Keeping Old Dogs Comfortable in the Winter

If you happen to live in a location that gets
extremely cold in the wintertime like I do, you
need to be aware of special considerations for
your older dogs who may also suffer from
arthritis. We've had numerous older dogs during
past winters that have been extremely harsh. In
fact, last winter we had temperatures that were
20 below zero at times.

None of our dogs, even our young ones, were left
outside in these extreme temperatures. We would
never think of exposing one of the older dogs to
that severe cold. That being said, let's explore
some of the options you may have for your own
older dogs with arthritis during extremely cold
weather.

Of course, in a perfect world where it is
possible, it's best to have your older dogs
remain inside at night and also during the day
if the bitter cold continues during the daylight
hours. More than likely they will get so used to
being inside it may be difficult to coax them
outside at any time to take bathroom breaks. But
that inconvenience is far better than having them
endure the cold weather, especially if they have
joint arthritis problems.

If keeping them inside is not an option, the
next best choice would be keeping them inside an
enclosed area of your home, such as a garage.
Even though the garage may not be heated it's
out of the rain and other elements, and a warm
bed of blankets can be placed in there. Most
attached garages still absorb some heat from the
main home and temperatures rarely go down to the
extremes.

Additionally, many homes have a utility room
that is slightly offset from the home. This is
usually an excellent place to keep pets during
extreme conditions as they usually are heated,
at least to prevent freezing of the pipes.
Although you may feel uncomfortable at 30 to
40° temperatures, most dogs, even older
ones, will do perfectly fine in these
temperatures even if they have joint
osteoarthritis issues.

In the worst-case scenario, if you are unable to
bring your dog inside and do not have a garage or
attached area that will work, at the very least
provide them adequate shelter such as a
home-made dog-house filled with straw and/or
warm blankets. Be sure and place the shelter in
an area that is not exposed to the wind. For
example, the wind blows from the north in the
wintertime so it would be advisable to put the
dog's shelter on the south side of the home, up
against the house if possible. Having some sort
of windbreak in front of the door to the dog
house would also help. Several hay bales work
well for this.

Again, if at all possible bring your older dogs
into the home during harsh winter conditions. If
not, provide them adequate shelter in a well
protected area outside. This is especially true
for those pets with dog arthritis.

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