Water problem in winter

[doglover64]

My dogs are outside dogs and coming up this March, we will have had them a year. You see, we have not had a winter with them.......yet! I live in South Carolina, and have seen it snow many times!!

I was wondering if any of you live in cold places and have to deal with your pet's water being frozen! Thanks in advance!!!

 

[lucypevensie]

When I lived in Minnesota there was no way to keep our dog's water from freezing. if there was no snow he had to get water in a dish inside the house, but otherwise the dog gobbled up lots of snow. Lots of dogs take big mouthfulls of snow when they run outside.

Otherwise I'm sure you can buy heated water bowls for pets.

 

[Krazeekkc]

I don't know! I've never heard of a heated water dish. Hmm..... I don't know but I'll try to think of something!

 

[doglover64]

I took your advice, lucypevensie. I went to www.petsmart.com. I found heated water bowls and "fountians" to keep the water moving.
But, do you know of any inexpensive or free ways to keep water unfrozen???

 

[SnowOwlMoon]

I took your advice, lucypevensie. I went to www.petsmart.com. I found heated water bowls and "fountians" to keep the water moving.
But, do you know of any inexpensive or free ways to keep water unfrozen???

Yes--bring the dogs inside to live with you. The dogs will be happier, healthier, and you don't need to worry about the water freezing. It's not good for dogs to eat snow--for some breeds (such as German Shepherds and other large, deep-chested breeds), this can lead to bloat (a possibly fatal condition). It will certainly make them colder! We have 2 large dogs (the German Shepherd is the "little dog"), and they live inside with us. We close off rooms we don't want them in while we are gone, they are housebroken and don't destroy anything. Both are crate trained, and can be left crated all day if necessary (we are currently crating the GSD while he recovers from surgery). They have access to water all the time, and we don't need to worry about them.

 

[stubbornkelly]

Yes--bring the dogs inside to live with you. The dogs will be happier, healthier, and you don't need to worry about the water freezing.

Ditto. I used to live in NC, and it can get very cold, particularly at night.

It may be too late to crate train them, but a friend of mine adopted a dog that had never been inside before, and he's fine to stay in the house even when they're not home. That's become his naptime. He's a black lab/rottie mix, so he's not a small dog. The Great Dane is used to being an inside dog, but even though she's still got some of that puppy playfulness, she doesn't wreck the house.

 

[IvoryRain]

Indoors is one of the best ways to go, by far.

However, saying that may not change the dogs' situation, so you'll have to hoof it - change the water frequently, provide lots of bedding and perhaps spend money to make their living conditions better.

A neighbor of mine that has outdoor dogs actually bought a small utility shed, put a gate on the front of it (the door can still close) and put in a doggie door at the side. This allowed the dogs to be shut in on cold days with access to the doggie door and the lights are always left on to help promote a bit of extra warmth.


Another thing to try, depending on what media you use to hold their water, a warmed brick can be put in to help keep the water thawed a bit longer.