We have a unique climate here on the West Coast.
Just last week I was musing about the unexpected pond in my backyard. I now watch the former swimming ducks slide along that same pond that froze overnight.
We don't often get frigid temperatures that stay below zero for any length of time in these parts, so it is easy for us to forget or be careless with our dogs in such conditions.
When it comes to my dogs playing on ice, I am very cautious because they are unfamiliar with it. They don't understand that the edge of a frozen body of water can hold their weight, but the deeper area in the centre cannot. Even though our temperatures have dropped below zero very quickly and stayed there for some time, the lakes in the mountains or the ponds at the local parks may not be frozen solid enough to bear weight over the entire surface. Allowing your dog to play on the thin ice may be a recipe for disaster.
Besides the obvious danger of falling through thin ice, allowing a dog to play on ice when it is unfamiliar with how to walk on it could cause injury. At first, dogs don't understand that ice is slippery. They usually rush out onto a frozen surface and move their limbs and body the same way they would on a non-slippery surface. More often than not, they slip, twist their limbs and spines to accommodate the unusual motion and injure themselves as a result. These injuries could be minor, like a strained muscle, or as severe as a torn knee ligament, dislocated hip, slipped vertebrae or fracture.
Play it safe and leash your dog in areas where there are frozen bodies of water or stay clear of them altogether.
When there is ice on ponds, there will be ice on the streets. This will mean road salt - and lots of it - to melt the ice. Road salt is different than table salt. Road salt contains high levels of chemicals such as sodium ferrocyanide and ferric ferrocyanide that prevent caking during storage. It can make a dog seriously ill if it is licked. Clean your dog's paws immediately after walking along salt-covered sidewalks.
It takes anywhere from three days to two weeks for the human body to acclimatize to an extreme temperature change and the adjustment depends on a variety of physiological conditions. For the most part, this holds true for dogs as well. Dogs typically will grow a thicker coat in conditions that are cold frequently and for long periods of time, as in Alberta for example. There are also other physiological changes that happen in the body over time that make the cold weather more tolerable.
In the Lower Mainland our cold spells come quickly and last a few days, maybe a week, so our dogs don't receive the benefits of proper acclimatization as dogs in chronic cold climates. What this means is if you have an outdoor dog, bring it inside! This also means that if you have a short-haired dog with a single coat layer, such as a pointer, whippet, Doberman, etc. (or related mix), you may have to invest in a warm sweater if you plan on participating in outdoor activities, even walking your dog around the block, on those frigid days. Imagine going for a walk in shorts, a T-shirt and bare feet when it's -5 C outside. Dogs that have a naturally thicker double layered coat like huskies, shepherds and even Labradors (or related mixes) may not be as bothered by the dramatic weather changes as the single-coated breeds. If your dog is groomed and its thick coat is clipped off regularly, then it is even more vulnerable to the cold. This is because, by design, a dog's body tells its brain it has enough fur to keep it warm, but then us humans cut it off and it confuses the dog's natural thermostat.
It's easy to overlook our dogs' comfort during the short periods of cold that we experience in this part of the country. Just remember, if you are cold your dog probably is too!
Joan Klucha has been working with dogs for more than 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her through her website k9kinship.com.
