Tag archives: weather

Canine Care When Arctic Temps Hit

Canine Care When Arctic Temps Hit

The first week of December saw an arctic front blanket much of the country with subzero temperatures, snow and ice. Travelers were stranded in airports for days, household pipes were frozen and children left the house in multi-hued layers of clothing. It’s only December, and there’s a high likelihood of another arctic blast or two hitting before the end of February.

While it’s natural to protect our children from the discomfort of freezing temperatures, our dogs feel the temperature change, too. When it comes to canines, there are a few simple precautions you can take to protect them at home and in the field.

Provide proper shelter: If your dog spends his day outside (and hunting dogs should spend some time outdoors to acclimate to dropping temps), he needs shelter from the elements – snow, rain, wind, sun, heat and cold. A dog house with insulation of some sort is all that’s required. Canines have evolved to keep themselves warm, so just giving them a spot to get off the cold ground, some blankets or hay to nest in and a roof over their head is all that is required.

You can augment the basics with heat sources such as mats ...

Feeding Your Hunting Dog During Winter

Feeding Your Hunting Dog During Winter

Hard-working dogs have special dietary needs the average pet will never require. At no time do those demands become more evident than after your early season hotspot turns into a frozen wasteland. To keep your four-footed athlete healthy, happy and pounding the ground in sub-zero temps, follow these tips:

Tailor Consumption
Field work, especially for upland dogs, demands large amounts of energy. Winter weather only exacerbates that burden and necessitates the need for more calories—what kept your dog going in October won’t cut it in December. Brian Zanghi, a nutritionist with Purina, stresses the need to modify rations to maintain ideal body condition. “Each dog is an individual so each owner must make those individual changes to their diet,” he said. “Experiment by increasing their feed by a half-cup and keep adjusting accordingly.”

Feed Performance Formulas
When it comes to energy consumption, calories count and fat and protein calories are the kings. In addition to providing a host of physiological benefits that keep your dog optimally primed, performance formulas contain the highest amounts of fat and protein and are therefore the most calorically dense kibble available. In short, your dog will get more energy from each bite and ...