Winter Safety

Winter seems to have come full force in a lot of areas of the country and no one has had it harder than those of us who live in the Mid-Atlantic area. While a lot of our hounds love running in the fresh snow, we need to think about the hazards that can await them if we are not watchful of them.

Greyhounds have extremely thin skin. When the snow is fresh, it's fun to run through it and most greyhounds run full throttle. But on sunny days, when the sun melts and then re-freezes the upper layers of the snow in the evenings, a sharp ice crust can form that can cut and bruise a greyhound, sometimes quite severly. We are getting a lot of calls from adopters who have had to treat their hounds for cuts and bruises to their feet, toes and legs. In addition, the icy sidewalks and "black ice" on roads where they walk may cause slipping which can rip off dew claws, cut skin and bruise chests and backs from falling.

Make sure your hound runs in a safe area and when on walks along roads and sidewalks, be careful of icy conditions. In addition, be watchful of salts and de-icers that are scattered along walkways so that they do not get into the pads of the paws and irritate the skin.

Cold temperatures, melting and refreezing of snow can cause a lot of sore muscles and cut paw pads and legs if our pups are not monitored well. None of us likes to see a sore and hurting hound. Have fun in the snow, but always think about what might happen and prepare for the worst.

Stay warm and kiss those hounds for us!!!!