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Keeping your dog healthy during the winter and festive season

BY READERS DIGEST

10th Jan 2022 Animals & Pets

Keeping your dog healthy during the winter and festive season

Ordinarily, it is fairly easy to keep your dog on a fit bill of health. Keep a nice steady routine of several walks a day, feed them to a tight routine, and lay off the occasional snacks you might give to them throughout the day.

Obviously, there is a lot more to it than that, but the basics don’t really change. That is until the cold and stormy weather comes over the horizon.

Sometimes it just isn’t viable to give your dog a walk – especially if a storm has hit and it’s easily 80  Kilometers-per-hour winds outside.

This article is focused on giving you some ideas to keep your dog fit and healthy during the toughest of months weather-wise.

Take them to an aerobics class

Traditionally, pet aerobics classes are for animals that are recovering from an injury but more and more aerobics schools are taking on clients that want to improve their animal’s health.

This is a great way to dodge the winter elements while keeping your pooch fit as a fiddle.

There are all kinds of aerobics classes including hydro-aerobics classes. So be sure to scout your local area and see what it has to offer in the way of doggy fitness classes. You might be surprised at what you find!

Invest in the right clothing

While taking your dog for a walk during a powerful storm is unreasonable, so is staying in all winter. You will need to brave the drizzle and take them on a walk at one point, so it is vital that you wrap them up.

You wouldn’t want to go out there with subpar summer clothes on, so why should your beloved pooch?

Keeping them wrapped up is a good way to prevent them from falling ill and getting the doggo sniffles – or something far worse.

There are so many options for dog clothes out there, such as comfortable waterproof jackets  and even little hoods to keep their heads all cosy.

During the icy months you also have to think about protecting their little paws, so as much as they may hate them at first, you might want to think about some (very adorable) dog boots.

Keep their diet healthy

This is important all year round but especially true during winter months and festive periods. It can be very tempting to let them have what they want during a festive period and while a little treat here and there is okay, don’t overdo it.

Keeping them on a stable and healthy diet is important for the winter months as it will help them grow out their winter coat. Not only that, but good quality food will be easier to break down and less wasteful – meaning more energy to keep your dog warm.

Bella and Duke have an amazing dog nutrition guide for the festive period that you should absolutely take a look at.

To conclude

Winter can be a tough time for everyone, especially your pooch. Make sure to keep them fit and healthy during these months and before you know it, Spring will be just around the corner!

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