Mary Allen
Starting from the ancestor of today’s domestic dog, the wolf, there are many different breeds. For example, some are tall and long-legged with sparsely-haired skin, while others are small and heavily-haired. What they all have in common, however, is the astonishingly good adaptation to climatic changes. Dogs are generally able to withstand both heat (up to around 30 degrees) and cold (up to around -15 degrees) without any problems. Outside of this range, dogs no longer really feel well, but adapt their behavior accordingly – e.g. seek shade in midsummer or increase their physical activity in or against the winter cold.
False Reports
Unfortunately, a false report (a so-called hoax) has been appearing on social networks for several years, which regularly unsettles many dog owners for no reason. In this cold hoax, the individual pieces of misinformation are not immediately apparent.
Therefore, it should now be shown in detail why the claims made are without any basis:
First of all…the (two) last winters did NOT cost the lives of many small dogs.
Dogs are usually quite well-armed against the cold thanks to their fur. Of course, there are some differences – for example, the Podenco with little fur will freeze much earlier than a Siberian Husky. However, to counteract cooling down outdoors, dogs and other mammals can protect themselves through various strategies. For example, playing and sprinting generate body heat with the help of the muscles.
There is no basis for the fact that small dogs should cool down faster than their larger relatives. When a mammal (human, dog, cat, etc.) inhales cold air, it is warmed up in the mouth or nose and thus adapted to the body temperature. Even if the cold were to penetrate the bronchi unhindered, it would be extremely unlikely that it would reach the abdominal cavity via the diaphragm (a muscular partition) and, on top of that, lead to a massive drop in core temperature.
The ‘rupture in the abdomen’ described in the hoax means that there should be a tear in the abdomen – a very vague statement. The “personal area” mentioned is a fictitious word… probably based on the Latin technical term for the area of the perineum (perianal area). With “in the noise-producing, inner abdominal area” one can only guess what the author might have meant, because noises in the abdomen are only generated by the stomach, small and large intestine.
In dogs with real internal and not inconsiderable bleeding, there is actually a slight to a significant increase in abdominal circumference – but it definitely does not become “very soft”, but rather harder, provided that the surface tension changes at all. A “whitish color” of the abdominal wall is a condition that may not develop until postmortem with complete bleeding… not as a symptom of this invented disease.
Admittedly, a “death rate … actually 100%” sounds highly dramatic, but where does this number come from? Even the author “only” lists two cases that he wants to know about (his own dog and Jack Russel in his circle of friends). The alleged statement of the alleged veterinary practice “the rate of dogs dying in this way was very high” seems paradoxical, because A few years ago I shared this hoax in three different vets Facebook groups – with the question of whether anyone had ever seen such trauma or at least heard about it. However, not a single colleague was found who could affirm it. Not a single person out of over 4000 vets had ever heard of it!
After the description of the alleged symptoms and the course of events, it would also be more than illogical “to allow one more fast lap of the race”, wouldn’t it? If this incredible danger were to exist, it would be more than negligent to let your beloved dog run uncontrolled.
The instructions for combating hypothermia are actually not wrong… but things like feather pillows, heating pads at level 1 (of how many?) and the explicitly mentioned powder preparation do seem a little strange.
Dogs Need Regular Exercise
Although the warning words are written very emotionally, I beg you not to believe them. Every dog should get out into the fresh air every day if possible! I really don’t know how anyone would spread such nonsense?
Life is generally not without its dangers, but wrapping a healthy animal in cotton wool is definitely the wrong approach. Dogs want to live, experience their environment, and actively participate in the life of their mistress/master – both in the household and outdoors.
Take care of yourselves and your loved ones.