Amanda Teixeira
To ensure that your dog stays healthy in the winter, there are a few important rules that you absolutely have to observe now. You can find out how to properly care for the dog in the cold season here.
In winter you have to pay attention to different things when caring for your dog than in summer. After all, it is now cold and wet and the road salt can also be dangerous for dog paws. Read here how you can protect your dog ideally so that it gets through the winter fit and healthy.
Eating snow is taboo
Some dogs swallow small amounts of snow while playing and romping in the snow, some love to eat the snowball that is thrown. This can be dangerous for sensitive dogs. Impurities in the snow such as road salt combined with the cold can lead to gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining). Typical signs of this are:
- Vomit
- fever
- diarrhea
- strangle
- saliva
- to cough
- stomach pain
If your dog has eaten snow and shows these symptoms, you should definitely consult a veterinarian. If he has perhaps also absorbed antifreeze with the snow, there is even a risk of poisoning.
It is best not to throw snowballs at the dog or let it eat snow in any other way.
Protection for sensitive paws
Just as the paws should be protected from the hot asphalt floor in summer, they should now be protected from the cold and road salt. As a rule, dogs do not mind the cold floor. For longer walks or if you walk on slippery ground, special dog shoes with a profile can be useful. Make sure that these are not too tight.
Road salt irritates the paws and if you don’t protect your dog, it could become sore. Rub petroleum jelly on their paws before walking them to prevent this from happening. This way the dog’s paws can withstand the frost better.
Fur care in winter
Daily grooming is of course also important in winter. However, the fur between the toes of long-haired dogs should now be kept as short as possible. So no snow can settle there. It would be very uncomfortable for the dog to have to walk around on the paws of hard balls of snow.
Protection against the cold for sensitive dogs
Old and sick dogs should definitely wear a special dog coat when it’s cold outside. But even dogs with a very short coat or little undercoat can be protected from the cold with appropriate clothing. This includes, for example, the Dalmatian.
The same applies to particularly small dogs, such as Chihuahuas: They are closer to the ground and therefore freeze faster than their larger counterparts. It is important that the coat does not restrict the dog’s freedom of movement.
Dogs should never jump into the water in the freezing cold! Your dog could catch a dangerous cold.
Care after the walk
In cold, wet weather, it makes sense to deposit a towel at the entrance to the house. This allows you to dry off your dog immediately and free it from mud and dirt before it enters the apartment. Make sure the dog is completely dry to avoid catching a cold.
Wash your dog’s paws with warm water to remove road salt from the paws. Salt on the paws can hurt badly and chafe the pads. If your dog is clean and dry, you can relax together at home in peace.