Pet lovers have two ways to protect their animal companions from lapping away at deadly antifreeze — one relatively foolproof, the other not.

• Not foolproof: Use a safer antifreeze made from a different formulation than the more popular variety, store chemicals properly, and wipe up spills promptly. While this should eliminate most of the risk for dogs, these strategies are not foolproof for free-roaming cats because you cannot control what your neighbors will do when it comes to using or storing deadly chemicals.

• Foolproof: Keep cats inside. Free-roaming cats have relatively short life spans because the outside world is full of deadly hazards. To antifreeze, add cars, coyotes (even in cities!) and cat-hating neighbors to the list of things that can kill a free-roaming cat.

If you even suspect that your pet has gotten into some antifreeze, get him to the veterinary clinic immediately. There’s no “wait and see” period with this stuff. — Dr. Marty Becker