How to keep your dog warmWhat to do when your dog is freezing — on walks, at home, and in an emergency

Shivering is the first and most common sign. Watch for:

• Shivering or trembling
• Curling up tight, tucking the tail, hunching
• Slowing down, refusing to walk on, or turning for home
• Lifting one paw after another off cold ground
• Looking for shelter: behind your legs, under a bench, asking to be picked up
• Cold ears, legs and paws to the touch

Any of these means: head home now, not after one more lap.

1. Go out dry. A damp coat loses its warmth; dry your dog fully after a bath or a previous walk.
2. Dress small and short-coated dogs before you leave: a sweater for the body and, in wind or snow, a hat that covers the ears.
3. Walk shorter and more often. Two 10-minute walks are kinder than one long one.
4. Keep moving. Standing still in the wind cools a small dog fast; carry a tiny dog across open, exposed stretches.
5. Avoid ice, slush and grit. Salt and de-icers irritate paws; walk on clear paths where you can.
6. Turn back at the first shiver.

1. Take off wet clothing and towel your dog dry, including the belly, ears and between the toes.
2. Check the paws for ice balls, cracks or salt, and rinse them in lukewarm water.
3. Offer a warm, draught-free bed off the floor, with a blanket your dog can burrow into.
4. Hang the sweater and hat to dry flat so they are ready next time.

Clothing comes off indoors: a heated home is warm enough, and dogs can overheat in a sweater.

Hypothermia means the body temperature has dropped below about 37 °C (98–99 °F). Normal for a dog is about 38–39 °C. Small dogs, puppies, seniors, short-coated and wet dogs are at the highest risk.

Warning signs

• Strong shivering, muscle stiffness, sluggishness
• Difficulty walking, clumsiness or confusion
• Pale gums; cold ears, legs and paws
• Severe: shivering stops, collapse, no response, fixed wide pupils, slow or irregular breathing

What to do

1. Get your dog into a warm room or car.
2. Dry it and wrap it in blankets or towels, warmed on a radiator or in the dryer if you can.
3. Place bottles of warm water nearby, with several layers of fabric between them and the skin.
4. Call your vet and go straight there, keeping your dog wrapped on the way.

What not to do

• No heating pads or hair dryer on the skin: they can burn and can cause shock.
• Don't warm quickly with hot water. Gradual is safer.
• Don't wait to see if it passes once the shivering has stopped. That is a worse sign, not a better one.

This is first aid until you reach a vet, not a replacement for one.

Even a dog in a coat has its ears, tail, belly and paws exposed, and in freezing weather those thin-skinned parts can get frostbite — ears and the tail tip most of all, and wet dogs more easily. Frostbitten skin looks white, grey or bluish and feels cold and stiff; as it thaws it turns red, swollen and painful, and signs can take days to show. Move your dog somewhere warm and dry, warm the area with water that feels comfortably warm to your hand, pat it dry, and see a vet. Never rub it, and never use hot water, a hair dryer or human painkillers.

For small dogs with big ears, a hat that covers both ears — like the Pom-Pom Hood — is the part of the outfit a sweater can't replace. And see how cold is too cold before deciding on the length of the walk.