The cold weather can be dangerous for dogs, with one expert warning of frostbite or even hypothermia
As the UK braces for a January chill, many of us are tempted to snuggle up indoors with Netflix rather than brave the cold. But our four-legged friends don’t have that option, as they still require their daily strolls regardless of the frosty weather.
This has led to a staggering +509% increase in Google searches for “keep a pet warm” as dog owners become increasingly concerned about their canine companions’ wellbeing in the winter months. Frederica Caneiro, a certified dog trainer at Woofz by nove8, a puppy and dog training app, advised: “Dogs are warm-blooded, and long walks outside in low temperatures can lead to hypothermia or frostbite.
“Keeping your dog indoors in freezing winter weather may be a good idea, especially if it’s -7°C or lower. Though dogs have different tolerances to cold temperatures, you can use some general guidelines to know how long you can keep your dog outside in winter.
“When the outside temperature drops below 0°C, keep your winter walks short and track your dog’s signs of discomfort, such as shivering and taking paws off the ground. Below -6°C, it can be too dangerous for your dog to stay outside unless you use dog coats and jackets.
“Depending on your dog’s breed, they should walk barefoot in the snow for no more than 15-30 minutes. Besides the cold ground, your dog may damage their feet because salt covers the sidewalks. To keep dogs’ paws safe in winter, use dog boots, apply paw balm, and wipe down the paws after walks.”
Temperatures have dropped to as low as to -8C (17.6F) during the ongoing cold snap, which has also seen plenty of snow. Fresh weather warnings have been issued as temperatures are set to plummet as low as minus 16C.
Snow, ice and fog yellow weather warnings have been issued for areas across the UK on Thursday, which come after snow and sleet caused disruption on Wednesday.
Significant travel disruption was caused by the snow in Devon and Cornwall on Wednesday, with some roads closed and motorists stationary for “long periods of time”, a joint statement from Devon and Cornwall Police and Devon County Council Highways said. Snow ploughs became stuck in queues of traffic caused by “minor incidents”, the statement added.
Ploughs have been fitted to gritters which will work into Thursday morning to clear routes in the area, police and highways officials said. Overnight on Wednesday, temperatures were forecast to drop sharply, with lows of minus 14C possible in Scotland and northern England – and sub-zero temperatures expected across the country.
