Winter is my favourite season. The snow, hockey, outdoor ice — can’t beat it. Even though it gets dark at 4:30 p.m. now, it never seems quite as bad with a nice blanket of snow. It is so nice to be able to go snowshoeing through the woods with our canine pals or even for a skate on the lake paths.
But, when it comes to our furry friends, winter does have some things to watch out for just as much as summer, both indoors and out. Here are a few things to be aware of during the winter season to keep your dog or cat safe from potential hazards, whether they be outdoors or in the home.
When the colder temperatures set in with snow and ice, veterinarians see an increase in cuts from ice or sharp objects (fences) that are buried under the snow. Even stick injuries (literally running into bare or fallen branches) are more common and can be severe, and possibly deadly if the stick goes too deep.
Make sure to stick to paths, keep your dogs on a leash or even invest in brush guard harnesses if you are planning to go into the deep woods.
Slipping on ice can also lead to muscle and joint injuries, and possibly even broken bones, the most common of which is ligament injury to the knee. Cruciate ligament tears (ACL injury would be the human equivalent) are painful and ideally are corrected with surgery to help restore the normal forces in the knee. They take weeks of rehabilitation and injury to one knee increases the risk of the same injury in the other leg.
It is important to keep your dogs nails trimmed in the winter as well. In the summer months, walking on hard surfaces can keep their nails filed down, but in the winter when everything is covered in snow, they may require more frequent trims.
Long nails are at an increased risk of breaking or tearing, causing your dog pain, and also often bleeding quite a bit. Residual pieces of the nail need to be removed, sometimes under sedation to allow the nail to grow back properly and prevent secondary infections.
Even clearing your driveways of snow has its risks. Some dogs love catching the snow as we toss it to the side of the driveway. Hidden chunks of ice can cause injuries, of course, but so can salt melt, which can be simply irritating or actually cause damage to your dog’s teeth, or when ingested can cause diarrhea or vomiting.
Make sure to keep your dog inside while using your snow blower. You may think they won’t run into the path or get close enough to the blades to be injured but they will, trust me.
One of the biggest complaints about winter is — surprise, surprise — it can get pretty cold, especially in the north. And, just like us, pets outside are vulnerable to frostbite, usually of the extremities (ears, nipples, feet, nose and tail).
The temperature pets can tolerate varies between breed: Huskies, St. Bernards, and Bernese Mountain Dogs, for example, are built for cold weather; they thrive in it. On the other end of the spectrum are Yorkshire terriers, chihuahuas and greyhounds, which require protection when walking in colder temperatures.
Salt on the roads can also be irritating to our pets paws, so paw balms and booties can help or make sure to wipe their feet when you return from outside.
Now that we’ve looked at some risks out of the house, let’s look at some risks inside as well.
During holiday season there are often large gatherings involving food and presents. As such, we see an increase in intestinal obstructions and toxin ingestion. A foreign body could be anything from a piece of a new toy, ribbon or string, foam darts and ear plugs, to towels and underwear. This is for both dogs and cats. Cats seem to like long strings, tinsel and elastics, more than they like toy pieces and clothing like their dog counterparts.
Some pets get lucky and either vomit them back up or poop them out with nothing more than a couple days of an upset stomach. However, if whatever they have eaten gets stuck, surgery is the only way to fix it.
The most common toxin ingestion is chocolate. Pets and chocolate do not mix. The darker the chocolate, the more cocoa it contains, and the more likely it is to cause serious side effects. Add in the popularity of chocolate bars with THC and you have the potential to cause even more problems.
THC is highly potent in pets and it doesn’t take much for them to show signs (hyper-reactivity, slow heart rate, dilated pupils, urinary incontinence) at high doses. It can cause coma and decreased respiratory rate.
Treatment can involve inducing vomiting and gut protectants, but severe cases can require hospitalization. Keep it where they can’t get it! Even if you think it’s not something they would be interested in — like say, an entire vat of peanut oil used to fry a turkey — they will eat it. They will eat it all. And it’s not pretty.
If your pet does get into something they shouldn’t, the earlier we can treat, the easier it is. So if you are worried they may have eaten something they shouldn’t have, call your veterinarian.
If you are unsure if something your pet ate is toxic, call your veterinary clinic or call the Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680 or ASPCA Poison Control at (888) 426-4435. They also have good resources online to look up potential toxic plants, and foods and what symptoms you should be on the look for.
Dr. Courtney Andrews is a veterinarian at Lockerby Animal Hospital, a graduate of the Royal School of Veterinary Studies and dog mom to Argyll and Einstein. Animals & Pets is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
