Top 14 Tips to Take Care of Your Dog During Winter

Taking care of a pet is always challenging. Especially with season changes, your dog can easily catch illnesses if you fail to take the right measure. Dog owners often neglect any efforts during the winter, as they have a misconception that dogs cannot catch a cold beyond their thick fur. This is far from the truth. Even if your dog enjoys chilly weather, it is your responsibility to take the proper care during winter.

Do you wish to know more about taking care of dogs in winter? This article will give you a complete overview with some detailed tips.

People often wonder how to care for dogs in winter. It can be slightly tricky since the winter season can take a toll on your dog's health. Here is a list of our hand-picked tips that will help you take better care of your dog and avoid the possibility of illnesses this season.

1. Limited Outdoor Time: While dogs might be protected by their thick fur, spending long hours in a cold environment can be dangerous for them. Moreover, some breeds of dogs are not blessed with such a thick coat of fur. The risks of the cold outdoors are even higher for them. Winter can seriously affect their paws with frostbite, even if they enjoy playing outdoors. The best thing to do here is to change their walk timings. The temperature is usually moderate around the late morning and early afternoon hours. Moreover, it would help if you reduced the off-leash time to ensure that the pet is not playing outside. Keep checking the yards and surroundings to ensure they do not go out when the temperature falls.
2. Maintain a Favourable Room Temperature: The temperature might go down if your house is in an open space, and it can harm your dog, despite the fur. The lowest temperature of the room should not fall beyond 10°C (50°F) if you are living with a dog. Therefore, try to use a room heater and close the doors and windows to avoid a cold breeze. This way, your dog will not feel cold inside the house. 
3. Moisturise the Dog: Cold weather can cause dry skin and cracks in a dog's paws and other body parts, and these issues can be similar to that of a normal human being. Therefore, you need to moisturise your pet's skin just as you do to yourself. Coconut oil is a good option. You can apply it in abundance on your dog’s skin, as it has no side effects and it will not cause any harm. If you find cracks around the ears or tails of your dog, you can apply coconut oil in these areas as well for miniaturisation.
4. Wrap the Pet in Woollens: As discussed already, a thick coat of fur is insufficient to protect your dog from cold weather and its adversities. Like everyone else, dogs should also be covered with woollen clothes and sweaters while going out during winter. If the weather starts getting extremely chilly, purchase woollen sweaters and jackets made specifically for dogs. These are readily available in the market based on the size of your dog, and always make them wear these when taking them out for walks or allowing them to play outside.
5. Ensure Paw Care: Like foot cracks, dogs go through maximum damage on their paws during winter. They suffer frostbite and cracked pads during this time, and this situation can get painful and lead to more severe issues if left untreated. City sidewalks often include winter salt, which is highly toxic for dogs and can burn their paws. Therefore, take time to rinse winter salt off of their paws. You can also apply coconut oil to avoid dried and cracked paws. Additionally, trim the hair growing on their paws to prevent the possibility of ice build-up between the pads.
6. Maintain a Better Diet: Pets usually burn more energy to keep their bodies warm during the winter. As a result, their dietary intake should include more protein to keep them healthy. Without this, they might not be able to function as actively as before. However, that being said, you should avoid overfeeding your dog during the winter season. As there are lower activities outdoors, dogs might seem lazy sitting at home. Therefore, you need to adjust their calories carefully, keeping their requirements in mind. You should include whole foods like raw meat in their daily diets.
7. Ensure Cosy Bedding: Another way of caring for dogs in winter is to develop warm and cosy bedding for them to sleep in at night. It is known that the temperature starts dropping at night, and usually, nighttimes are the coldest. Therefore, do not let your dog sleep on the floor at night during the winter. Raised beds are usually beneficial here, as they help keep your dog off cold tiles or concrete. Moreover, you can also find heated pet beds, which are great for dogs who are facing stiffness of bone joints. Make sure to keep a warm blanket in this bed to keep your dog warm at night.
8. Change the Drinking Water: Dogs are more likely to feel less thirsty during winter as they are not exposed to heat. As a result, the container for their drinking water turns ice cold if it remains for more than a day. Dogs will avoid drinking this water as it gets extremely cold, which can lead to dehydration. You need to change the dog's drinking water every 2-3 hours a day to avoid this situation. Additionally, you can provide them with lukewarm water. Adjusting the room's temperature can also help you keep a moderate temperature for the drinking water. In addition, you can also offer more liquid in their daily diets and meals to avoid this issue. This way, you will be able to keep them hydrated.
9. Consider Regular Health Checkups: Various health issues are common among dogs during winter, especially among the aged and serious ones. Particularly, if they suffer from problems like arthritis and joint pain, they will have a hard time surviving a freezing winter. Moreover, bitter cold and numbing wetness during winter can cause discomfort to dogs. Thus, you must consider additional healthcare for your dogs during winter. Keep in touch with your veterinarian for regular recommendations regarding supplements. Moreover, conduct regular physical exercises if the dogs suffer from body aches. Avoid slippery surfaces when it takes them out for work.
10. Reduce Cold Water Baths: If you are wondering how to protect dogs in winter, one of the familiar sources is the water used to bathe a dog. Washing them regularly with cold water can cause them to catch a cold. For this, you need to increase the intervals between the time to wash them, and it should be relatively lower than the usual routine used in summer. Apart from that, you should also use lukewarm water instead of cold water for bathing your dog. Doing it under the sunlight can also be helpful; this way, the dog can avoid cold from cold water baths.
11. Avoid Keeping the Heaters Close: If you use a room heater to adjust the room temperature, make sure to maintain a safe distance of the heater from your pet. Dogs wandering about on the floor can easily come close to a heater, which can burn their furs. Fireplaces also cause a similar issue. Thus, ensure to keep the heaters on top shelves, somewhere outside the reach of your dogs. Your fireplace should also have proper covers so that dogs do not get hurt even if they come close to it. Installing baseboard radiator covers can also be useful here.
12. Remove Snow: Dogs usually love to play in the snow. However, snow can harm their health and bodies, causing cracks and frostbite. Moreover, if snow starts piling up in your garden, backyard or even around the fences, it can be tempting to the dogs, and they will run away to play around it. Moreover, snow piling up on your roof starts melting with the sun, and the entire accumulation can fall, harming your dog. Therefore, make sure to clean around the house and remove snow from any part of it. If snow accumulates, make sure to break it in the morning.
13. Avoid Toxin Exposure: Winter usually causes the excessive spread of dust and toxins. People often use antifreeze in water and liquids to prevent them from freezing. Dogs might end up licking and tasting these, as they taste sweet on their tongue. It is incredibly toxic, and a small quantity can cause serious health issues for your dog. Keeping your dogs out of garages and driveways can be helpful, as these areas often use antifreeze. Apart from that, train them so that they do not try to taste such liquids when wandering outside.
14. Groom the Dog: Dust and toxins fly freely during the winter. These can accumulate under the thick fur of your dog, especially if they stay outdoors too often. These are usually difficult to notice, and they can end up causing severe health issues. Thus, it would help if you cleaned their furs regularly to avoid accumulating dust and toxins. After bathing, dry them properly.

If you decide to take care of dogs in winter, you should be aware of the common health risks they might face. This will help you take practical steps against these. Here are the two main health risks that dogs face during winter and how to avoid them.

1. Frostbite: Dogs get frostbite when their body gets cold from being in a chilly environment for a long time. The body starts pulling blood from various corners of the body to remain warm. Their ears, paws or tails usually get cold, causing ice crystals in the tissues and subsequently damaging them. It is often difficult to spot frostbite in dogs, and you need to check regularly for signs of pale or grey skin in your dog. Hard and cold skin can also signify the same issue, and severe frostbite will turn the skin black. If you notice this, immediately bring your dog to the veterinarian and seek immediate help.
2. Hypothermia: This is another common health issue that dogs suffer from during winter. Spending long hours in an icy environment or getting wet can cause this condition. Their ears and feet turn cold, and they might experience extreme shivers. With time, they might display symptoms of lethargy, depression, and weakness. Their breathing rate might slow down with stiff muscles. It will help if you prevent your dog from going out or getting wet during winter so that they do not catch this disease. Moreover, cover them adequately at night, and dogs will require radiant heat if this condition gets serious.