Posts tagged "winter"

After a slight delay, winter has finally struck. Well, that all depends on where you live in the U.S. Here in Southern California, winter never really strikes. But if you live in Fargo, you've likely been doing some shoveling lately. We know it's a bummer to have that obnoxious chore added to your morning commute, but not everyone hates snow so much. These zoo penguins look forward to it all year, for example. You can tell they're excited because of how chatty they are about it. So the next time you skid off the road and barely miss thwacking into a telephone pole, remember that someone out there is loving this marshmallow world.

By Dr. Marty Becker, via Vetstreet

Winter and summer both present challenges to keeping pets safe and comfortable, but winter is actually easier to prepare for since it's more about preventing exposure and less about the summer problem of preventing accidents. With one major exception: In cold weather, you always need to be aware of the possibility that a chilly cat could be cuddled against the warm engine of a recently parked car or in the dryer on a pile of warm clothes. Always check your dryer before using it, and thump the hood of your car before starting it to send any sleeping cat on his way.

With very few exceptions, my snow country neighbors would never intentionally cause a pet to suffer in the winter or any other time. But sometimes people just don't have enough information or are just "doing it the way it has always been done." Education is always a big part of a doctor's job, and I pride myself on doing the best I can to offer good advice in a nonjudgmental way that encourages questions and discussion.

SEE ALSO: Why "Outdoor Dogs" Are Miserable

Your pet will weather winter better if he's healthy, so check in with your vet to be sure. Otherwise, here are my winter weather tips for your pets.

Gimme Shelter and Warmth
In my lifetime, many dog and cats have gone from the barnyard to the backyard to the bedroom. I still remember as a boy the day when my dad first allowed our farm dog to sleep in the kitchen during a blizzard. Now I fight for space on my own bed with our pets.

Half the point of all of these holidays being celebrated in winter is that we need excuses to celebrate at this time of year more than any other. Particularly if you live in a snowy climate, winter is dreary at best. Besides the lack of daylight for months on end, there's lots of inconvenient and sometimes dangerous weather to look forward to.

But now the holiday season is wrapping up, and winter is just getting started. It might seem like there's nothing to celebrate. But take a tip from this adorable panda. Don't think of your holidays as a reason to avoid thinking about winter; use them as a reason to celebrate winter itself. He wants you to see that snow is a gift. Sure, he doesn't have to commute to work every weekday morning. But can't you still access that piece of your heart that remembers what it was like to be a kid, when snow meant free time and fun?

Watch this video, and then make yourself a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, and curl up on the couch, maybe in front of the fireplace, and appreciate all winter has to offer.

Winter! Everyone loves to play in the snow, right? Snow is fluffy, it's flaky, and it's fun. Even a curious cat can dig a few inches of snow on the ground. That is, until they notice that the fluffy white stuff makes their fur all wet, and it dawns on their little cat brains that snow is just water in disguise! Ugh!

Giving a pet as a gift on any occasion is almost always a bad idea. While puppies are perennially popular impulse holiday gifts, a puppy or adopted older dog is a lifetime commitment that should not be entered into lightly. That cute puppy under the tree on December 25 may be a big headache by the end of January for an unprepared gift-getter. Even for experienced potential pet owners, the holidays are the absolute worst time of year to adopt a new dog. No matter what your best intentions, a puppy will get lost in the shuffle of holiday festivities. Also, the winter weather and early darkness is not conducive to acquainting your dog with the outdoors.

But just because you aren't going to have a new dog wearing a holiday gift bow on its chest doesn't mean the holidays need to be dog-free. Use this charitable season as an opportunity to help homeless dogs this year. There are thousands of worthy local organizations for dogs in addition to the national ones we all know about. Do a little research and find a local group that could use assistance during the holidays. Here are some great suggestions of how you can get your "dog fix" by helping the ones that need it most:

- Volunteer at your local shelter over the holidays. Call and find out what you need to do to become a volunteer and what is needed most at this time of year.

- Donate to an organization such as Sunny Days Rescue Relief. This organization provides money and supplies to shelters in need.

Remember those ads for Coca Cola with the computer-animated polar bears wearing scarves and going sledding? Yeah, that was weird, but so, so cute.

Good news is, we've got our paws on a video featuring a baby polar bear living it up in the fluffy white stuff, and we're not talking about his precious coat!

So forget about those soda bears and get rid of those winter blues by watching this little guy get all roly poly! Now if there were only a way to get him into our backyard...



More Polar Bears

Best way to avoid the never-ending wintertime blues? Sledding. What's more fun than (safely) speeding down a snowy hill at warp speed -- or, at least, really fast? Nothing, we promise. Especially if the day ends with a mug of hot cocoa.

The dogs in these videos could not be fed cocoa, but if dogs could safely drink hot chocolate (they can't, warn animal health officials), we'd give these cheeky canines a gallon of sweetness for the sledding they do without using sleds!

Kisses? Let's hope they'll settle for kisses.

Thinking of breaking out the old sled this season? With the weather we've been having across the country, kids and grown-ups alike have been hopping on a sled for a guaranteed good time -- the steeper the slope, the better, of course.

But we shouldn't discount dogs! Watch as this little rascal sneaks in just in time to have the sled all to himself. How rude! (And adorable!)

It was a chilly fall, and winter could hit even harder in many parts of the country. Animal shelters and rescues across the United States are preparing for the sneaking cold. And they need your help.

1) Holiday Issues and Opportunities
This time of year, animal shelters encounter two major problems: low funds and a need for fosters.

"Shelters face many issues throughout the year, but one that is amplified during the holiday season is a lack of funds," says Kim Saunders, vice president of Shelter Outreach for Petfinder.com. "While many people are looking for gift-giving opportunities during the end of the year, shelters have historically received the lowest amount of charitable gifts."

In addition, shelter workers who often devote long hours to the cause deserve a break this time of year, Saunders says. To bring attention to the issue, Petfinder.com started the Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays program among 1,600 of its shelters and rescue groups this year.

"The goal is to 'empty out the shelters' for the holiday season, ideally from Christmas Eve until New Year's Day, while spreading the joy to adoptable animals and giving shelter workers and volunteers a much-deserved break," Saunders says. Call your local shelters to see how you can help.

It's getting to be that time of year again. The temperatures are dropping and our dogs are getting friskier than they've been in months. Well, most of them are, anyway. There's always a princess or two who hates the cooler weather!

One of the things we love about winter is watching happy hounds frolicking in the snow: it puts a smile on our faces that not even hot cocoa can match. If your dog loves playing in the snow and you have a great picture, be sure to submit it to the Paw Nation Flickr pool. We'll be pulling pictures of dogs in the snow for a fun winter gallery, and we'd love to feature your pup!

We love stories about people finding new ways to help needy pets, so when we were contacted by Clarissa Jones about the Save the Dogs From the Chill Project, our tails got to wagging.

The Save the Dogs From the Chill Project takes donations of old sweaters and repurposes them for dogs in shelters, something that's particularly important this winter when temperatures all across the country are reaching record lows. Even the southern states are seeing below-freezing temperatures, and not all shelters have indoor areas for all their dogs.

You can keep tabs on the project's progress on their blog -- at the present moment, Jones tells Paw Nation, "We have received so many donations that boxes are starting to pile up to the ceiling. It's crazy! We want to try and have everything mailed out by the end of next week."

And, of course, you can send your own used sweaters (or check your local Goodwill to scoop some up on the cheap) to the address in this post. Come on, you're never going to wear that ugly Christmas sweater again, are you? Lend a paw to a dog in need!

With temperatures dropping, staying inside is looking like a mighty good option. But it's hard to hole up in the house when you have a pooch that needs to go for a walk three times a day.

While you can bundle up to face the freeze, your pet just has their coat to keep them warm. Which brings us to the age-old dilemma: Should I put clothes on my pet because it is cold? We chatted with veterinarian Dr. Jill A. Richardson -- an expert in pet safety, vice president of My Dog Walks, a consultant for the Veterinary Information Network and an instructor for the Penn Foster Vet Tech Program -- about her medical opinion on the pet-iquette for dressing doggies in the winter.

Big dogs seem to hate wearing clothes of any kind. Do larger dogs need protection from the cold?
Most dogs have a good fur coat that will give them natural protection against cold weather. Some that have a thin coat, especially those native to warmer clients, may need a little extra protection when the temperature drops. However, it's very important to pick out pet clothing with safety in mind. Make sure that the clothing does not obstruct the pet's vision. Avoid buttons or accessories that could be chewed off and ingested by your pet.

Winter can be a magical time for dogs. Squirrel visibility rises when the ground is white, and cuddling by the fireplace can be undeniably cozy; but winter's whipping winds and dry indoor heating can take its toll on fur and skin.

For advice on how to care for your canine companion's grooming needs when the temperature drops, Paw Nation caught up with professional groomer Cassandra Reed, a Season 2 contestant on Animal Planet's "Groomer Has It" and owner of Mutley Dooz in Akron, Ohio.

1. A little extra hair helps
It's never a bad idea to ask your groomer to leave your dog's coat longer than usual during the winter. "As a groomer, when I groom dogs in the winter, I leave a little extra hair between the toes," says Reed. "I'd like to think that it helps keep them a little bit warmer."

2. Keep skin moisturized
An easy way to keep your dog's skin hydrated is bathing them at home with ultra-moisturizing oatmeal or shea-butter shampoo or conditioner. Reed stresses that you should always use all-natural shampoos that don't contain any artificial dyes, as these may trigger an allergic reaction or worsen itchy, dry skin.