Sensitivity to Cold

[Wicket]

My Chihuahua mix is very sensitive to cold to point where she'll vomit up bile if the house/outside is too cold. She has a sweater to wear around the house and a coat for outside, but I'm wondering if I can do something more to help her cope with the winter months. Do you have any ideas? Thanks.

[runlikethewind]

How do you know it is the cold making her sick?

[Wicket]

Because it happens when it's cold. Usually, getting her warm again helps. Next time, I'll have to take her temperature to know for certain.

[runlikethewind]

Ha! Love the sarcasm - which doesn't usually come across very well online but I got it there. I was just asking how you knew it was that for sure. I heard that dogs are sick with bile if they are hungry. Back at you though if you are sure it's the cold - maybe keep your place warmer and a warmer coat for outside in Winter?

[Horace's Mum]

If it is the cold that causes it, then definitely keep a comfy jumper on all the time during the day, make sure she has a really warm room to sleep in at night (so she can have the jumper off for a while) and keep her well coated outdoors. It might also be that she needs more energy to keep warm, hence the sickness, as mentioned by rltw above, so maybe split her meals into more frequent times and possibly up the quantities a little or add some oil or something to give her slow release energy.

You can also buy heated dog beds that work like an electric blanket, or the ones that vets use. They don't cost much to run, but if she has any sense she will seek them out when she is cold and self-treat. Horus sleeps in a larger version of a cat cave with a blanket over the top so he is completely inside - makes it very cosy very quickly - maybe she would like something like that for night time? I also have a hot water bottle for him to preheat his bed (I don't leave it in with him) if we have been away and the fire has been out too long - might not be necessary if you have central heating, but he seems to like it for the 10mins before he creeps under the duvet with me!!

[Desiree]

You could try one of those foam pillows that are like the tempurpedic (sp) bed material. They are supposed to retain body heat. We put one on the floor for one of our dogs when she had arthritis and she really loved it. I think keeping warm helped her joints feel better. Maybe if your dog would lay on one and you covered her up it would help. You can buy them pretty cheaply at Walmart or they have ones made for pets at some pet stores. I also got a small forced air heater and would put it near where she liked to sleep in the winter.