Cold weather dog gear

[onthefly]

Wondering if, when the temp drops below zero, do you guys use any gear to keep your dogs warm? Boots, vests, etc.?

I asking because my dog got frostbitten balls after 1 hr of pheasant hunting when it was -5 and windy. Now, he's on the way to the vet. Starting to blister, looking worse. I suppose there's nothing to protect dog balls!?

Any help welcome

[jparrucci]

Neoprene vest and neutered dog helps. My dogs won't let me put boots on.

[nofishfisherman]

I have a vizsla and when its this cold the best protection I've found for him is to let him stay sleeping on the couch. He doesn't like the cold at all. Yesterday he went outside twice all day, once right away in the morning and once when I got home from work. I tried to kick him out before bed but he refused to budge. I'm pretty sure he'd try holding it until March if I'd let him.

Other dogs that have the advantage of thicker coats I'd go with the neoprene vest. Won't really help the frozen balls but will keep the dogs core warm. A lot of dogs don't like the boots and I'd personally skip them. Not sure how much they help keep the dog warm, I think they are more designed to protect the dogs feet from abrasions in the course snow. I'd rather my dog have firm footing instead of have them running around with weird things on their feet.

As for frozen balls...I'd like to thank you for that painful image Maybe my dog will forgive me for having his cut off if he only knew the potential risks of keeping them.

[charliepete]

I was out in the Dakota's the week after Thanksgiving. The high for the trip was -5 and one morning it was -27 without the windchill. It was pretty rough on man and beast. If you come up with a solution on the nut thing besides neutering I would be happy to hear it. My shorthair got frostbit seeds as well. They are just finally getting fully healed up now. I am not one for longjohns and one morning on the trip I had too thin a pair of hunting pants on. I ended up having to make use of a small towel tucked into the belt so I didn't have the same problem as the dog. Frosty!

[herm]

Two cents from a moderate newbie: Common sense seems the best "cold weather gear" to acquire. No offense intended, but I would never put my dog in a position to risk serious injuries just so I can hunt. And, yes, frostbite of anything - especially those - qualifies as serious injury.

My vet and training mentors have stressed that a dog's will to hunt overpowers its tolerance for pain/etc, so it's the owner's responsibility to realize where the line is and keep the dog on the safe side of it.

Enough said.

[onthefly]

Thanks, guys. I got no problem admitting it was my fault. It's my first dog and, unfortunately for his seeds, I'm still learning where the lines are. I've done a lot of saving him from himself. Now I know the boundaries on cold weather.

My dog is pretty tolerant to cold, but he doesn't seem to like being outside as much below 15-20 degrees.

[grey ghost]

I hunt my 2 female Weimaraners up until the last day of pheasant season every year and they never wear any extra gear. When they're hunting they seem to stay plenty warm. I never hunt more than a couple of hours at a time so maybe that's why I've never had any issues.

[Don Brinkman]

Wondering if, when the temp drops below zero, do you guys use any gear to keep your dogs warm? Boots, vests, etc.?

I asking because my dog got frostbitten balls after 1 hr of pheasant hunting when it was -5 and windy. Now, he's on the way to the vet. Starting to blister, looking worse. I suppose there's nothing to protect dog balls!?

Any help welcome

I heard that once frost bitten it becomes even more sesitive in the future, I would consider getting your dog nutted if you plan any more cold weater hunts, or you could try vasoline