Winter and my Dog don't agree together ( snow)

Hello

Our Liza recently was spouting blood from both ends after presumably having eaten some snow ( that was the vets guess). I put the story of it on the blog:

http://sylvssilverspoonreturns.blogs...gory-post.html

Now since that episode I am watching her like a hawk,but she still keeps getting diarrhea all the time..her food is back to normal ,which she never had a problem with before....now i wonder.......( don't laugh )is it possible for a dog to get diarrhea from 'just' being cold?

(I am considering to buy her a dog jacket,if it helps)

I googled it and found various contradicting reports on this......and i would like to hear the opinions on this from more experienced dog owners ( we only have her since february this year,she was a rescue dog from Greece and we got her from a voluntary pet rescue service)

Many thanks for your input!!

sylv

I can't believe nobody's answered this

You have a vacation from the forum for a while and then the EF community shuns you

I have no idea if the cold is affecting your pooch's tummy but I would buy him a winter coat regardless as she is used to the Greek climate and not the sub-zero one here Good luck with fixing her tummy.

Our dogs had very limited exposure to snow as they are all from Japan, where we lived when we rescued them. When we moved back here, the cold was a bit of shock to them at first but now they seem used to it. We avoid walking where they salt as this irritates their paws.

They never did get diarrhea from being cold. I did buy dog sweaters but now they don't need them, at least the two big dogs don't. The youngest dog, she is smaller, she seems to feel the cold more. As for eating snow, one of our dogs did that at first, but it never made her sick.

Our youngest dog has a really sensitive stomach, extremely prone to diarrhea, the only food she can tolerate is Hills i/d, only sold at the vet. They should have sample packs, give that a try. I am not a vet but I am not convinced eating snow or being cold can cause diarrhea.

I enjoyed the blog. About the broth, I hope it didn't have onion in it. I keep homemade chicken soup frozen for the dogs. It doesn't contain any onion, which is not good for dogs. Our dogs just love it. We humans eat the chicken.

For me, Blood is a "Red Flag" (pun intentional) to go to the vet.

The dog may have eaten snow, but it is likely that the bleeding is caused from something else.

Get this checked officially.

As for the 'back end'........ It's perhaps not likely that the snow is causing this, but perhaps "Salt" from the street to control the snow.

Both my hounds used to get serious explosive diarrhea after going to the beach of an afternoon. Always from ingesting salt water.

The problem wasn't serious, and it was their own fault.

Blood on the other hand is something best not discussed on a forum. This requires professional attention.

If it helps, I can also confirm that this used to happen to my dog all the time, so maybe billhardie is onto something. It wouldn't have even occurred to me that it could be the salt.

But you say she's stopped bleeding now?

Yeap, I second what Bill said - go to the vet.

Snow in excess amounts, is never good for the tummy but blood is a whole new kette of fish. I would personally bring her to the vet to have it checked.

In the meantime, besides broth, boiled chicken breasts and rice always works for me, settling any dodgy tummies.

Good luck!

THANK YOU ALL!!

I am well aware that my question may have sounded ridicolous....but by now it's the only reason that I think could be the case for her tummy troubles .....as crazy as it may sound.

I used to be a dog sitter for over a decade for all kind of pooches of family members and neighbours,but none of them ever had any problems during winter.....and I already knew that in some dogs it may cause problems , so i also never chucked sticks or balls or snowballs for the other dogs during that time when we were on our walks.

I am aware of the salt problem,and we make sure we clean her paws when we return,I also almost exclusively walk her in the forest hereabouts and there's no salt on the paths and as we live about 3 minutes away from the forest her exposure to it is also limited.......for skin problems I use either 'chäslichrut' ( malvae cream )or 'melkfett' ( a kind of vaseline)

Of course i went immediately to the vet when the blood issue happened ( and it was just the onceit happened so far,but scary all the same ),I would never try and fix something as serious on my own ....and actually i was quite scared, I used to work in hospitals and when this happens to a human its considered very serious,,,,however the vet told me that dogs are more prone to bleeds of this kind and whilst it needs medical attention ,it's not as serious as within a human being.

Fact is, she had diarrhea at the beginning when we had her ,but this was due to the food change as i couldn't get the food she was used to there but as soon (within a couple of weeks) as we found the right mix and brand she was fine and during spring,summer and autumn only ever had diarrhea when we ate something she shouldn't have...such as stealing pencils and chewing them up. But we made sure all this stuff is now well put away and out of her reach.

So ,alike Mimi put it ,since she comes from Athens where it is much warmer than here,it's now the only that thing i can think is causing her problems. So i think we will buy her a coat and then see if it is getting better.

Thank you again for your replies !!!

sylv

Blood in vomit or stools means a vet visit. I'm with Bill and Summerrain - call your vet asap.

Eating clean fresh snow is generally harmless; many dogs love it. All mine eat snow regularly with gusto, and other than my little guy with IBD do so without any consequences.

A few dogs, however, may have problems - usually this is because the dog has eaten too much too fast (many dogs get excited and silly in the snow) resulting in natural regurgitation; anything cold ingested on an empty stomach can cause spasms. When dogs regurgitate in such situations the matter is usually clear frothy liquid. If this happens occasionally there is generally nothing to worry about.

But blood in vomit or diarrhea is another thing altogether.

Some dogs may vomit after eating snow because of an underlying gastro-intestinal problem, or perhaps because of something else ingested along with the snow. OR, the snow may be a red herring and the cause of the bloody vomit and diarrhea may be related to something else althgether.

First, could your pup have eaten anything dangerous hidden in the snow? As Bill mentioned, road salt will cause vomiting in many dogs if ingested along with snow. Also, could your dog have eaten a foreign object, frozen cat poo, fertilizer, garbage or something similarly putrid, or doG forbid something seriously toxic like antifreeze spilled in the snow? (If antifreeze is even a remote possibility get to the vet asap.)

Not to get too graphic here, but it's a good idea to examine the type of vomit or diarrhea - what comes out can point to the cause. For instance:

http://www.peteducation.com/article....+2090&aid=3574

If there is blood, whether it is bright red or dark (coffee ground-like) is important information for the vet. When in doubt, I bring a sample to show the vet.

Because I have senior dogs with some chronic health problems I tend to take vomiting and diarrhea seriously, and go the vet sooner than I would with an otherwise healthy dog. A general rule is that vomiting or diarrhea that persists beyond 24 hours warrants a vet visit. But the presence of blood means a call to the vet at the first instance.

FYI, dehydration is something to watch for whenever a dog is vomiting or has diarrhea. To do a quick home check, pinch a fold of skin near his shoulder blades. If the skin immediately falls back into place, dehydration is unlikely. If the skin stays 'tented' dehydration is a possibility and you should call your vet asap.

My mutt with IBD has once had a flare-up shortly after a bout of frantic snow eating, probably a too-much-too-fast thing, but I cannot say with any certainty that snow was the cause. His poor system is so messed up that anything outside his strictly controlled regime can start the cycle. But I would not expect to see this kind of vomiting and diarrhea occurring regularly in an otherwise healthy dog.

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In short, there could be many reasons, especially if this is a one-off incident. But if your dog regularly vomits or has diarrhea further exploration may be warranted, if only to give yourself some peace of mind.

Hope the little one is feeling better soon.

ETA: Cross-posted with you, Sylv. So glad to hear that you've seen the vet, and that your little one is doing better.

As for the winter-stress question:

There is a remote possibility of stress related gastro-intestinal problems. One of mine is a stress vomiter - if something worries him he vomits, usually a clear frothy liquid. This is not all that common, but nonetheless some dogs do react to stress this way. Is your dog the nervous or highly strung type? If something about winter worries your pup, stress could play a part in her tummy troubles - but I would think you'd have seen stress vomiting in other situations before this. Nonetheless, if you think this might be the case I'd treat it as I would any stress situation, by slowly desensitizing her and changing the association. Simply getting her used to cold temps by going for short excursions rather than long hikes initially, playing games so that she begins to see snow as fun, should help her get over this.

My guys who came from warmer climates each needed a little adjustment to get used to 'real' winter; most only showed a bit of surprise at the first snowfall, but one took a week or so to decide that this white stuff was fun rather than frightening. On the other hand, my only Swiss born and bred dog is a total winter wimp - so go figure.

Some of my friends use fleece or waterproof jackets for their short-coated breeds, and tell me that with their jackets the dogs are much happier. As mine are double-coated breeds I've never needed to do so, but you may consider a jacket if your pup seems to shiver or is reluctant to go outside when the temps drop.

But the presence of blood in the vomit makes me think that this was not stress related. Blood generally points to other physical problems.

Continued good wishes to the little one.

wwhhooooppss, there seems to be a misunderstanding

The blood issue was a one -off sometime ago ,happened only on the day of the blog entry....

She has recovered with the meds and diet within a few days after it happened...and even now she is fine and well...but has had just a few bouts more of diarrhea when it snowed heavily recently.

Sorry that I wasn't wording my question clearer

If you're going to buy a dog jacket for poochie, can I recommend one of these?

@mirfield

ROFLMAO

Actually i am not in favour of dressing up dogs I think it looks ridicolous, they are dogs after all and not puppets or mini humans,we ordered over qualipet today a plain red one which can be used for rain and snowy conditions

The selection of clothing in Japan for dogs was extensive. I am also not a fan of dressing dogs but we bought these fantastic raincoats there. Rainy season is long there and there is only so much wet dog one can cope with. I also bought dog sweaters there as we went to the mountains and it was really cold. Some dogs are really sensitive to the cold and I think a sweater or jacket makes sense.

Raincoats, Wintercoats ( as now for our Liza) and protective gear i have no problem with.......but to dress a doggie in frills, laces, volants and other such stuff gets up my nose big time...they are not Barbiedolls!

Hell yeah,

I can't stand seeing a dog dressed up.

Check this out:

(Why dogs bite people)

http://3113.com/cute_pet_costumes/cu..._costumes.html

It's a dog mate, it would survive better than you in the wild, and wouldn't think twice about eating it's own young/ siblings, or gnawing it's own leg off if it was necessary to survive - if you were willing to undertake similar actions to survive, do you think you'd need a jacket?

I use a jacket for my dog the same reason as I use a jacket for myself. If its snowing and cold then body temperature melts the snow, we both become damp and then the water is more inclined to make us colder.

I know plenty of people who use a jacket for a dog and more who don't for a 5 min to 1 hr long walk. But when they aren't moving around so much or are going for a longer walk a jacket helps them to keep energy (especially the ones who like to eat snowballs).

I imagine in cold conditions a wild dog would probably have a burrow somewhere to keep warm in winter. Shame they can't sew or knit yet... maybe they would make a scarf for their pups? Or maybe some shoes for the salt...

Which is why I truly think it is important to have a dog suited for the conditions you live in. The fashion for having naked/hairless dogs here and St Bernard's in Mexico is daft imho.

So glad to hear your dog is better btw. I used to help at a wildlife hospital in the UK, and bleeding from both ends usually meant ingesting rat poison/warfarin - sadly a terrible, slow death.