Tips for Preventing Dry Skin for Your Pets Over the winter

COLD weather, biting winds and snow and rain do not do much for our faces and hands – and the same is true for our beloved pets as well.

Moving between cold outdoors and heated indoors – especially homes with forced air heating – soon leads to dry skin and cracks.

And it is not just us humans that suffer but our faithful friends – and they can suffer even more so than us as they tend to go outside barefoot which brings many more complications for them than us. A bit of moisturizer will not do the trick.

The first part of protecting your pet against dry skin is to start from the inside – with a good diet. Make sure you are feeding your pet with good quality and balanced pet food. This is vital to ensure your cat or dog has a healthy coat and good skin ready to resist the outdoor elements. Just as with humans, fish oil and other supplements have been shown to give skin the natural oils and moisture it needs to best resist outside.

Next is making sure that your pet’s coat is well groomed and maintained - get a good brush appropriate for your furry friend’s coat type. It may well be worth investing in a grooming service especially as the harsher months of winter are with us, and your groomer will give you good bushing tips.

Proper brushing regularly helps maintain your dog’s coat in tiptop condition by removing dead skin cells and old hair, stimulating their follicles, and releasing those important natural oils to keep the coat healthy.

Bathing your dog is also highly advised during the winter – but not too much as that can dry the skin out which is not the objective. Monthly is a good benchmark to strike the balance between removing dirt and debris but not removing oils. It is best not to use soap products which can be harsh, but a conditioner can be helpful especially for longer haired dogs.

Now the coat is protected, turn to the paws. If we think our skin suffers from icy air, think about your dog or cat that is walking on the frozen ground. As well as ice and snow, there are salts, sands and other chemicals used that can cause serious harm to our pet’s pads. In extreme cases the salt and ice can burn a pet’s paw pads. It may be worth considering dog boots to act as a barrier.

Before going outside, apply a neutral balm to the pads, avoiding fragrances or essential oils that can cause allergic reactions. Make sure your pets have their feet rinsed off on return to remove those salts and chemicals – they not only can irritate the skin, but your pet will seek to remedy the situation itself by licking their feet – and ingesting the salts and sands, which can cause worse issues for your furry friend.