Winter health and wellness

BY: KAREN J. METZLER D.V.M.

Vet Talk

Winter days are often filled with cold weather, overcast skies, holiday celebrations and travel. Keeping your dog safe during this season can be a difficult task. Taking some simple precautions, however, can help to ensure that your dog stays safe, healthy and happy this winter.

First, plan ahead to ensure you know where the closest animal emergency hospital is in relation to you before there is an emergency. Speak with your regular veterinarian as to their recommended emergency vet and map out how to get there in advance. Keep your veterinarian's and the emergency vet's contact information in an easy to find location or saved in the contacts in your phone under your pet's name so that they are handy if you are in a stressful pet emergency situation.

Whether your dog loves the winter or is the type that would rather snuggle up with you in a warm blanket, either way, it's important to protect them against the winter elements.

The fur coat our dogs have does not necessarily make them more tolerable to the cold. A dog's cold tolerance is based on their coat, body fat stores, activity level, size, age and health status. Shortening the time your dog spends outdoors in very cold temperatures can protect them against weather related health risks and injuries. A good rule of thumb is, if it is too cold outside for you, then it is too cold for your pet. Provide warmth, shelter, calorie-rich food and fresh water for dogs that are housed outdoors and unable to come inside.

With your pet spending more time indoors during the winter, make sure your home has been thoroughly pet-proofed. Space heaters, fireplaces and candles can burn your pet or be a fire hazard. Make sure your furnaces are working efficiently and fire and carbon monoxide detectors are in place to keep everyone safe. Holiday decorations including ornaments, tinsel, electric lights, Christmas trees, holiday plants, batteries and potpourris can be tempting hazards for pets. Pets should be closely supervised around these seasonal heat sources, plants and decorations.

Holiday foods and drinks for people should not be fed to your pets. Avoid feeding pets bones and scraps as they can cause tooth fractures, pancreatitis, vomiting and diarrhea, and intestinal obstruction. Chocolate, nuts and xylitol, commonly found in holiday candies, are especially toxic to our dogs. If you would like to share holiday treats with you pet, buy or make treats specifically formulated for them. Holiday parties with visitors arriving and departing, strange smells and loud noises can be difficult and unsettling for our pets. Even the best-natured pet can be scared by a strange guest or noise and feel compelled to defend themselves. Consider boarding your pets the day of your party. If you prefer to keep your pet at home, talk with your guests in advance about your preferences in regards to pets and children. Designate a "doorman" to keep doors closed behind arriving guests. Having your pet microchipped and wearing proper identification with your current contact information can make it easier to recover and reunite with your pet, should it escape.

Also, put guests' purses and bags away and keep pets out of guest rooms. Request your guests not feed your pet unless asking you first. To help your pet relax, consider giving your pet a quiet, safe place to retreat to like a crate or bedroom away from all the festivities. A party is not a time to socialize your pet. Ask your veterinarian for advice about homeopathic therapy, pheromones or medications to help your pet cope with the stress of company.

If you are planning holiday travel away from home, make plans for someone to care for your pet. Discuss with your pet's sitter the protocol you want taken in the event of an emergency. Dogs can be boarded with a pet sitter, a kennel of your choosing or even with your veterinarian. Make sure to plan in advance as reservations fill quickly in the holiday season. When boarding, make sure pet vaccinations are current and up-to-date. Should you elect for your pet to travel with you, take your pet's bed or crate along. Having a pet's bed can ease anxiety for your pet and a crate can keep them safe when you are away.

Pets should always be safely restrained in a vehicle and should never be left alone in the car regardless of weather. Check interstate and international travel regulations to ensure you have the appropriate health certificates for travel. Schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to discuss and obtain the needed certificates within the time frame required. Your veterinarian is the most qualified person to advise you in regards to your pet's requirements, safety and ability to travel.

Many people are tempted to give pets as gifts for the holidays. Bringing a new dog into the home is a big responsibility and a personal choice. Pets should not be a surprise gift to a new owner. In too many cases the person giving the pet as a gift misunderstands the desires of the person receiving the pet. Statistics have shown that gifted pets have a higher rate of turnover to shelters and their new owners are less tolerable of any problems that arise. The busy holiday season is not the best time for a new pet with a high demand for time, energy and attention.

With a few simple precautions, the winter season can be an enjoyable and safe time of year for both you and your dog. So grab a good book, a soft blanket and curl up by a warm fire indoors with your dog.

DR. KAREN J. METZLER is a veterinarian with Summerfields Animal Hospital in Fort Worth. Dr. Metzler was fortunate to grow up in a home filled with a wide variety of family pets including hamsters, birds, cats, dogs and horses. She has always loved animals, so it was only natural for her to choose veterinary medicine as her career path. She graduated from Texas A&M's, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. She has experience in emergency medicine as wells as general practice. She has specific interests in surgery, dentistry, internal medicine, exotics and cardiology. Dr. Metzler is dedicated to her profession as well as her family. She, her husband Jeff, and their six children — Daniel, Brandon, Madison, Meridythe, Maycie and Noah — live in Bowie, Texas. They enjoy the country life as it supports the many family pets and farm animals they care for and love.