PET VET TO THE RESCUE
By Christine Newman, DVM | Posted Jan. 20, 2026
My big, black dog Marcus loves the cold weather. With his dark fur and missing front leg, exercising in warm weather quickly drains his energy; winter is his time to shine! For Marcus, the only weather condition better than freezing temperatures is frigid weather accompanied by snow – the deeper the better. Last week, with our seven inches of snow, he ripped around Skillman Park, stopping only to have the snowballs removed from his paws.
Brie, a long-haired Australian shepherd from Rocky Hill, collects snowballs in her undercoat while playing in the snow. A jacket or booties may help to prevent this.
Photo by Barbara A. Preston
With his medium length, soft fur, he is a magnet for snow to form balls on the bottom of his feet and between his toes, which eventually prevents him from running comfortably. This started me wondering if he would benefit from wearing booties to prevent the ice ball formation.
A few days later, when I was asked about the necessity of employing canine footwear during cold and snowy weather, I realized I wasn’t sure if there were medical guidelines to justify possibly, publicly humiliating our pets with doggie galoshes.
Canine feet are built for the outdoors. Their pads are comprised of a tough, thick outer layer of specialized skin that covers fatty tissue and protects them from cold, heat, and abrasive conditions.
A dog in snow shoes. Is this a good idea?
Perhaps the biggest advantage dogs have is that their circulation varies from ours in that the arteries carrying warm blood to the paws lie very close to the veins that carry chilled blood away from the paws. This proximity allows heat from the arteries to be transferred to the veins thus maintaining a constant temperature in the paws.
In one study, researchers were unable to induce frostbite in any of the test on dogs who had been exposed to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, for three hours.
And while frostbite is possible, it is a very rare occurrence.
Of course, over the past centuries, breeders have selected for certain traits that might decrease an individual dog’s cold tolerance. But in general, a healthy young dog taking a walk on a winter day in New Jersey would not need boots to protect them from the cold.
Also, ill-fitting boots which are too tight could even impede the countercurrent circulation and make the paws colder.
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Why then might a dog need booties? It is possible that older or arthritic dogs might benefit from having their joints covered.
Dogs with very thin fur or dermatological conditions, which affect the health of their feet or pads, might be more comfortable with the padding a boot provides.
The possible presence of irritating chemicals, salt, or de-icers might warrant booties (or washing feet after returning from a walk on a treated surface).
Preventing the formation of ice balls or injuries from treading on icy surfaces cold also warrant appropriate footwear.
What about Dog Jackets?
As for dog coats, I usually tell my clients that if your dog appears cold outside or is shivering during walks, a coat is certainly warranted.
Many dogs have minimal body fat and thin fur, and will become quite chilled on these cold days.
Care should be taken on snowy or rainy days as a wet coat can do more harm than good.
And finally, this time of year, if your house is a bit chilly and you share it with skinny old pets, consider using a sweater to keep them warm inside as well.
My 15- and 17-year-old senior dogs wear lightweight sweaters all winter to keep them comfortable.
