With the new fallen snows and winter temperatures here, it’s time to remind ourselves of the extra precautions needed during the season. A salty frozen dog paw almost sounds like a new cocktail, but save your dog from this chemical slurpy.
You might want to pick up some unscented baby wipes with aloe and clean your dogs paws with them—you can often find 2 for 1 sales and to save little more, you can forgo the plastic pop-up holder and put the open bag in a zip lock bag to stay fresh. It’s easy to keep these by the door next to the drying towel. The aloe also conditions your dogs paw pads and helps prevent dryness and cracking.
Small dog breeds tend to need extra layers of clothing. A little sweater under the regular dog coat can keep your pet in good health and generally comfortable enough to do his business outside and not on your floor, however near the “out” door it may be. Medium and large dogs tend not to need coats except in extreme weather.
Turn long walks into shorter sprints when the weather goes into the single digits, watching for signs of discomfort (lifting paws off the ground, whimpering). When you are playing in the snow and there’s wind involved as well as cold, wet ears, paws, and tails are prime targets for frostbite. Any damage will show as up as painful swelling within 48 hours. Call your vet’s office or the emergency vet and get them to tell you what to do. Each damaged area attracts bacteria and loss of limbs and even death can be the result of inattention.
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