# I think screwed up badly - want to cry.



## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

I don't think you did _anything_ to harm your pup! His tender little paw pad probably just got poked by some ice or something. Little puppies can be a bit dramatic. Boo-boos often scare them more than they harm them. If his paw pad is irritated, you can put some chap stick on it to sooth. They do sell little boots and things like Musher's Secret that you can apply a few times a week to the paw pads to coat them (it's just a food grade wax) and protect them from the irritations from snow, ice, road salt, sand and hot asphalt in the summer--if we ever see summer this year! (Only 19 more days until spring!) To set your mind at ease, you can call the vet in the morning if he doesn't seem himself. But really, I think you can be pretty confident Pedro will be fine. He didn't get frostbite, he maybe got a little scrape or irritation. I hope you're both feel better by now! Quick little link with a bit of info. Winter Paw Care Tips | Dogster (If you put down salt, be sure it's the pet friendly kind. )


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## IthacaSpoo (Jan 22, 2014)

I LOVE YOU I COULD REACH right through the cyber world and hug you. Okay, we will sleep and see how he is in the morning. He is certainly making the most of it on my lap staring at me.


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## Suddenly (Aug 8, 2013)

Chagalls mom, I just want to tell you that you are amazing. You are so helpful and full of information that just makes everyone feel so comfortable.
Good night to all!?


?Suddenly?


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Chagall's mom........YOU ROCK! This posting to Ithaca is the exact reason why you were missed when you went on hiatus from PF!!!!! And to IthacaSpoo...............Chagall's mom said it right........ so now go cuddle your baby and keep warm and cozy in all that nasty cold weather!


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

This is such a nice poodle pack to be part of!*  IthacaSpoo*, How's little Pedro doing this morning? Chagall and I are just bundling up to go out into the lovely (_not!_) 6 degree weather._ brrr!_ (We're both wearing boots.)


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## Constance (Jun 4, 2013)

What a kind thread! greetings to all, especially those in the cold Northeast and a special hi to Ithaca! We visited the colleges there two years ago, what a charming town. coco and I were out at 6 am in 8 degree weather. she walks and leaps about on TOP of the hard, packed, snow.


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

I don't know much about cold weather, I hope your puppy is ok ! I know you didn't mean no harm

But -9F !?!!?!! I wouldn't stay out for more than 2 minutes!! Brrrrrrrr I've never experienced that kind of cold before!!!
But even when it's like 29F I don't stay outside with my adult poodles more than 20 minutes! I imagine that cold air can't be good for one's lungs, and I hear the colder it is the less time you can survive in the freezing temperatures 
I mean "below freezing" to me, means it can freeze!
EDIT: the first time I experienced freezing temperatures I went online and looked up how long can someone survive in below zero temperatures etc... I was scared. I remember that it was very scary in Chicago once.

Maybe other poodleforum members that live in cold areas have some good information for you, and I hope your puppy is fine and it's no big deal




Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## IthacaSpoo (Jan 22, 2014)

Hi everyone! I was without internet access all day yesterday, I love the support and concern. I can tell you I would have lost an entire night of sleep. Pedro woke up the next morning as if nothing had happened at all CM was exactly right, he's a drama queen! This was a great lesson for me not only in puppy drama but that this forum is a total treasure. THANK YOU! PS, Pedro is having his first hotel visit (we're a hockey family) and he has been perfect. He also went to his first hockey game yesterday and sat on my lap and watched the whole thing! No limping or whining. He seems just fine, I'm continuing to check as the days go on bc if it was frostbite it can get worse but all seems A OK! Thank you!


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

They say there's no bad weather, just the wrong clothes, so I do dress Jazz in a fleece jacket and boots if the weather is...okay, not bad, but cold and snowy. (And I don't care what "they" say--this deep freeze we're been living in is BAD.)


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

> Abstract
> 
> 
> Dogs are well adapted to cold climates and they can stand, walk and run on snow and ice for long periods of time. In contrast to the body trunk, which has, dense fur, the paws are more exposed to the cold due to the lack of fur insulation. The extremities have a high surface area-to-volume ratio, so they lose heat very easily. We offer anatomical evidence for a heat-conserving structure associated with dog footpad vasculature. Methylmethacrylate vascular corrosion casts for scanning electron microscopy, Indian ink-injected whole-mount and histological specimens were each prepared, in a series of 16 limbs from four adult dogs. Vascular casts and Indian ink studies showed that abundant venules were arranged around the arteries supplying the pad surface and formed a vein–artery–vein triad, with the peri-arterial venous network intimately related to the arteries. In addition, numerous arteriovenous anastomoses and well-developed venous plexuses were found throughout the dermal vasculature. The triad forms a counter-current heat exchanger. When the footpad is exposed to a cold environment, the counter-current heat exchanger serves to prevent heat loss by recirculating heat back to the body core. Furthermore, the arteriovenous anastomoses shift blood flow, draining blood to the skin surface, and the venous plexuses retain warm blood in the pad surface. Hence, the appropriate temperature for the footpad can be maintained in cold environments.
> Functional anatomy of the footpad vasculature of dogs: scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts - Ninomiya - 2011 - Veterinary Dermatology - Wiley Online Library



Why Don’t Barefoot Dogs Get Frostbite? | The Dogington Post


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Thanks, PB - I've bookmarked the page for future reference. Not that we often get extreme temperatures here!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

There were a few weeks here and there when I lived in north Idaho where it got down to 30 below zero. Dry cold is much more comfortable than damp but 30 below didn't matter. It's C-O-L-D. I didn't do walks but that was mostly about me. lol. But my dogs still went out to go pee. The only dog that hurried up to go and come back in was Chulita. The others wandered around a little and were fine. 

The only frost bite I was worried about was Lyric's (my Doberman) cropped ears. There's hardly any hair on the inside. On somewhat warmer days, (like around 15 degrees F) we'd take walks and he'd wear a snood. lol. He hated that thing and it would keep slipping back off his ears. He had a bomber jacket lined with fleece and the Chihuahuas had warm coats. I never put anything on their feet. I didn't worry about the magnesium chloride they put on the road. I didn't worry about much of anything. Maybe I'm just oblivious. I figured when they came back from their walk, they'd walk through the yard that had clean snow and it would rub off. They didn't have hairy feet and ice wouldn't really ball up too badly. They were fine...never had a thing go wrong. They are, after all descended from descendants of wolves and retain some of those protective characteristics. I think breeds with less hair/fur might need a little help in that department. And they've changed in many, many ways. But over all...I think they're hardier than we think sometimes.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks for sharing the great info, *Poodlebeguilded*! I am now in a quandary. I would like to be reincarnated as a dog, as according to the article you shared their feet don't feel the cold like ours. (My own are like blocks of ice right now.) However, it also infers dogs do not like or need jewelry. And that's something I don't think I can do without! 
Why Don’t Barefoot Dogs Get Frostbite? | The Dogington Post
As humans, we like to project our own comforts onto our pets. We sleep in soft cushy beds, so our dogs must want that too. We like jewelry and adornments, so our pets must want a cool collar to show off at the dog park. We are entertained by tv, so our dogs must like to watch tv, too. When our feet get cold, especially when we’re walking around on snow and ice, we wear shoes. Naturally, we’d want our dogs to wear shoes, too. In fact, dog shoes make up a HUGE segment of the canine apparel market. A quick Google search for “dog shoes” brought in over 18 million results!

But, new research from Japanese scientists proves that dogs don’t need shoes. So, why don’t barefoot dogs get frostbite?

In a nutshell – dogs have awesome feet.


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## IthacaSpoo (Jan 22, 2014)

As a social scientists, I love the evidence. I wonder if it's different for puppies?


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