Ice Storm Pet Safety: Downed Power Lines and Icy Paws

A downed power line is a life-safety emergency. Assume it is live, keep every person and pet well back, and call 911 and then your electric utility. Do not go near the line or anything touching it until crews say it is safe. Energized ground can shock a person standing on it, and a leashed dog stands on the same ground, so never walk a dog toward a fallen line. After the outage, wash and dry your dog’s paws after every icy, salted walk to remove deicing salt and chemicals.

The National Weather Service says heavy ice accumulations can bring down trees and topple utility poles, and even small accumulations can be extremely dangerous to pedestrians. Your dog walks that same ground on four bare feet, on a leash, next to whatever came down.

This page covers two hazards: a downed power line that can energize the ground a leashed dog walks on, and the paw damage that ice plus deicing salt can do. For the broader cold, frostbite, and shelter picture, start with our winter storm and extreme cold pet safety guide. If a generator is running your house through the outage, also read our generator carbon monoxide safety guide for pets.

Downed power lines: assume live, keep your dog well back

This is the part that can kill, so it comes first.

You cannot tell whether a downed line is live by looking at it. The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) says to assume all downed power lines are live. A line lying still in the slush looks identical to one carrying lethal current.

The danger is also the ground around the wire. ESFI says the ground around power lines, up to 35 feet away, may be energized. You do not have to touch the wire to be hurt. Eversource says broken equipment can feed electricity directly into the ground, charging the earth beneath your feet.

That is what makes it dangerous near a leashed dog. Eversource explains the mechanism, called step potential: the danger present when two parts of your body, usually your feet, are in two different voltage zones. The difference in voltage drives current through you, and Eversource says that if one foot is closer to the source of the charge than the other, you can be shocked. Eversource and ESFI describe this for people, and no source cited here describes it for dogs. A dog on the same ground is in the same possibly energized zone, though, and ESFI says even wood or cloth can conduct electricity if slightly wet, so do not count on a leash as insulation. The safe rule is the same either way.

The rule is absolute: never let a leashed dog approach a downed line or anything it is touching. If you spot one on a walk, stop, turn, and move away together before you do anything else. Then call 911 and your utility, and keep everyone back until crews clear it. Do not tie a dog anywhere near the scene while you make the call.

More specifics for an ice-storm walk:

• Stay back from the line and from anything touching it. ESFI says even non-conductive materials like wood or cloth can conduct electricity if slightly wet, and after freezing rain everything is wet. That includes fences, tree limbs on the line, metal railings, and puddles or slush.
• Never touch or step in water near a downed line. Energized water is a shock path, so give it the same distance you give the wire.
• Do not try to move the line or clear a branch off it with a broom, stick, or anything else. Call the professionals and wait.
• If you are already close, move correctly. ESFI says to shuffle away with small steps, keeping your feet together and on the ground at all times. That instruction is written for people, and no source cited here says how to move a dog out of an energized zone, which is why the rule is to never get close.

No source cited here gives a dog-specific exclusion distance. ESFI gives two figures: stay at least 10 feet from power lines and their connections, and the ground up to 35 feet around a downed line may be energized. Because the second figure is larger, we suggest keeping at least 35 feet from a downed line, and more with an animal you cannot fully control on ice.

Icy, salted paws: what the ground does to pads

Once you are clear of downed lines, the next hazard is underfoot. Ice plus deicing salt is a two-part assault on paw pads.

Salt irritates, and it can make a dog sick if licked. A clinical instructor at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine says salt can irritate paws and, if licked off feet or fur and swallowed, can cause gastrointestinal upset. AVMA adds that a dog’s feet, legs, and belly pick up deicing products, antifreeze, or other chemicals that could be toxic, which is why the wash-off afterward is not optional.

Ice and cold can crack pads. AVMA tells owners to check paws frequently for signs of cold-weather injury such as cracked or bleeding pads, and the University of Wisconsin guidance is to check pads for cracks, bleeding, or ice accumulation. Ice balls between the toes are their own problem: the ASPCA says to remove snowballs from between the foot pads, and AVMA says sudden lameness on a walk may be an injury or ice between the toes, and that clipping the hair between the toes may reduce the chance of ice balls.

The protection plan has three parts: put a barrier down before the walk, keep the outing short, and wash the paws the moment you are back inside.

Gear helps, and two options do different jobs. A boot covers the pad and adds tread, so it suits a dog that will wear one. A paw wax is the fallback for a dog that will not.

The traction barrier: Ruffwear Grip Trex boots

A boot covers the pad, so deicing salt and chemicals do not touch it directly. Ruffwear’s Grip Trex page lists a non-marking Vibram lug outsole with traction on varied terrain, and sizes by paw width from 1.50 to 3.25 inches, so you fit the actual foot instead of guessing a size band. AVMA says that if you use booties, make sure they fit properly.

Know what the specs do and do not promise. Ruffwear publishes no ice-traction coefficient and no insulation or thermal rating for this boot, so it is a rugged, gripping boot, not a studded ice cleat and not a heated boot. The closure is a hook-and-loop cinch, and Ruffwear advises re-checking the closure and fit 15 minutes into activity, so a startled dog on a slippery sidewalk can still loosen one. Our suggestion is to solve that with fit and practice: introduce boots indoors over several sessions with treats, confirm the dog cannot shake them off on carpet, and only then head out. Our dog boots buying guide covers the same Grip Trex in depth. Size all four paws and break them in before you need them.

The on-label alternative: Musher’s Secret paw wax

Not every dog tolerates boots. A balm is the realistic alternative, and in an ice storm it is on-label. Musher’s Secret’s FAQ says the wax forms a breathable, dense barrier that protects paws from salt residue, ice melt, ice build-up, and snowballing, and that it absorbs easily once applied. The FAQ gives no test data behind those claims.

The maker says it gives no traction on ice, so it does nothing for the slipping risk. It recommends applying it 2-3 times per week, cutting back to weekly if pads are in good shape. Because AVMA and the ASPCA advise wiping down or washing feet after walks, the wax does not replace that step. Its upside is that it needs no acclimation. The maker says it is made from food-grade waxes and oils and is safe if licked; that is the maker’s claim. Use it before walks for a boot-averse dog, and wash paws afterward.

The post-walk wash is not optional

Whatever you put on before the walk, the routine afterward is the same, and AVMA and the ASPCA both advise it. Wash and dry your pet’s feet, legs, and belly to remove ice, salt, and chemicals. The ASPCA suggests carrying a towel on longer walks to wipe stinging paws before the dog licks them.

Set up by the door before the storm arrives:

• A shallow tub of lukewarm water to dip and swish each paw, plus dedicated towels to dry thoroughly. The ASPCA says to towel dry your pet as soon as they come inside.
• Check as you dry. Look for cracks, bleeding, or redness between the toes, and pull out any ice balls lodged between the pads.
• Watch for limping. AVMA says sudden lameness on a walk may be an injury or ice between the toes. If a pad is bleeding, obviously painful, or looks infected, call your veterinarian.

Antifreeze deserves its own alarm

Ice storms and cars go together, and so do antifreeze leaks in cold weather. The ASPCA says antifreeze is lethal for dogs and cats, and AVMA says even small amounts can be deadly. Clean up spills immediately and keep containers away from pets. If you think your dog licked antifreeze off a paw or the pavement, do not wait for symptoms. Call your veterinarian or ASPCA Poison Control at (888) 426-4435, the number the ASPCA’s cold-weather page lists.

Two more ice-specific cautions: slips and cold

Slips and falls. AVMA notes that arthritic and elderly pets may have more difficulty walking on snow and ice and may be more prone to slipping and falling. A hard fall on ice can injure an older dog the way it injures an older person. Favor grippy footing, keep the leash short so you can steady a dog that starts to slide, and skip icy stairs and slopes if there is a flatter route.

Wet sweaters and coats. AVMA says wet sweaters or coats can make a dog colder, and suggests having several on hand so the dog wears a dry one each time it goes out. An insulated dog jacket is one option to rotate in. This is not the deep-cold frostbite scenario our winter storm guide covers, but it is a reason to keep ice-storm outings short. A dog that lives or works outdoors takes that hit for hours, which our guide to outdoor working dogs in extreme cold plans around.

Ice-storm aftermath checklist

• Before any walk, scan the route for downed lines and ice-loaded limbs. Assume every downed line is live, treat the ground up to 35 feet away as energized, keep well back, and call 911 and your utility.
• Never let a leashed dog approach a fallen line, a branch on a line, a fence touching one, or standing water near one. Wet materials conduct electricity.
• Put a barrier on the paws first: boots for a dog used to them, or paw balm for a dog that is not.
• Keep outings short. Ice, salt, and a wet coat all reward speed.
• Wash and dry feet, legs, and belly the moment you are inside; carry a towel on longer walks.
• Check pads for cracks, bleeding, redness between the toes, and lodged ice balls, and watch for limping afterward.
• Store antifreeze out of reach, clean spills at once, and keep the poison-control number handy: ASPCA (888) 426-4435.
• Steady older or arthritic dogs on ice and choose flatter, less slick routes.

Where to go next

This page is the ice-specific spoke of our broader pet emergency playbooks hub. For the full cold-weather picture, including frostbite warning signs, hypothermia, and outdoor shelter minimums, read the winter storm and extreme cold pet safety guide. For fitting and acclimating boots, see our dog boots buying guide. And because an ice storm usually means an outage, and an outage often means a generator running too close to the house, do not skip generator carbon monoxide safety for pets.

Before the next ice storm, walk your route in your head. Know where the power lines run, set your boots or balm and towels by the door, and decide in advance that a downed line means you turn around, not investigate.

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