Preparing for Winter

Kimitatsu

Thanks for that See we dont live near any roads as we live on a farm so the dogs are never walked on a pavement - never crossed my mind that other dogs walk on pavements all the time, I did tell you it was a daft question :rotfl:

Right will get some salt now then..........

oystercatcher

It's not a daft question Kimitatsu. I'd heard on the news that councils were also introducing mollasses into their salty grit mix and my first thought was that this would make it even more tasty for the dogs with possible consequenses !

I must admit I haven't noticed my two trying to eat the stuff though and I'm sure they would if it was tasty!

mardatha

O god, if they do that then I'll be out licking the road as well !

Reverbe

newleaf wrote: »

Nippyone, try equestrian or smallholders suppliers, they usually have salt in stock
Our council don't give it away unfortunately.

You could try shovelling it which is free and OS and even provides exercise. I have no problem with finding alternative sources for things but in this instance it might lead to horses having to do without so you folks can drive your car. Salt is an essential part of a horse's diet and not able to be found in their normal feeds which is why it goes on sale as salt licks etc..

Frugaldom

mardatha wrote: »

O god, if they do that then I'll be out licking the road as well !

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: I was just thinking along similar lines, horses love salt licks and molasses, they'd be out licking the pavements!

newleaf

Reverbe wrote: »

You could try shovelling it which is free and OS and even provides exercise. I have no problem with finding alternative sources for things but in this instance it might lead to horses having to do without so you folks can dry your car. Salt is an essential part of a horse's diet and not able to be found in their normal feeds which is why it goes on sale as salt licks etc..

I am talking about rock salt, which is sold for de icing pavements, not for horses to eat.
But thanks anyway for your advice re exercise :rolleyes:
(And by the way....I am a community nurse so it's rather essential that I can drive my car).

BigMummaF

Kimitatsu wrote: »

To all you salty experts I have dogs and our courtyard was like an ice rink last week as it would thaw a bit and then refreeze and did this for several days! OH and I were talking about salting the paths but my concern was that it would get onto their paws and they would then likck it off and give themselves salt poisoning (told you it was a daft question!)

So am I just being silly and it wont bother them at all or if I got the council to deliver grit would that be the solution as that is not just salt is it?

I have OA so falling on my knees is very painful and also makes the arthritis worse on the long run so it would be great if I could find another solution.

Thanks in advance

Might be worth asking on the Pets Forum? Not meaning it isn't a valid question for here too, but I think there's a few veterinary nurses who keep an eye open there. Our council doesn't grit pavements & sometimes it's hard to tell if they've done the roads!

Reverbe wrote: »

You could try shovelling....

That can make the paths more slippery tho I think the whole point of salt/ grit whatever, is to help prevent the molten snow & ice from re-freezing after it thaws from walking on etc.
I recall an aunt who has lived in Canada for many years saying their snow is more powdery & the air crisp & dry, where ours is always very damp in comparison. I suppose that would make it easier for them to clear their paths manually
And it does :mad: me when people complain about railways using snow & leaves on the line as some sort of excuse. Years ago the rolling stock [carriages & locos] were a lot heavier so had more oomph to stay on the tracks, plus 'gangers' were employed with the sole purpose of cutting back foliage to help keep it off the lines & clearing
drifting snow. Either folk want to arrive safely or travel by some other means with as much disruption!
Perhaps not the right place to express my opinion but it just annoys me so!

nippyone

anguk wrote: »

You could try ringing your local council to see if they have a salt store where you can pick salt up free. We're quite lucky, our local council depot & salt store is only about a mile away and they have 2 big grit bins outside that they keep topped up for the public to help themselves.

I've got 2 big builders buckets that I bought cheaply from poundstretcher and keep them full in the shed, there is a gritbin at the end of the street but it's always empty. My OH is an amputee and walking on ice & snow with a false leg is very difficult & dangerous so I like to keep a path from the back door to the car clear.

I phoned our local council office and we do have a public salt/grit store but unfortunately for us it is about 15 miles away and the lady also said that she had answered about 1200?? calls asking the same question that morning too!

Thanks for your idea/suggestion anyway.

top_drawer_2

hi,

Does a door curtain work ok when there are people coming and going? I live in a shared house and am a little worried I may be in with the curtain closed and someone else wants to come in and there is a problem.......

Thanks

Jen

Frugaldom

BigMummaF wrote: »

Might be worth asking on the Pets Forum? Not meaning it isn't a valid question for here too, but I think there's a few veterinary nurses who keep an eye open there. Our council doesn't grit pavements & sometimes it's hard to tell if they've done the roads!

Might be some on this forum too. I'm not aware of any huge surge in pets with problems related to the salted pavements in winter, more likely dogs getting snowballs and ice compaction between their pads, ocassional broken nail from digging in the ice & snow, but never poisoned by eating salt from the pavements. Most popular time for 'poisoned' pets, in my experience, is Easter and Christmas, because owners don't realise chocolate can poison their pets.