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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