Clarissa Kell | Daily Press Delta Animal Shelter Manager Sue Gartland brings Baby outside for a short amount of time at the Delta Animal Shelter Wednesday. With the cold temperatures, ice and snow, pet owners should take extra precautions to protect their animals from the harsh conditions outside. Baby, a 2-year-old neutered male, is wearing a jacket vest outside to help keep him warm during his brief time outside. Baby is available for adoption at the shelter.

ESCANABA — Living in the Upper Peninsula means winter weather, extreme cold temperatures, ice and snow. According to local animal experts, there are many preventative measures that can be taken to make sure pets are protected against the harsh environment.

Sue Laskaska, owner and veterinarian at Bay Veterinary Clinic in Gladstone, said unfortunately all of the weather-related injuries she sees are about a fraction of the amount sustained by animals during the cold winter months.

“Unfortunately, what we see is probably underrepresented because most people who are willing to bring their pet to the vet are the ones doing the right things to keep them from being injured in the first place,” she said. “So there are probably a lot of animals out there that get frost bitten and other winter weather-related injuries that we never see because they never get brought in.”

Frostbite, hypothermia, salt burns and poisoning from antifreeze are the most common culprits.

Laskaska explained when it comes to treating frost bite, a vet has to first determine how salvageable the injured tissue is and trim away the dead tissue.

She said it is treated like an open wound and treated for an infection if there is evidence of one.

For both frost bite and salt burns, pain management is a huge part of the treatment process.

According to Laskaska, pet owners should always have adequate shelter for outside animals to counter the hypothermia risk and keep antifreeze, which is sweet tasting and extremely poisonous, out of the reach of animals.

Sue Gartland, the Delta Animal Shelter manager, provided tips to keeping animals safe from winter-related injuries.

“I think one of the big things is to realize that if it’s too cold for us, then it’s too cold for the majority of animals and they can get frostbite just like humans,” Gartland said, adding many of the cats that come through the shelter during the winter suffer from frost bite.

She said frost bite is an extremely painful condition and animals suffer in pain for quite some time during the healing process.

With temperatures dropping, Gartland recommended owners to limit their pets time outside.

She added owners should be aware of their dog’s breed when determining how long the animal should stay outside and if extra garments should be put on the dog for protection.