What the Fall Temperatures Mean to Your Pets.

Everyone loves the Fall, including your pets.  Nice breeze and cooler temperatures!  Lots of playing in the yard and long walks.

It also means Fall allergies, less water consumption, dry skin and sometimes anxiety.

Fall allergies are not just from the Ragweed, and other Fall weeds that bloom.  There is also an increase in mold in the dirt from the wet ground and lack of warmth to dry it before it turns to mold.  We see more licking the paws and itchy skin as fall turns to winter.

What does water consumption mean to your pup?

As the temperatures cool down, your dog’s body doesn’t signal to drink as much water.  The body says it doesn’t need as much since it’s not panting as much.  Unfortunately, that is not the case.  Lower than needed water consumption slows down the digestive tract, does not flush the urinary tract, and leads to dry skin.  We can help our pup by adding a half a cup of water to each meal.  They will drink the water to eat the food.  This aids in digestion immediately, gives the urinary tract a quick flush out and puts the moisture back into the skin.  You can also mid-day add some low sodium broth or goats’ milk to a cup of water to entice them to drink.  Small Batch makes a wonderful shelf stable bone broth and Green Juju makes our favorite goats’ milk for dogs. 

What causes dry skin in the fall and winter?

Dry skin is caused by several factors.  The first we addressed above: Water Consumption. Keeping the water consumption up is key.  Next, the heater in your home dries your skin and your dog’s skin.  We can’t live without the heater but we can add some omegas to their diet.  You can add a natural, unaltered salmon oil to their diet.  We recommend Grizzly Salomon Oil due to its pure form.  You can also use fresh or canned sardines, or other fish added to each meal.  Never use fish oil pills since they are synthetically altered and not as absorbable for dogs. 

Bathing your pet in a shampoo that does not contain soap or detergent, dyes or perfumes is the best way to prevent drying the skin out further.  We also recommend using a silk protein conditioner that does not contain lanolin to replace the lost lipids in the skin.  It is safe to wash your pet year-round and actually helps them by using the mentioned products.  Groomer’s Secret makes shampoo and conditioner that meet these requirements.

Anxiety?

How can the temperature changes and shorter days give my dog anxiety? Change in general can cause your pet to experience anxiety.  Shorter days, cooler weather, itchy skin, and joint pain due to the cold are all contributing factors. Dogs know time and when daylight savings time kicks in, your dogs’ internal clock is way off.  All of the above can cause more anxiety for your pet.

Following these Fall tips can help your pet transition into the fall temperatures and enjoy life more comfortably!