Bath, morning walk, room heater are no-no for canines in winter

PATNA: Canines need special care and attention to help them beat the cold in the winter. Veterinarians advise one should not take a dog for an early morning walk in the winter season as a sudden drop in temperature may upset their stomach.
“Loose motion and vomiting are quite commonplace owing to sudden exposure of dogs to the cold,” vet Ajit Kumar said and on Wednesday and added a good winter coat was a must for a dog to help it maintain its body temperature at 25 to 30 degree C throughout the day.
While taking your furry friend on a car ride in this season, you must keep the vehicle’s window shut as the canines have the habit of peeping out.
“The cold air is not good for the health of dogs,” Dr Kumar said and added they should also not be kept in front of room heaters. Instead, a high-watt bulb should be used to provide them warmth.
According to Dr Kumar, who is the secretary of Canine Club of Bihar, dogs lose hair in the winter season and should be administered vitamins ‘A’ and ‘E’ under the supervision of a veterinary doctor. Viral diseases in animals are also commonplace in the winter and, as such, the pets should be vaccinated.
It’s essential to keep pets neat and clean throughout the year. “In the winters, however, one should avoid giving them a bath,” dog trainer Amit Srivsatava said and advised a warm sponging should instead be preferred and that too on a bright sunny day.
Dharmendra Kumar, who runs ‘Petshop’ on Nala Road, told this reporter the prices of the dog coats avaiable at his shop ranged from Rs 350 to Rs 1,000. However, Akash Verma has bought a coat for his Labrador from Delhi for Rs 2,000.
“My Labrador, named Shadow, is part of our family,” the Rajapur businessman said, explaining why he bought such an expensive coat.