Winter worries

KEEPING YOUR DOG WARM THIS WINTER

Whilst temperatures never plummet to very low levels in South Africa, the change in temperature over winter remains fairly significant. Just like us, our dogs feel this drop and may need some help staying warm and healthy over winter.

Here are our top ten tips for managing your dog in the cold weather this winter:

1. Provide a warm bed. You must ensure that your dog has a comfortable, warm bed out of any chilly drafts. Moving their bed off tiled flooring and onto warmer carpeted areas is also a good idea. For older or smaller dogs, ensure they have extra blankets and bedding to keep them warm and provide extra padding for joints.

2. Keep them moving. Winter is often a time when we all move less than we should, and this can have detrimental effects on our dog’s health. Despite the cold weather, it is important that we help keep their joints mobile and prevent weight gain. If necessary, you can use a dog coat to keep them warm. This is particularly useful for smaller, older or shorter-haired dogs.

3. Limit time outside. Dogs can suffer from frostbite, especially on their ear flaps and tail tips. Whilst this would be unlikely in South Africa, we still need to be aware that our dogs can get very cold. Limit your dog’s time in cold weather and ensure that they get plenty of time indoors to warm up.

4. Consider age. Like humans, very young and very old dogs have difficulty regulating their body temperature, so they have more extreme reactions to cold weather. You need to bear this in mind and monitor these dogs carefully in colder weather.

5. Joint support. Dogs with arthritis or other joint issues will be worse affected in winter than summer. Cold weather aggravates these conditions making our dogs more sore than usual. Therefore, it can be a good idea to use ramps, lift their feed bowl, provide extra padding in their beds, and help them into the car where necessary. Of course, if your dog’s joint issues worsen dramatically in winter, you should seek assistance from your vet.

6. Paw care. Just like humans, dogs can suffer from cold feet. Those with hairy feet are susceptible to ice droplets forming between their toes, making them uncomfortable and sore. Therefore after every winter walk, it is important to check your dog’s paws and clean between their paw pads and toes with warm water to prevent salt and ice from causing irritation. In dogs with very long hair on their paws, you could consider trimming it for winter.

7. Nutrition. It is important to monitor your dog’s weight over winter. Most dogs are less active in winter than summer and spend more time sleeping than usual. This makes weight gain a genuine risk. Keep an eye on portion size and ensure that you adjust the diet accordingly if weight gain becomes an issue.

8. Dry them off. If your dog gets wet during cold weather, their muscles can go into spasm when they are trying to warm up, especially around the base of their tail. This can be an extremely painful experience for a dog, so always be sure to dry off your dog with a towel straight after a swim and allow them to warm up gradually. If your dog cannot wag their tail properly a few hours after getting wet, take them to your vet for a check-up, and, if needed, they will prescribe anti-inflammatories and pain killers to help reduce the discomfort.

9. Beware of ice. You need to take care that your dog does not lick cold or frozen surfaces. While dogs may enjoy the sensation of cold on their tongues, some have been known to get their tongue stuck to objects, damaging their tongues severely or leading to ice burns in the mouth.

10. Watch out for antifreeze. As little as a teaspoon of antifreeze can cause kidney failure in dogs. Keep antifreeze well out of reach of your dog. Signs of antifreeze ingestion include drooling, vomiting, seizures, excessive thirst, panting, lethargy and a drunken appearance. If you think your dog might have ingested antifreeze, you need to get to the vet as soon as possible.