Have you ever wondered how it is possible that dogs can wade through snow or run on ice with their bare feet and the paws don’t get frostbites? We know why!
Dog paw pads are one of a few spots where dogs sweat and they aren’t covered by fur. When you think about it you could easily get the idea that they might be more prone to frostbites or even freeze to the icy surface because of their dampness. So how is it possible that dogs can walk and run in snow or on ice without consequences?
Japanese scientist Hiroyoshi Ninomiya and his team of experts brought an explanation in 2013. Together, they found out that dogs have a special arrangement of vessels in the paw skin and it can maintain them warm even at very low temperatures.
These vessel structures are so tiny that they aren’t visible with regular microscopes. They were discovered and photographed with the use of an electron microscope which can achieve much better efficient enlargement than a common light microscope.
The vessels in dog paws create a net around arteries. They are so close to them that the warmer arterial blood warms the blood in vessels and a significant amount of the warmth is saved. This system is called heat exchangers and penguins, whales or seals also have it.
But it’s not everything. To keep the paws warm, dogs use one more trick. The same one is used by arctic foxes and wolves. The vessels of these animals control the supply of blood into paws according to the ambient temperature. If the temperature drops, the blood flow in paws speeds up and it can’t get much colder.
As the character of individual breeds is more or less different from their wolf ancestors these days due to breeding, the same applies to their physical properties. Therefore, it is possible that the predispositions for dog paw resilience against freezing will be different in different breeds. It’s difficult to say how the miniature breed’s paws will handle snow for a long time. This research was done on beagles.
As you can see, dog paws can stand much more than you might think. However, nature definitely didn’t take into account salt, gravel and other grits. It’s paradoxical, but we have to pay more attention to dog paws in winter in cities even with very short walks than on a day-long trip to the countryside.
Food is one of the most basic needs of dogs as well as humans. How to make sure your dog has enough necessary nutrients? And if you opt for dry food, what options are there? And what to consider when choosing?
Most of us care about the contents of the packages with dry food but have you ever thought about the packaging itself? Do you know what is used for the packaging of dry food, how different are individual materials and what innovations can you find on...
You can recognize a Burmese cat mainly because of its silky fur and beautiful, deep gloss with typical signs of a colour that is not present in any other breed. Besides its glossy fur, this breed has also a great nature which makes these cats great...
Dachshunds, from smooth-haired, wire-haired and short-haired to long-haired, are popular companions and not only in the Czech Republic but in the world as well. And they are great companions! Even though they are quite stubborn.
Cats may bite from many reasons and if you would like to make this undesirable behaviour stop, it is important to understand why they do it. The fundamental thing is to eliminate the cause but we can also help with other things.
Do you like baking and you have noone to bake for? You probably haven’t thought about your dog companion. However, you might also make some tasty and healthy goodies at home for it as well. I’ll tell you how.
Only a few per cent of loss of water may cause serious problems for your dog. However, we often don’t pay attention to its drinking and underestimate its importance. When there is a risk of dehydration, do you know how to avoid it or recognize it?
Dry food with larger proportion of meat might not only have positive effects on dogs’ organisms, when processed well, it will also make happy even the pickiest gourmets that usually don’t like dry food. Thanks to a holistic approach, you’ll keep the...
The days are getting warmer and our dogs and cat starts to shed. This has a negative impact on your household with all the hair. Have you found a way to reduce the contamination with hair at least a bit and speed up the process of shedding?...
Do you also barely resist the temptation to cuddle a dog, no matter if yours or someone else’s? It’s no surprise, a new study shows that such contact with a dog is like a drug for human brain.
There are plenty of reasons why we get flat-faced dogs. For their specific appearance, great nature, loyal love to their owner... And maybe also for their need of constant attention that makes us feel well. The flat-faced dogs are simply cute....
Brown rats, mice and hamsters as well as other rodents are quite small pets and sometimes, we don’t even think about dealing with them being overweight. However, if we like our pets and we want them to be well and stay with us as long as possible,...
