07/11/2024
Now that the weather is getting colder and wetter it is time to talk coats and also to appreciate how cute Ben looks in his Ruff and Tumble coat.
Dogs natural coats vary a lot depending on where they originate from and what they were bred for. An obvious example would be the difference between a Newfoundland which originates from Canada and was used by the fishermen in cold wet conditions and a greyhound thought to originate from ancient Egypt and used for hunting and racing.
So if dogs have their natural coats do we need to put coats on them? This is not a simple yes or no answer and a more appropriate question might be why are we putting a coat on? Generally if a dog is single coated (doesn’t have an undercoat) and is lean they probably need a coat when walking if the weather is cold or wet.
Other occasions when a dog may need a coat for walking is if they are elderly and are not moving around enough to keep warm, have had surgery where they have metal implants that can make their joints feel cold, have had a large area of fur clipped or if they are underweight.
A dogs normal body temperature is 38.3 to 39.2 degrees Celsius compared to 36.9 for humans so care must be taken to make sure that if a dog is wearing a coat it does not overheat. This can be a problem when coats are put on young, healthy active dogs.
Another time that a dog may benefit from a coat is when they are wet as they will lose more heat and the heat loss will be more rapid. This can be a problem especially after exercise as blood flow to the muscles will be reduced to maintain the core body temperature. Reduced blood flow to the muscles leads to muscle stiffness and pain. We do recommend a coat after hydrotherapy treatment.
So what coats would we recommend? Equafleece coats are good for walks as they are light weight, breathable, come in lots of colours and are non restrictive. Some of the styles with legs can be difficult to put on especially if the dog has joint issues but a zip can be put in on request.
Ruff and tumble are great drying coats for after a wet walk or hydrotherapy they are a bit pricy but very good quality (top tip if the Velcro is done up when not in use it will last longer). A cheaper version is available from dogrobes. Web addresses are listed below.
Please let us know your recommendations.
www.equafleece.co.uk
www.ruffandtumbledogcoats.com
www.dogrobes.co.uk
