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Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking of the winter wonderland that is just outside of the back door? Some dogs love the weather and some dogs would be happiest to stay indoors for the duration of the season. Despite your dog's apparent preferences, you must be pro-active to keep them healthy and safe. Following are some cold weather care tips to help keep your best friend happy.

First off, let's talk temperature. How would you like to have to go outside to relieve yourself naked while the temperatures are below freezing and the hawk (Chicago slang for wind!) is out of the North at twenty miles per hour? Get your dog a coat and then use it. For most breeds of dog, if it is too cold for you to stand at the door and hold it open, it is too cold for your dog to be out without a coat. There are many fine coats available commercially at pet goods warehouse stores.

The next thing to consider is your dog's feet. They walk barefoot through snow, slush, salt and water. Between the chemicals, wet and cold, there is a 100% chance of a foot injury at least once every year. To help minimize their exposure to these cruel elements, try doggie booties. I know they look dorkey, but they save your pal from injury and discomfort. Of course, the biggest problem with booties is that the dog usually either takes them off or falls out of them in the yard and you have to walk out into that frozen wasteland to retrieve it. Try this! Take a couple of pairs of old tube socks. Put one on each paw and connect the top of each sock with a child's mitten keeper over the dogs shoulders and rump. You know, the elastic straps with a clip on each end? You will need to experiment with the lengths but this will work. Now, despite your best efforts, booties in any design will not work for your dog. Then what? Simple actually. Clean the dog's feet every time they come into the house. At our house the dog's have their own towel closet! Use warm water and make sure to get in between the toes really well. Some Bag Balm or Udder Cream (available at any tack supply) every few days rubbed into the feet will help keep the pads from cracking. Cracked pads can cause excrutiating pain and the bleeding will certainly mess up the house. Finally, if you can avoid it, do not use any ice melting compounds on your walkways that are shared with the dogs. Despite this warning, dogs can slip on icy sidewalks too so use common sense in the protection of your pet.

We have found that the dogs in our house love to snuggle up to the hot water baseboards and keep warm. In most hot water systems, the temperatures are not hot enough to burn your pet. However, steam systems operate much hotter and keeping your pet away from steam radiators is a must. The simple solution to this one is to get radiator covers so there is no direct contact with the radiator.

Remember when you were a kid and a big snowfall came along? The schools were closed, traffic hardly moved and the snow was piled high. Great fun for the kids but this high piled snow presents several problems for you and your pet. First, if the snow is hard enough and piled high enough, your dog can now get over your fence. MOVE THE SNOW! Next, if the snow is soft and piled high, your pet can fall into and get trapped in a snow avalanche of sorts. Always keep an eye on your pet when they are outdoors and be dressed and ready to come to their aid. Finally, snow and ice dams on roofs. As the daytime sun warms the roof, the snow and ice shift and occasionally fall from the roof. This can kill your dog if he or she gets hit. Try to keep the overhanging ice and snow off of areas where your pet will be underneath. When that is not possible, you will need to set up barricades to keep the dogs away from the danger. My barricades are up as of this weekend and will remain in my yard until after the snow has melted away in the spring.

Even though we use chemicals year around, a warning in this writing is necessary on the dangers of antifreeze specifically. Almost all of us have heard about a dog that has died from licking or drinking antifreeze. It really happens. Just licking the antifreeze stain on the garage floor can kill your dog. Think of the chemicals in your garage, workshop or basement. Antifreeze, motor oil, windshield washer fluid, bleach, lawn mower gas, paint and thinner, furniture polish. Are they put away safely? Can they be reached? Not sure? Stop what you are doing right now and go check. This will wait until you return!

A final word of advice. There is no need to put a "winter fat layer" on your dog unless they are a breed that lives outdoors in the winter such as a Samoyed or Huskie. Overfeeding is unhealthy and your dog's heart does not need any extra pressure from wintertime fat. Use the simple common sense items outlined above and you and your pet will have many happy winter seasons to come.

Copyright 2002 by Marc Merel. Used with permission. All rights reserved.