You've poured antifreeze in your car, installed storm windows and had your furnace serviced. But have you winterized Fido for these frosty days? It's only fair that your four-footed friends enjoy frolicking in the ice and snow, too.
Dr. Porge Nakovich, director of veterinary medicine at Animal Friends, a no-kill shelter in Ohio Township, Pa., has several suggestions on how to keep your dog warm and healthy in the winter.
"If it's too cold for a person, it's probably too cold for a dog," she says. That's her guide in determining when she'll change the routine of her daily walks with her Rottweiler mix, Patches, and her Chihuahua, Taffy. When she's freezing herself, she takes shorter walks more frequently. "If I normally take the big dog for 3 1/2 miles, I might take her only for a mile," she said. Here are some other tips:
TEMPERATURE CHECK
If the temperature drops to zero or below, or the wind chill makes it feel that cold, Nakovich does not take her dogs outside, and she advises that you don't either.
PAD PROTECTION
When leaving her home, she sprays her dogs' paws with cooking spray. This prevents ice balls from building up between their pads and gives them some protection from the rock salt, too.
When she returns, she washes the dogs' paws to dissolve any salt that might be on them. She keeps a spray bottle with water at room temperature near the door.
FROST FREE
If temperatures are hovering above zero, she checks for signs of frostbite. "Dogs shake when they get chilled," she says. "Their extremities will feel cold. If you come in the house and you notice that their ear tips are swollen and red or absolutely white, those are different degrees of frostbite. It's painful, and it can cause sloughing of the tissue." If you see these symptoms in your dog, you can gradually warm up the area, but do not rub it vigorously.
"Some of these areas that lose blood supply because of the swelling are susceptible to infection. If they are severe, they need to be amputated," she said, adding that it's best to have your pet checked at an emergency clinic.
FASHION OR FUNCTION?
Coat or no coat? "It's more for us than for them," she says. "We think that they're warmer with it on. I don't know. A coat will not protect ears or the tail. If you're getting cold, they're getting cold."
VESTED FOR SAFETY
Because of winter's shorter days, you may be walking more often in the dark. For safety, consider putting a reflective vest on your dog or use a reflective leash, collar or any of the collar LED lights on the market.
BEWARE OF FIRE
If your dog returns from a walk, don't let it get close to a fire in the fireplace. "They're cold," Nakovich says. "They may not feel the intensity of the heat, and they could get close to the fire and come up with a thermal burn."
IN THE DOGHOUSE
If your dog spends winter in a doghouse, be sure the ceiling and walls are properly insulated, just like a regular house. Water for a dog that lives outside should be changed three to four times daily because it freezes quickly.
You also should increase the dog's food intake so he can maintain body weight and better regulate body temperature, Nakovich says.
PLAYTIME
Dogs get less exercise in colder weather. Interactive toys, which stimulate a dog's mind and require its physical energy, are helpful when pets have cabin fever.
Rennie
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