Published in The Post-Star (B12)
12/18/05
Don't laugh at that little Dachshund trotting down the snowy sidewalk in booties and a sweater. Chances are, he needs them to stay warm this winter.
"Imagine if you walked around all the time on your hands, without gloves on," said Jesse Sutherland, manager of Sutherland Farms pet store in Hudson Falls. "Some breeds just weren't made to be in the snow."
Sutherland owns an Italian greyhound named Max, whose sleek, short-haired body gets the shivers whenever the temperature drops much below 50 degrees.
"He has no outercoat at all, which makes him a fast runner and hypoallergenic, but it also means that he gets cold easily," explained Sutherland. "He's built for speed, not warmth."
Sutherland keeps a coat on Max most of the time in winter, and adds booties when they take walks longer than a bathroom break. He recommends winter footwear for most breeds, because road salt can cause severe damage to a dog's paws.
"Salt can dry out their paws and make them crack and bleed," he said. "And once it cracks, it's very hard to heal, because they're always walking on it."
Boots come in XS through XL, and are typically made of fleece and Velcro. As an alternative to boots, some people try putting a special dogsledding wax on the pads of their pet's feet to create a waterproof barrier from salt and ice.
Jackets are sized according to the measurement from the base of the tail to the base of the neck, and should be shorter than full-length.
Not everyone bundles up their pet when the snow flies, however. Michael Hoffman, a veterinarian at Glens Falls Animal Hospital, said he doesn't think the average house pet needs any special gear for winter walks.
"Longer-haired breeds do tend to collect ice in their paws, so you have to watch for that," he said. "I have a golden retriever, and when her feet get full of ice balls, I just take them out with my fingers or wash them in warm water to melt them."
Hoffman said he hasn't treated many cases of cracked paws because of road salt, but some of his canine patients do show up with unusual injuries in winter. Some dogs have been hit by plows or snowblowers, or had their feet sliced open by skates or skis because they ran too close to their owners' heels. Others have swallowed baited hooks while their owners were ice fishing.
"Obviously, it's important to keep your dogs under control and out of the street," he said. "Just like summertime, there's a lot of things dogs can get into in winter."
The biggest problem for cats in winter, he said, tends to be frostbite on the tips of their ears.
"Just because they're so independent, they may stay out too long, and get too cold," he said. The amount of time a cat can safely be outside depends on its weight, the temperature, and the amount of available shelter.
Sutherland said one of the best-selling items at his store this season is a small fabric mat with a metallic lining, like a space blanket, that reflects the animal's body heat back at them. Cats love them, he said.
Can they wear clothes, too?
"No, cats don't really put up with that," he said with a laugh.
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