Your dog in the winter. Tips when you go out together.

Snow between the soles of the feet, frozen ears and a cold stomach… During the cold winter months you put on a coat and a scarf, but how cold is your dog actually? And what does your dog think of snow and ice? Here are some tips to keep in mind when you go out with your four-legged friend in the winter!

1. Keep your dog warm

Dogs with a short coat or bald bellies cool down quickly. But dogs with a long coat also have a chance of getting hypothermia. Because of snow in the fur that will melt, your dog will quickly become wet and cold. Therefore, do not stand still for too long if you run into the neighbor while walking, but keep moving together!

2. Beware of Brine Poisoning in Dogs

During frost and snow, brine is sprinkled. This sticks to the legs. When your dog goes to wash after a walk, your dog licks up the brine. When he licks up too much, brine can cause poisoning in dogs and can be fatal. After a walk, clean your dog’s paws well with lukewarm water.

3. Lubricate your dog’s paw pads

Brine can irritate the soles of the feet and snow can form between the soles of the feet like a ball. This makes walking painful and removing the balls can also be painful because they become rock hard.
Lubricating your dog’s paws with special Potenwax or just Vaseline before going outside will help prevent this. Cutting long hairs between the soles also helps prevent the snow from sticking.

4. Don’t let your dog on the ice

Your dog can easily slip, resulting in possible injury to joints, muscles and bones. Your dog can also fall through the ice. It is wise to keep your dog on a leash during a walk near ice to prevent problems.

5. Recognize the symptoms of hypothermia in your dog

With hypothermia or frostbite you will see the following symptoms in your dog:

• He has cold ears, paws and tail
• Touching ears, paws and tail is painful 
• Your dog is slower than usual
• Your dog is shivering
• The hair stands upright all over the body
• Your dog is disoriented

Do you recognize these phenomena? Then it is important that you keep your dog warm. Then take your dog to a warm place as soon as possible and wrap your dog in a pre-warmed blanket. Let him drink lukewarm water and contact your vet.