Weather-Related Depression?

[rsieg]

Just curious if others see their greyhounds get depressed when it gets too cold to walk outside. In my case Logan seems fine, but Max seems very depressed yesterday and this morning, and has not eaten his food (except a few bites) since yesterday morning (i.e., 3 meals missed). He is usually a good eater which is why I noticed. He also is lethargic, moving around slowly and just looks depressed or sick, and did not sleep too well last night, getting up a few times and just standing for several minutes before lying down again. Max is almost 11 1/2, so I get concerned easily when he seems off.

 

Weatherwise, we have been in the teens since late Sunday, so they have missed their twice-a-day walks for the last 2 1/2 days. Max LOVES his walks, so I think he is just depressed. He did perk up this morning at the time we go for our walk, and then looked depressed again when we came back after only going a couple houses down (Logan's feet started freezing up, it was 15 F). Max perked up again when I gave them paper cups with peanut butter wiped into it (another favorite of his), but it only lasted as long as the peanut butter. He has been going out back pottying ok (both 1 & 2).

 

So my diagnosis right now is just that Max is depressed from missing walks. It is supposed to get to the 30s tomorrow afternoon/night, so hopefully it will go away when we get out again.

 

Anybody else see this kind of behavior when it gets too cold to get the dogs out?

 

[XTRAWLD]

Cold weather makes my boys rather sprite! But certainly it puts a hamper on outdoor activities, so I try to engage a serious round of play to get some of the energy and boredom out. There's still lots of pee mail out there to sniff!

[NeedlenoseJake]

Jake gets this way in summer here when it's just too hot to do anything. He eats less and is much less playful.

[dante2zoe]

If Logan gets cold faster (mine vary like that, too), can you just take Max out some more by himself? Heaven knows mine love their "just ME!" time. Poor guy. It's hard to see them mopey. I hope he bounces back quickly. Not eating 3 meals would worry me. I also wish I was capable of missing 3 meals, lol.

[rsieg]

I might try walking Max alone, but Max was actually also slowed down by the cold. Part of the problem is we have had really warm weather till now, like 40s or even 50s which is absurd for January in Cleveland. Then it dropped to the teens overnight. So no one, even the dogs, are used to it yet. Also, when they start picking up and licking their feet that soon after going outside I do worry about frostbite. So Logan is basically a canary to let me know when the ground is dangerously cold :-)

 

BTW, Max did eat only one meal in the first week after I got him (he was a bounce after 5 years), so he does stop eating when he is upset, and can go a significant time that way.

[JohnF]

Too wet and windy does it for mine especially if there are heavy dark clouds in the morning. I thought it was a disrupted routine making her grumpy but she 'knows' before the routine even kicks off. She's OK with cold dry snow but detests sleety snow almost as much as her ultimate hate which is hail (even tiny hail); she doesn't mind thunder and lightning one little bit.

[GeorgeofNE]

There really isn't any good excuse for not walking them in the cold. They can certainly handle it. A nice winter coat for them, a nice winter coat for you, and off you go! The only time I skip walks is if there is dangerous ice everywhere. Cold, rain, wind. Doesn't matter. Dog needs his exercise. Does it suck? Sure. Is it also good for me? No doubt! If I didn't have to walk Buck, there are plenty of weekends I could see never even putting clothes on! But alas, I made a commitment, and off I go.

[rsieg]

Maybe I'm overly wimpy about it, but I'm always worried about frostbitten feet when it gets into the teens (Fahrenheit). What I have seen is that my dogs seem to start picking up their feet and licking them when it gets below 20 F -- no problem above that temperature, it seems like a sharp cutoff. But maybe licking their feet does not mean they are at risk for frostbite? What is the temperature where that becomes a real concern?

 

BTW, we were in the 40's today, so they got both am and pm walks, the latter in the park, so Max is a happy guy again :-)

[Guest Merrilyn]

I live in Sydney Australia so snow is not a problem for me. But it was windy and raining and less than 15 degrees Celsius (cold for January) this morning and my boy Max got two steps out the door and even with his rain coat on would not move an inch, bribing with food to get walking didnt even work. Then he got frustrated at the change in routine. Silly boy.

[PrairieProf]

Maybe I'm overly wimpy about it, but I'm always worried about frostbitten feet when it gets into the teens (Fahrenheit). What I have seen is that my dogs seem to start picking up their feet and licking them when it gets below 20 F -- no problem above that temperature, it seems like a sharp cutoff. But maybe licking their feet does not mean they are at risk for frostbite? What is the temperature where that becomes a real concern?

 

BTW, we were in the 40's today, so they got both am and pm walks, the latter in the park, so Max is a happy guy again :-)

Teens?? That is completely nothing. And I've never heard of a dog get frostbitten feet during a walk. I've never heard of a dog licking its feet on a walk, however, unless maybe they are being irritated by ice melt or something.

 

At any rate, Pawz disposable/reusable booties do the trick perfectly at keeping feet protected and dry and not painfully cold. They are my mainstay here in northern Iowa. Or more serious boots, if you prefer. But I too do whatever it takes to walk my dog. It doesn't get exciting until negative degrees.....

[NeylasMom]

Yep, we don't skip walks either. Coats are sufficient for my guys, but if you're really worried about their paws get boots.

 

Also, increase mental stimulation inside. I like meals fed via a treat dispensing toy like the bob-a-lot or Kong wobbler and we do training or fun interactive food puzzles on an almost daily basis. I like the Trixie brand a lot.

 

If my olderbdog started skipping Mel's like that, I would want to be certain nothing medical was going on. I would expect a dog to be more stir crazy without exercise, not what you're describing, but the only way to know is to increase the physical and mental stimulation again and see if he returns to normal.

[PatricksMom]

Can you go someplace where they can walk inside a bit, like a pet store? Not as much exercise but it will give some mental stimulation (and those great smells).