Winterizing Your Dog: Nutrition and Care Tips for Cold Weather

If there's one thing that all dog owners can agree on, it's that every season brings its own set of challenges for our furry friends. Winter, with its low temperatures, harsh winds and icy environments, can be particularly tough on dogs, requiring a special level of care from their human companions. This is where ‘winterizing’ comes into play.

Winterizing begins with diet. Dogs, much like us, require a little bit more fuel to keep warm in cold weather conditions. That's why the nutrient-rich, high-energy formulas offered by Kinetic Dog Food are the perfect choice. With a variety of products including performance dog foods specifically designed to provide energy needed to maintain body temperature, it ensures your dog stays warm throughout the season.

Next, consider their activity levels. If your dog is less active in the winter, you may want to adjust their food intake accordingly to prevent weight gain. Conversely, if your dog is a winter athlete, you might need to up their intake to match energy expenditure.

Frosty paws and chapped skin can also be a winter concern. Always dry your dog’s paws after a walk, and consider a good quality paw balm to protect their skin.  If you apply some petroleum jelly or udder balm periodically to help keep the pads soft and free of cracks you can help avoid anything major. If your dog’s pads do develop cracks you should take special steps to get them healed quickly. Cracked pads can be very painful and can linger for quite a while if not cared for.  Lastly, remember to maintain regular grooming. Clumping of ice and snowballs in long-haired breeds can be a challenge and a good trim can help to alleviate this problem.

With a little bit of preparation and consideration for our pets' needs, we all can enjoy the beauty of the winter season together with our four-legged family members.