It is another relentless long cold winter, despite carrying around their thick jackets year round dogs still need looking after. Here are some tips to keep your dog happy and healthy over winter.
You would be forgiven for thinking that dogs are ideally suited for cold conditions. Summer long they struggle with the heat, many breeds have a lovely warm thick coat of hair that traps the heat. Whilst this is true, there are still many things we can do to help our dogs through winter.
Small dogs feel the cold much more than bigger dogs; they simply do not have the body mass to keep their organs warm. My Lakeland Terrier will often shake during winter, a quick cuddle up under a blanket solves that one (see pic). Many owners choose to place a jacket on their dogs which is a good idea, some even cover their bellies which mean less cleaning after a muddy walk. Be persistent with this as many dogs won`t enjoy the coat at first.
Many dogs require clipping or stripping such as many terrier breeds, if your dog suffers in the cold you may want to strip your dog less often during the winter months. There is no set time period you must strip or clip your dog, missing a few strips will just mean that there is more hair for next time. Some dogs can get itchy skin if they are regulary stripped (often called rolling) then receive no sripping for a longer period so make the decision based on your own dog.
Many products we use in winter can be very harmful to dogs. One such example is rock salt (grit) used to prevent surfaces from icing over. After a few days of successive gritting not only the roads but the pavements are often coated in a slushy grit mix which can cause irritation to a dogs paws. If ingested it will cause a stomach upset making you dog feel very ill. In American there is a product called Safe Paw that is a dog safe rock salt variation, I hope it becomes more widely available soon.
Anti-freeze is another danger for dogs, the ethylene glycol found within anti-freeze has a very sweet scent and taste. It is also very toxic, just a few teaspoons could kill a dog so make sure you put the bottle away after use and look for any leaks on your driveway. Anti-freeze poisoning is one of the most common causes of dog death during winter.
Dogs kept outside throughout winter run risk of hyperthermia. A dogs happy temperature is round 100 degress farenheit, dropping below 88 degrees will pose a risk for your dog. If your dog must stay outside, there are a few ways to prevent hyperthermia. Make sure the opening of the dog house does not face the wind and ensure there are no leaks. Ensure the bedding is kept fresh and dry, wet bedding will quickly lower your dogs temperature, cause infection and can freeze easily. Lastly ensure the water bowl has not frozen over and your dog has access to clean fresh water.
Dogs can lose their scent during snow fall. I have fallen foul to this one a few times walking the terrier in the image above! He wanders off into the woods, gets himself lost then spends the next hour howling for me to come find him or until a kind stranger takes pity on him and calls the number on his collar.
Watch where your dog is walking, breaking thin ice can easily cut a paw. Blood also looks so much worse in snow.
Don`t let your dog walk on ice covered water. Just a few months ago I saw a dog fall through the ice at my local lake. It took an agonising 90 minutes to be rescued, the dog in question was an Akita so luckily is built for cold temperatures and survival the ordeal.
Cold weather aggravates arthritis in dogs just as it does their owners. Be sensible with elderly dogs and keep them as warm as possible.
Have we missed anything out? Let us know what you do to help your dog in winter using the comments below.
Great blog! Some great points made- last summer we got our first family pet – she is now a crazy 15month old beagle! She sleeps in a cage in our dining room at night as otherwise she would have ‘shredded’ the house by morning!! The last few weeks we noticed she was whining/crying in the night- when we let her out she didn’t need the toilet- we were puzzled- a friend suggested she might be cold- I wad surprised as I thought ‘dogs don’t get cold indoors!’ and she had lived in an outside kennel with her breeder- however when we thought about it we realised most evenings she spent with us and a very warm gas fire, she had climatised to the heat. We popped a fleece over her cage which not only contained the heat but made it nice and dark for her too- ever since we’ve had peaceful nights- bless her!