Just as we care for ourselves differently at different times of the year, we should be sensitive to our dog’s needs during colder and warmer weather conditions.

COLD WEATHER CARE

Well-nourished dogs, are better prepared to withstand the rigors of winter, particularly if housed outdoors. Outdoor dogs normally need more food to generate enough energy to cope with the cold. This is easily accomplished by feeding a high-quality nutritionally complete and balanced dog food. Offer your dog fresh water several times during the day. Electrically-heated water bowls are available, but still should be monitored regularly.

Dogs housed indoors may require less food in order to maintain good body condition. They tend to be less active and expend less energy. Short-haired dogs, geriatric dogs, and dogs with health problems may need the protective warmth of a dog sweater or jacket during outside jaunts.

An outdoor dog’s shelter should be insulated, elevated, protected from prevailing winds, and watertight. Because they use their own body heat to keep warm, the shelter should be small enough to preserve the dog’s body heat.

Remove packed snow or ice from between the toes of your dog’s paw pads and wipe the paws thoroughly. Otherwise, moisture can be trapped and cause sores. Salt and other de-icers spread on sidewalks and roads may also irritate the pads and cause them to bleed.

Because of its sweet taste, dog’s are attracted to antifreeze and lap it up when it is not properly disposed of. Antifreeze is highly toxic to dogs and cats. Store antifreeze where dogs cannot reach it. Antifreeze poisoning requires immediate veterinary treatment.

You may find your indoor dog experiencing dry skin and shedding. This is usually the result of low humidity. Frequent brushing helps remove dead hairs, skin and stimulates oil glands.

Frostbite

If you suspect that your dog has frostbite, do not rub any frozen tissue, which will cause additional tissue damage. Seek veterinary treatment immediately.

WARM WEATHER CARE

As temperatures soar, dogs become more vulnerable to heat stress. Maintaining a comfortable environment for your dog is important. Providing plenty of cool, fresh water will help keep your dog cool throughout the summer.

Heatstroke

Heatstroke develops rapidly and is often associated with exposure to high temperatures, humidity and poor ventilation. Symptoms include panting, a staring or anxious expression, failure to respond to commands, warm, dry skin, extremely high temperature, dehydration, rapid heartbeat and collapse. Puppies and geriatric dogs tend to be more susceptible. Adult dogs more susceptible to heat stress include those who recently moved from cool to warmer climates, those with cardiovascular or respiratory conditions, or with a history of heat stress. With any form of heat stress, prompt veterinary attention is important to deal with potential complications.

Periods of Confinement

Confinement in a car or any other poorly ventilated enclosure can be fatal to your dog. One study reports that when the outside temperature is 78°F, a closed car will reach 90°F in five minutes, and 110°F in 25 minutes.

Exercise

Avoid excessive exercising of your dog during hot days or warm, humid nights. The best time to exercise is either early in the morning before sunrise or late in the evening after the sun goes down.

Sunburn

Dogs who have recently received short haircuts may become sunburn victims and are as susceptible to heat stress as dogs who haven’t had their haircoat trimmed. In fact, your dog’s haircoat has insulating characteristics to help protect him from the heat.

One of a pet owners greatest fears is getting separated from their pet. Now, many shelters and veterinarians are installing identification chips on pets. It’s a hi-tech way to resolve the separation anxiety of losing a pet.

A microchip implant is a tiny integrated circuit placed under the skin of a dog or cat. The chip emits passive radio frequencies that can be identified by a scanner at a shelter where a lost pet is taken. Think of it as an invisible electronic identification tag.

Early compatibility issues between different kinds of scanners and chips have mostly been resolved. There’s now a universal scanner that reads all brands of chips. They’re helping to get missing cats and dogs back in the grateful arms of their owners.

When your puppy wants to play, he probably won’t try to play it cool. Instead, he’ll make a strong play for your attention by bowing or pawing the air.

The play-bow is the most common way that a dog invites a person or another pup to play. With his ears alert and tail wagging, a dog will stick his rear in the air while lowering his front end and stretching out his front paws. The gesture shows submissiveness, and communicates to other dogs that any nipping or chasing that come next are intended in the spirit of fun. During the play bow, a dog’s face will be relaxed and his lips loose – his teeth will not be bared in aggression. Sometimes a playful pup will also bark, as if to say in doggie-speak, “hey, come join me in a game!”

You might automatically assume that a Great Dane won’t fare well in a city apartment. But if you’re choosing a breed to live with you in a small space, you’ll need to consider more than size. The amount a dog barks and its energy level are often even more important.

For example, quiet breeds such as the Samoyed or the English Bulldog might make great choices, while Border Collies and Dalmatians could require more exercise than you’re able to give them.

But remember—no matter what breed you choose, if you plan to keep a dog in a city apartment, you’ll need to take him for a lot of walks and give him plenty of mental stimulation.

Dogs are social animals and bark for the same reasons humans speak: to communicate. Dogs do bark to warn and to sound an alarm, but they also bark in response to commands and at playtime. Like people, dogs can get lonely, fearful and stressed out. Their barks often give insight into their state of being.

Researchers have studied dog barks under different conditions to assess their range of tones. Findings show a contented dog’s bark is round and harmonious. An unhappy or distressed dog, on the other hand, tends to have a repeat, high-pitched, unpleasant bark. In either case, the dog is sharing information and inviting a response from its listeners.

Sudden onset shortness of breath, apparent weakness, or a distended abdomen might be signs of heart disease in either your cat or your dog. But all too often, there are no symptoms, so your pet’s best bet is regular visits to the veterinarian.

Jonathan Abbott, a Cardiologist at the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, says there are a number of ways to diagnose heart disease in pets: “x-rays of the chest, electrocardiography and cardiac ultrasound or echocardiography are the tests most commonly used.”

Your veterinarian will also be able to listen for a heart murmur and use a blood test to check for heartworm. Once diagnosed, there are treatment options that will enhance both the quality and length of your pet’s life.

When the family pooch is eating like a racehorse, drinking water like there isn’t enough left on this blue planet, and requiring walk after walk to relieve himself, something is wrong! What’s going on with your friend?

Your dog may have diabetes mellitis, the most common hormonal disorder of dogs. The disease is caused by a lack of insulin, the hormone that regulates how sugar is absorbed and used by cells and tissues in the body. It most often afflicts dogs between the ages of five to seven and female dogs are more susceptible than males. Obesity seems to be a risk factor. So if you notice your pooch displaying signs of extreme hunger, thirst or urination, contact your veterinarian. Diabetes is manageable!

Giardia and cryptosporidium are two pesky parasites that can affect an animal’s small intestine, causing diarrhea and cramping. These nasty organisms are transmitted when a form of the parasite called the cyst is shed in one animal’s stool and consumed by another dog or cat.

Dwight Bowman, a professor of Parasitology at Cornell University, says that when the animal ingests drinking water or puddle water or pond water, or eats something that’s contaminated with the cyst, they can get infected. He says that if your dog has diarrhea, diagnostic tests will help determine the cause.

Fortunately, if giardia is to blame, you don’t need to worry about picking it up from your pet. Bowman says there’s no evidence that the species infecting dogs also infects humans.

Planning for a Lifetime of Mobility

Normal wear and tear on joints occurs daily throughout your dog’s lifetime. Cartilage protects your dog’s bones and joints from the friction caused by everyday movement.

Natural glucosamine, a building block of cartilage tissue, can help maintain cartilage for healthy joints and mobility. That’s why Purina has created adult dog formulas that contain guaranteed levels of natural glucosamine, so you can help your dog stay active and healthy for a long time to come.

CARTILAGE

What is cartilage?

Cartilage is a tissue found at the ends of bones in the joint areas, that acts as a cushion. It is composed of a sponge-like mass of cells, together with proteins, special substances that hold water, and the water itself. Glucosamine serves as a building block to create these special water-holding substances.

What is cartilage?

Cartilage is a tissue found at the ends of bones in the joint areas, that acts as a cushion. It is composed of a sponge-like mass of cells, together with proteins, special substances that hold water, and the water itself. Glucosamine serves as a building block to create these special water-holding substances.

Why is it important?

Healthy cartilage is absolutely essential for proper joint function and overall mobility. Happy, healthy, active dogs need healthy cartilage and a diet that supports overall well-being, including joint health.

Where does glucosamine come from?

Glucosamine occurs naturally in several common dog food ingredients. Purina uses several poultry and meat sources and guarantees the level of glucosamine in several of their adult dog formulas. Glucosamine is also produced in the body itself.

Does natural glucosamine benefit senior dogs only?

No! Wear and tear on cartilage occurs over a lifetime, so glucosamine helps maintain your dog’s joint health throughout life.

How does the body maintain healthy cartilage?

Chondrocytes are cells present in the cartilage of joints. These cells use glucosamine and other compounds supplied by the diet or produced within the body to make and maintain proteins and the water-binding substances in the cartilage. This allows the cartilage to function as a shock absorber.

What role does glucosamine play in joint health?

As a building block of cartilage, glucosamine can help support joint health and mobility.

Some dogs are wary of strangers and new situations – so nervous, in fact, that they threaten or challenge you in order to get away from what’s scaring them. Experts call such behavior Canine Fear Aggression. Barbara Sherman, Associate Professor at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, says fear-based aggression rarely goes away on its own.

Sherman states, “and these dogs often need some help in coping with even the most routine situations that might elicit fear.”

An experienced trainer may be able to help your pooch overcome his fears. But in difficult cases, you may want to have your veterinarian recommend a behavior specialist.

Find more tips at Purina.com/Dogs