16/10/2025
Getting wet...
I have two labradors who love water. But there is a difference between the water you jump into and the water that comes from above. Water from above is a lot less fun....
For older dogs, getting wet from rain is often more of a problem than for younger dogs. This can be explained in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine by a decrease in the amount of Qi available. There is then less Qi to keep the body at temperature, and wet cold penetrates deeper more quickly than in younger dogs. Wearing a raincoat is often an excellent option for a somewhat older dog and not an excessive luxury. Smaller dogs get cold faster than larger dogs, so for them, it is even more likely to be an issue.
I have a tip for you: once you towel your dog off at home, warm the towel first. Did you know you can heat a towel in a microwave? Often one minute at about 600 watts is enough. Just be careful that the towel doesn't touch the walls of your microwave, or burn holes can occur. If you don't have a microwave and the heater isn't on, you can wrap the towel around a warm hot water bottle before you leave home. Then you'll have a nice warm towel when you get home. First, towel the worst of the wet off with a regular dry towel, then after-dry with the warmed-up towel.
You counteract wet cold with dry heat, and the dogs are much faster dry this way than with an ordinary dry towel. My dogs love it, even my youngest of now three years.
