It is getting cold again! Lovely to go out with your dog. Sometimes it is wise to take some extra measures. What do you have to take into account?
Moving and standing still
Most dogs live in our house. When it is cold outside, they can handle it well, as long as they keep moving. When they stand still for a long time they can catch a cold. Keep your dog moving and dry him when it gets wet, because of course a wet dog gets cold faster. Pay extra attention to this with older dogs and puppies.
Road salt
Road salt causes irritation to the feet of your dog. Therefore, do not let him walk on a road or sidewalk that you know has been scattered. After the walk you can clean the feet with a damp cloth. You can also put some Vaseline on the feets. This prevents irritation and has a soothing effect on wounds and dry soles.
Eating snow
Some dogs like to eat snow. A little snow won’t hurt, but make sure your dog doesn’t eat too much snow. This is not good for his digestive system.
Ice
Is there ice on the water? Be alert for weak parts where your dog can fall through, which is of course dangerous. Dogs can also over-stretch their muscles if they slip, end up in the wrong way or don’t have enough grip.
A jacket?
Most Australian Kelpies do not need a jacket in the winter for their normal walk. For weak or older dogs, however, it can be very pleasant to have a nice warm jacket in the freezing cold.
Antifreeze
Dogs can really like to drink antifreeze. This is fatal and must therefore always be stored out of reach of the dog!
My kelpie wants to be outside most of the time. Right now we have below freezing temperatures and I’m worried about letting her out. Thank you for the information and I’ll feel better about letting her out for short times.