As a polar vortex hit large parts of the U.S, and snow was seen in most of the country, any good pet parent starts to wonder what they should do to keep their pups healthy and happy in the winter.
There’s a number of different things to be aware of with the winter. It is also important to keep in mind that each dog will handle blizzard conditions differently. Snow may light up a Siberian Husky’s day but it might cause a Boston Terrier to be really anxious searching for winter outerwear.
Even if your dog is an Arctic breed, is to look out for signs your dog is enjoying themselves or is having issues.
A good reminder is that if you’re too cold, even in multiple layers, it is likely too cold for your dog.
4 Tips for Making Sure Your Pack is Having Fun in Your Winter Wonderland:
1. Watch out for salt and take a pause to inspect your dog’s paws!
Though salt can help melt ice and prevent people from falling on icy sidewalks, it can also be dangerous for dogs. Rock salt, frequently used as a de-icing agent by businesses and residences, can irritate and even burn a dog’s paw. If salt is caught in between the paw toes or caught on the fur, it can lead to inflammation, soreness or even bacterial infection. The other concern is if the salt is ingested, say from licking their paws post-walk, it can cause everything from vomiting to disorientation to extreme thirst as well as potentially causing salt burns to the mouth or gastrointestinal tract.
If you are using rock salt for your driveway or your apartment building has it out in front of the lobby, switch to “pet-friendly” de-icing agents such as urea-based ice melt products. It is a salt that the dog's body already produces and reports about irritated paws are relatively low. De-icers made from propylene glycol are also safe for dogs as they are used in a variety of foods and medications.
Regardless of what you use, rinse off your dog’s paws as well as towel them when they come home from an excursion outside. If possible, invest in doggy booties to protect them from possible exposure. Another thing to do while inspecting their paws is to look for irritation, scratches, cuts and other signs of issues which you can treat with petroleum jelly or paw-specific protectants that can help treat issues as well as protect them from de-icer and other chemical agents.
2. Keep that coat long and your house humidified.
Shaving your dog’s coat in the winter is not recommended since you’ll never know when an extremely cold day may hit and some, though limited exposure to the cold, may occur. Longer coats are obviously better at providing warmth so try to let your dog embrace their inner wooly fluffer while also being mindful of any lingering snow on hair or between toes. Another thing to be mindful of is that coming in from the cold while playing outside to your well-heated but dry home could start to cause itchiness or flakiness of their skin. Toweling your pets after a roll in the snow is always good to prevent biting and licking issues down the line!
3. Baths are (more) optional in the winter .;)
Yes, you may think you should be bathing your dog more as you like to take a warm shower to unfreeze in the morning, but it is different for dogs. Going back to some of the skin issues discussed earlier, over-bathing your dog will increase the chance of more flakiness which will then lead to biting and licking that can cause further skin issues such as bacterial infections. Again, feel free to bathe your dog on a once a month schedule during the winter and try a dog-friendly moisturizing shampoo. And remember that being well-hydrated will help keep their skin from drying out.
4. Time to eat, but keep it balanced!
As you might expect, dogs will eat more in the winter as it allows them to gain some extra fat to keep warm. But like it would be for any hibernating human, moderate increases in food intake are the name of the game. Winter is no justification for eating an entire bag of treats so monitor exercise and how much your dogs eat in tandem. It is important that they still get a good amount of exercise indoors if it is too cold to play outside. Fetch inside may be a little more difficult but it is still critical to continue healthy habits.
And please remember, dogs need to have access to heat in the winter if kept outdoors.
Overnight cold fronts and sudden drops in temperature necessitate monitoring even for breeds who consider winter their best time of year.
Especially as dogs age, it is really critical to keep a watchful eye over them and make sure that they can rest their head in a comfortable climate fit for the kings and queens we know they are.
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