet Wipes – With the cold weather, the frost, the ice, the snow, comes substances dangerous to dogs used to combat it, roads are salted and de-icer is used to clear cars. De-icer can be deadly to dogs, if they are walked through areas where de-icer may have been used it can transfer to their paws and when they get home you can be sure they’ll be licking their paws and can cause them to become very sick and even be fatal. Road salt can also irritate their paws and cause infection. It's essential if you’ve had you’re dog out in areas where de-icer or salt may have been used that you clean their paws when you get in before they do it themselves, either with a quick wash of their paws or using paw or giving them a good clean with pet wipes.
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