DOES YOUR PET NEED A COAT?

W inter is here and our pets feel it just as much as we do. It’s a tough time for our skinny and short-coated breeds of animals, such as greyhounds and whippets – especially on very cold mornings. Dogs that spend all their time inside don’t develop particularly thick coats because they live in a perfectly conditioned environment.

But when you’re going out for a walk at 5am your dog will need a coat, just like you will.

Their pads are particularly good at resisting cold surfaces and frost, but still be aware that cold and wet will decrease blood supply to those extremities.

I have previously talked about whether or not dressing your dog or cat is appropriate.

I’ve said that most of the time I don’t think it is, but for cold weather protection, jackets and boots can be OK. They need to be well-fitted and used appropriately.

Conversely, especially with very active dogs, you need to make sure they don’t overheat wearing a jacket while chasing a ball around for hours on end.

I also see a lot of soft tissue injuries in this cold weather.

In normal weather it’s not as necessary for dogs to warm up before they go for strenuous exercise.

In colder weather you need to make sure your dog warms up, just like you would, before a run.

Start with five minutes of walking and then some gentle stretches if they’re amenable to it. All of these things protect from injury.

Stretching your pets is as easy as flexing, so bend each joint gently, then stretch each limb out, holding it for five seconds.

Doing this a couple of times to each limb will help your furry friend warm up for its winter exercise routine.