In cold weather, it's critical to keep dog bundled up and hydrated

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

By Meg Dedolph
STAFF WRITER - Beacon News

WARRENVILLE — With winter threatening to turn your pet from pup to pupsicle, some animal experts have a few tips on helping the four-footed weather the cold.

Wendy Tresouthick, a naturalist at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center, and the center's veterinarian, Karen Higgs, spent a recent Saturday morning talking with dog owners at the Blackwell Forest Preserve off-leash dog area in Warrenville.

The DuPage County Forest Preserve District's Chilly Dogs program is a companion to its summer program, called Hot Dogs, and it addresses how pet owners can help their animals weather extreme temperatures.

"We've had dogs become ill with summer extremes and winter extremes and, in some cases, pass away," Tresouthick said.

Some of the problems that pets have in the summer are still around in the winter, she said.

"We talk about exhaustion still," she said.
"We have people that go jogging with their dogs that are longer-coat dogs, so we talk about the importance of keeping them hydrated. Most dog parks don't have an easily accessible water source, so dehydration is a big thing."

But some of the topics they cover are definitely winter woes.

Most of the county's pooches are indoor dogs, but some dogs stay outside. During the winter, they need lots of dry bedding, such as hay, that gets replaced often.

In the cold and snow, dogs risk frostbitten feet, especially if snow collects in the hair between their toes. They can also suffer from cracked paw pads, Tresouthick said.

"If they get salt or the chemicals to melt ice on their paws, you need to rinse them when they come in, because when they lick their paws, it's a real harsh chemical," she said.

To alleviate these foot problems, she suggested trimming the hair that sprouts from between a dog's paw pads, using petroleum jelly if the pads become cracked, or buying the dog a set of booties to protect its feet.

That brought her to another point.

Does a dog really need a sweater if it's walking around in a fur coat?

Yes, Tresouthick said — sometimes.

"If you have a short-haired dog, such as a Chihuahua or a greyhound or a boxer, they need a sweater," she said.

As to whether dogs need a sweater for each day of the week with matching booties and a coordinating collar, well, that's up to the owner.