Winter's here and as we all bundle up for when we go outside we need to consider the same for our dogs. There are several thing on the market to protect your dog from the elements. First I would like to talk about salt. Regular salt can be damaging to your dogs paws. It also can be damaging to your plants not to mention your flooring in your house. We use Ice Melt-Down
or Safe Paw. These ice melting compounds melt snow and ice even when temperatures reach zero. It is completely safe for pets, kids and plants. It won’t track or damage your carpet. It is a great item to have to help you and your pet walk safely. I know you're thinking that this may be great around my house but what about the salt other people use on their sidewalks or the salt that the city uses on the street? For this I would recommend Muttluks
these are great little boots for your dog. These boots protect your dogs feet from the snow, ice and keeps it from clumping between their pads. There are a couple of different types of boots. There are Cold Weather boots that are fleece lined and All Weather that are wind proof. Both styles are waterproof with salt and heat resistant leather soles.
If your dog already has dry and cracked foot pads there is a cream called Tender Foot
it contains multivitamins to moisturize and hydrate rough, dry, cracked foot pads and also works on callused elbows. If you are looking to toughen, strengthen and protect your dogs sensitive pads and elbows then try Musher’s Secret. I use the Mushers Secret on my dogs paws. We moved onto a wooded lot a few years back. It has alot of Oak trees and as you know where there are Oaks there are acorns. Well the squirrels like to eat the acorns but not the shells and these shells can be sharp. my dogs were getting small cuts on their pads from walking in the yard. I started using the Musher’s secret and after a while their pads did become tougher and they no longer got these small cuts on their feet. Now that you got their feet taken care of, you need to think of their body. I wouldn't go out into the cold without a coat so I do not expect my dogs to either. Older dogs, small dogs and dogs with short or thin hair cold weather can be more of an impact on these types of dogs. These types of dogs can benefit more from wearing dog clothing like sweaters, sweatshirts and pajamas indoors and coats outdoors
. Some people think it is silly to dress up their dogs. I think you should do whatever you think keeps your dog safe, comfortable and healthy. I personally do not dress up my dogs on a daily basis but when the temperature drops I make sure that my dogs are protected from the elements. Other people like to dress up their dog which is absolutely fine it does no harm to the dog and if it makes you feel good to pamper your pet in this way then more power to you. Now I'd like to talk about those outdoor dogs. These dogs really need extra attention in the colder temperatures. They need a warm, draft free place to sleep. They need water to be accessible at all times. To make sure that their water doesn’t freeze you can purchase a heated water bucket or bowl
this will insure that your dog will always have fresh water to drink. These work even in temperatures down to 20 below zero. Premade kennel panels can be purchased at Menards or Home Depot It will save you on shipping and they are a little less expensive. Put up a tarp or some kind of wind barrier. They also need something over the top of the kennel to block the snow and rain. My uncle always had hunting dogs and he would stack up bales of hay around the kennel to keep the wind out and to help keep the kennel warm. He would also spread hay out around the floor of the kennel and inside of the dog houses. If the temperature dropped too low he would bring the dogs into his heated garage until it went back up. Check on your dogs often to make sure that they are okay and have what they need to keep them warm and safe.
Dec 08, 2007 | | Winterize Your Dog
