Dog Grooming in Winter

Snow, cold and salt – no problem! But grooming has to be done…

There’s no such thing as bad weather for true fresh air fans. Be it mud, snow or salt on pavements, dog and owner go for walks lasting several hours and enjoy the winter period. However, you shouldn’t forget that these weather conditions can put intensive demands on your dog’s paws. Cracks in the paw pads or adhesions to the paws that make walking difficult and can trigger injuries are no rarity. You can provide relief with a few simple tricks:

Prevention

• Trim the fur

Long hairs on the paws are conducive to the formation of snowballs in winter. Hence, regularly trim long fur between the claws carefully with scissors!

• Protection

A fine layer of milking fat or deer suet protects the paw pads and the sensitive area between the claws from salt and prevents cracked skin! Also helpful are warming and protective dog boots.

During walks

• Monitoring

Regularly inspect your dog’s paws on longer winter walks. Snow that gets stuck between the claws irritates the skin and can lead to chafe marks and injuries! Carefully remove it.

After every walk

• Hygiene

Dogs like to lick their concealed paws in winter, meaning that irritating salt can end up in the stomach. This leads to diarrhoea in the worst case scenario! Hence, clean the paws straight after winter walks with a damp cloth or a lukewarm bath.

• Minor injuries

Treat cracks present in the skin of the paws with a camomile bath and moisturise the sensitive spots with healing ointment. This will do your dog good and speed up the healing process.

Check our zooplus store for perfect paw care for your beloved pet. There’s now nothing standing in the way of long winter walks!