dog affected by cold

[magspa]

Barely ever gets below 60 down here in south TX 30min from mexico. This morning it was mod 30s and drizzeling. My dog did great the first hour. Then all the sudden she was hunched up shivering and trying to sit frequently and very sluggish. I assuming and Hoping it was the cold. May have been a stomach issue- I have her some raw beef fat from a skirt steak and leftover carrot last night but I dont think that's what it was..she has a very thin coat and Really scrawny- the roan dog in my profile pic. So these reasonsay be why.. Anybody have this happen in a normally hot area? I was expecting to take advantage of this cool weather and hunt all day.

[magspa]

I apologize for the poor grammar...typed on my phone which I horrible with.

[wems2371]

I wouldn't think the cold would be an issue normally, but if she is underweight and was soaked to the skin in cold weather, it could be a possibility. Did she recover to her normal self, now that you're not afield? If she's still sluggish, I would be worried about other possibilities.

All 4 of my GSPs are house dogs, so they spend the majority of their time loafing around my 70 degree house, and really don't develop as dense a coat as they probably could. They are of a good weight though, with just a rib or two showing, and otherwise well covered. I hunted two 6.5 month old pups on Friday for 2 hours. It was 10 degrees with a negative windchill, and they did great and kept busy. As long as the dog is moving and actively hunting, I've never had a problem with ours.

[Cicada]

Sounds like mild hypothermia next time check the dogs gums if they are cold and white get her warmed up and call it a day Does not have to be too far below freezing for a skinny dog to get cold.

-15c here today

Stay warm

Grant

[magspa]

she seems fine now..well she usually just lays on her bed in the evenings anyway. She ate 1.5 cups of food and has been out in the yard a few times. I wish i could put some meat on her. That is why i have been giving her the raw beef fat. Tried feeding her 5cups/day of 30/20 but didnt make a difference so went back to 2.5/day. Also, i frequently give her hard boiled eggs and some veggies like carrot and sweet potatoes. I currently feed her 4health chicken/rice, i think it is 24/17 and 4%fiber..Any recommendations? She is 2 y/o . She really isnt that active other than hunting every Sunday, and running around the yard. I dont see how she could be burning so many calories. Sometimes i wonder if it is because i had her spayed 6months which i will never do again that early or at all. The vet talked me into it.

[deseeker]

I agree it was most likely mild hyperthermia. If she was damp from the drizzle and cold from the temperature it is easy for a light coated dog(especially if there is a wind blowing on her) to have a hard time maintaining her inner core temperature. If you notice it happening again, get her in out of the weather, dry her off, warm her up and she should be good to go the next day. JMO

[Del Lolo]

I agree it was most likely mild hyperthermia.

I thinkyou mean hypothermia.

[Del Lolo]

This just seems so "foreign" to me. Yesterday (12/7) Tucker (a light coated PL) made his first water retrieves of the day by busting ice with an air temperature of MINUS 7. Today his first water retrieves the temp was PLUS 1.
last weekend he made water retrieves all day with air temps of +10 to +11.

If you can get ahold of chicken fat, it's much better utilized by dogs than beef fat.

[ACooper]

Only time I've had a problem with cold and dogs, about 10-12 years ago I had a Vizsla get chilled, it was about 24-25 degrees and we started getting sleet and freezing rain. Considering her coat it wasn't a surprise, got her in the box and dried off she was no worse for the wear.

[Cajun Casey]

she seems fine now..well she usually just lays on her bed in the evenings anyway. She ate 1.5 cups of food and has been out in the yard a few times. I wish i could put some meat on her. That is why i have been giving her the raw beef fat. Tried feeding her 5cups/day of 30/20 but didnt make a difference so went back to 2.5/day. Also, i frequently give her hard boiled eggs and some veggies like carrot and sweet potatoes. I currently feed her 4health chicken/rice, i think it is 24/17 and 4%fiber..Any recommendations? She is 2 y/o . She really isnt that active other than hunting every Sunday, and running around the yard. I dont see how she could be burning so many calories. Sometimes i wonder if it is because i had her spayed 6months which i will never do again that early or at all. The vet talked me into it.

Live culture yogurt, ProZyme or another good probiotic might help.

[Wildweeds]

Current on worming? potentially sounds to me like a mild case of hypoglycemia if so . Try changing the metabolism with 2 feedings per day.My old dead pointer had that same bodystyle, looked absolutely horrible no matter how much he was wormed or how much he was fed.At 5 years old he started having the grandmall seizures while hunting,pretty scary thing if youve never seen it,he would snap out of it and be very very agressive,Most times it was the crappy weather,cold/rain and overexertion that brought it on.Nutracal in the tube rubbed on his gums helped with it,i'd give him some every half hour or so.

[magspa]

I give her ivomectin every month. Other than that i get her checked once a year. Ill have to look into the hypoglycemia, will that cause her scrawny build or the symptoms she experienced Sunday? I feed her twice a day, 3X/day the first year. Plus she get some treat, boiled eggs, etc..I always tell the vet I think she is too thin without enough muscle mass but he always says she is fine. But if you line her up next to other GSP's, just doesn't look right.

[Neil]

Switch to a quality feed, such as Purina ProPlan 30-20. She needs more fat in her food to put fat on her. At the least give her a couple of tablespoons of used cooking oil, whatever you use.

[bobman]

If the vet says the dog is healthy forget trying to fatten it up and just feed a quality feed, dogs are like people some are naturally heavier built than others and over feeding wont change it much

Not much weather is colder than 30s and raining we just had about 8 days here in Georgia

A two year old dog is like a teenager they continue to fill out until about 3.5 years so she may get a little bigger

[magspa]

Thanks for all the replies..Is 4health not considered a quality food?

[SpinoneIllinois]

Oh man, don't even start the food debate!

[magspa]

haha good call. Either way i plan on leaving her on it. possibly supplementing for extra fat, especially during these cold fronts. I have tried a few feeds, some really expensive but she does great on this, plus it is less than 1$/lb. 4health does make a 30/20 but im not sure if it is necessary cause she isnt that active during the week other than hunting once a week. It supposed to be chilly again (for South TX) this weekend, so ill see if those symptoms come back.

[Neil]

No food debate here.

Sporting dogs do better on high fat, particularly weekend warriors, the run cooler in heat and stay warmer in the cold.

Feed what you want, I am just telling you what they need.

[millerms06]

A two year old dog is like a teenager they continue to fill out until about 3.5 years so she may get a little bigger

Switch to a quality feed She needs more fat in her food to put fat on her.

I have a Vizsla that is a little over three. We gave her a hotter food when she was getting thinner than the other dogs (around two years old). At that time we started giving her Native Level 4 (35/25). Took a bit before we noticed changes physically but she turned around. She was hunting more than your dog, but even still a 24/17 food will not be enough for a GSP even at your dog's activity level.

[magspa]

I may check out some different feeds. Now that i have one dog again the price wont be a big deal.

[Neil]

I aam sure 4Health is a good feed, just move to a 30-20, you can buy most any food for a buck a pound, after rebates.

Weekend athletes, dog and man, have the same nutritional and conditioning requirements as full time ones. After she gains weight, and she will, cut back on the amount a little, keep her on the same feed year round.

Hope the rest of the season goes well for you both,

Neil

[AZ Brittany Guy]

Over the years with my dogs I have noticed that "change" up or down does not happen fast. When I increase / decrease feed it can take up to 4 - 6 weeks to notice anything.

[AlbertaChessie]

Wow, this just doesn't even register with me! Our dogs would be overheating in that kind of weather! lol

Not trying to downplay by any means......but its amazing the different issues we have being from Alberta vs Texas. Our dogs literally have began to shut down due to getting to hot at that temp!