{"id":74117,"date":"2018-12-14T13:49:10","date_gmt":"2018-12-14T19:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=74117"},"modified":"2018-12-15T13:36:11","modified_gmt":"2018-12-15T19:36:11","slug":"coats-and-booties-protect-dogs-from-winters-sting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/coats-and-booties-protect-dogs-from-winters-sting\/","title":{"rendered":"Coats and booties protect dogs from winter’s sting"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Stephanie Fox<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

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Slideshow: Chicago dogs sport their winter clothes. (Stephanie Fox)<\/div>\n

There\u2019s nothing more adorable than a dog dressed up for winter. Even before the first big snowfall of the year, social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are plastered in photos of French bulldogs wearing fuzzy holiday sweaters and videos of greyhounds wobbling across tiled floors in their winter booties. But, do canine winter clothes really serve a practical purpose, or are they just a cute addition to the holiday season?<\/p>\n

The benefit of wearing a winter coat depends on the dog, but all dogs could benefit from winter booties, according to veterinarian Dr. John Hanover. <\/p>\n

Wearing a dog coat is \u201cvery dependent on the dog\u2019s breed, body size, hair coat and physical condition,\u201d said Hanover, The Animal Hospital of Gurnee<\/a>\u2019s mixed practice veterinarian. That means Hanover works with dogs, cats and horses, using traditional veterinary techniques as well as his certifications as an animal chiropractor and acupuncturist to treat his patients. \u201c[Winter clothes are] going to be dependent upon each individual pet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Hanover warns owners of smaller dog breeds, especially those with short hair, to be more cautious as temperatures drop.<\/p>\n

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A dog bundled up in Edgewater. (Stephanie Fox\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cA husky can handle something a lot colder than a little teacup poodle that\u2019s been body clipped,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because smaller dogs have a greater risk of coming in contact with snow and ice, which sticks to their fur and melts, causing the dogs problems even after returning indoors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wet mats the hair down and it\u2019s harder for them to regulate and send heat through their bodies,\u201d explained Hanover. For this reason, it\u2019s important for smaller breeds to have multiple winter coats. Putting a dog into a coat that was made damp on a previous walk could actually make a dog colder. Hanover also suggests that dog owners, regardless of the size of their pet, use a towel after walks to dry their dog\u2019s fur.<\/p>\n

Owners of puppies and senior dogs should also consider purchasing winter gear for their pets. According to Hanover, puppies don\u2019t have the extra fat or energy to burn, which helps keep more mature dogs warm.<\/p>\n

Vicktery Zimmerman, an Edgewater resident and owner of a 1-year-old dachshund mix named Zoey, said she witnessed this firsthand by her dog\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n

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A bull terriers shows off his winter coat. (@blick_chilincolnpark)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zoey \u201cstarted shivering when I took her outside,\u201d said Zimmerman. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t weigh much. She\u2019s only 15 pounds and I feel like she doesn\u2019t have enough body fat to keep her warm\u2026 So, I always put her in [a coat] just to make sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The weakened joints and muscle tissue of older dogs makes them more susceptible to the negative impact of cold weather as well\u2014particularly for those with preexisting ailments.<\/p>\n

\u201cExtreme temperatures can compromise [a dog\u2019s] respiratory tract and make them more susceptible to many pathogens,\u201d Hanover said. \u201cCold and damp [weather] can be harder on the joints and soft tissue structures for animals with arthritis.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, at the end of the day, Hanover recommends that dog owners observe their pets to determine their individual needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommon sense goes a long way. Stop and think,\u201d Hanover said. \u201cIt\u2019s the same as people. You get chilled and start shivering, which burns calories and energy. That makes it harder for you to function.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kathie Mills of Edgewater said she used her common sense to determine when to buy her 4-year-old, black mouth cur, named Bae a winter coat. \u201cIf it\u2019s cold for us, we figure she needs a little bit more protection too,\u201d Mills said.<\/p>\n

Whether a dog is young and small like Zoey, short-haired like Bae, or even an average size, a winter coat has the potential to help them by regulating their body temperature and protecting their internal organs. It can’t do any harm.<\/p>\n

In fact, some research suggests that larger dogs could benefit greatly from wearing winter coats because their average body temperature is slightly cooler than their smaller counterparts. Larger dog\u2019s average body temperature is only a few degrees higher than a human\u2019s, and smaller dog\u2019s average body temperature is only a few degrees higher than larger dogs. If wearing a winter coat benefits humans, as well as smaller dogs, it makes sense that it would also serve a practical purpose for larger dogs, according to research conducted by psychologist Roberto Raffinetti and published in his paper \u201cDaily Rhythmicity of Body Temperature in Dogs,\u201d published in Journal of Veterinary Medical Science.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Human’s and dog’s average body temperature aren’t too far apart. If humans are cold in the winter, dogs probably are too. (Stephanie Fox\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Accommodating breeds of all sizes is the goal of Jennifer Miller\u2019s company, True Fit Dog Coats<\/a>, which sells specialty dog coats to match breeds that don\u2019t possess the body shape the majority of dog coats are styled for.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most coats we sell are the coats that fit more standard bodied dogs. The special breed coats are for the dogs that have unique body shapes,\u201d Miller said. From sizes made for dachshunds to great danes to whippets, Miller sells coats for all breeds.<\/p>\n

The coats Miller sells are made by\u00a0 Foggy Mountain Dog Coats<\/a>. Twelve years ago, Miller accompanied her friend, and dog coat maker, to a dog show where she hoped to sell her coats, a product she has been perfecting for over 35 years. Miller said as soon as the Foggy Mountain Dog Coat booth was set up, she could see a need for an online store that could make the coats available to people around the country. Soon after, she started True Fit Dog Coats.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the people lined up [at the booth] 10-deep. It was insane. They wanted the coats,\u201d Miller said. \u201cOn the way home I thought, \u2018Geez. It\u2019s too bad these people have to travel so far to get a coat if they don\u2019t live near a store.\u2019 So, I wanted to make them available for people who didn\u2019t live near a store, but still wanted to buy the Foggy Mountain Dog Coats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Miller\u2019s company sells Foggy Mountain Dog Coats nationwide. The two cities racking up the most purchases are Chicago and New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cChicago people are smart and they\u2019re cold and they know a good dog coat when they see one,\u201d she said. \u201cWe love Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n

With months of snow and ice to come, Miller encourages dog owners to prepare for the cold weather.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinter is coming like it always does every year,\u201d she said. \u201cTry not to wait until the last minute when your little dog is cold. Think ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thinking ahead involves more than just purchasing a winter dog coat. All dogs could benefit from wearing booties to protect paws from injuries cause by ice and salt.<\/p>\n

The dogs most at risk of injury are those with longer fur between their toes and pads, according to Hanover. Similar to how snow sticks to a dog\u2019s body fur, it can get caught in their paw fur and cause painful sores.<\/p>\n

Booties can also reduce the chance of a dog being injured by the salts and chemicals used to melt ice in the winter.<\/p>\n

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All dogs love playing in the snow. (@thechicagodogwalker)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jenna Turnbull, a Pennsylvania resident, first witnessed the effects of street salts last year when she attempted to take her 7-year-old Maltese\/poodle mix, for a walk.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was taking her for a really quick walk and it had just snowed the night before. On our driveway, we don\u2019t use any salt or anything, we just shovel it and let it melt, but on the street, they use the big rock salt,\u201d Turnbull said. \u201cWe were walking down the street and she literally just stopped and froze. I was like, \u2018that\u2019s really weird. I don\u2019t know what that was.\u2019 So, I had to pick her up and bring her back to the house. Every time I would take her for a walk out on the street it continually happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lisa Stolley, an animal lover and English professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, also recalled how street salt led to the injury of her dog\u2019s paws.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I had my dog Cody there were times he’d walk in that rock salt and pretty much fall over in pain,\u201d Stolley said. But her larger concern came later when Cody would lick his wounds. \u201cI’d have to throw myself on him so he didn’t lick his paws\u2026 I didn’t want that toxic shit getting in his mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stolley was right to worry about the toxicity of the salts used to melt ice. According to Steve Vernik,\u00a0 vice president of Gaia Enterprises Inc.<\/a>, using street salt is dangerous\u2014not only to pets, but to the environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the most horrible things we do to our planet on a regular basis that no one pays attention to,\u201d said Vernik. \u201cYou would never dump bleach directly into the environment, yet [salt] is chlorine, and chlorine is just one ion away. [Salt] is almost the same thing as [chlorine], it\u2019s just the solid form. And people are pouring that all over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Street and sidewalk safety are the reasons for using salt, but Vernik suggested a salt-free alternative that his company Gaia Enterprises Inc. makes.<\/p>\n

After street salt led to bloody sores on the paws of the family dog in 1985, Gaia Enterprises Inc., a company which originally sold a salt-free ice melter called Safe Thaw, decided to alter its product to make it even safer. By 1995, the company had refined the recipe of the liquid de-icer and changed the name of their product to Safe Paw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s safe if ingested. It\u2019s non-corrosive. It\u2019s not at all harmful to pets if they touch it, if they eat a bucket of it. They can eat a ridiculous amount and be okay,\u201d explained Vernik. \u201cSome salt companies will sell a very pure-grade salt and it will say that it\u2019s non-toxic because it\u2019s just salt. But the problem is, if dogs or an animal ingests too much salt it is toxic.\u201d<\/p>\n

A guide to finding dog-safe ice melters can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, dogs often come in contact with salt-based ice melters that cut their paws and can lead to them licking the toxins from their wounds. Putting booties on a dog before a walk could reduce the risk of this happening.<\/p>\n\n\n