It’s not what’s on the bag, but what’s in the bag that needs to be considered for cold weather. Here’s how to discern what’s in your pet food and what your pets need for the winter months.
Cathy Alinovi, DVM
Executive Director, Next Generation Pet Food Manufacturers Association (NGPFMA)
There are always great things to say about cold weather. Fresh snow is great to jump in, tunnel through, and play games in — especially when you have a four-legged friend to share it with. However, living day-to-day, our pets experience certain negative effects of cold weather. Dryness and dandruff along with the need for extra energy are the biggest needs during the winter months. Luckily, we can address these through diet and a little environmental control.
Dryness and dandruff
First, how does cold weather contribute to dryness and dandruff? The answer to this question makes sense when you look at what happens as temperatures drop. As the air cools, it holds less moisture (lowered humidity), thus becoming very dry. Think about what happens to your own skin in the winter months. Lips become chapped. Fingers and feet crack. The same thing happens to our pets. Their paw pads may become very dry, rough, and have small to large cracks. Sometimes, the top edge of the nose or edges of the ears will also become crunchy in winter. Dandruff becomes very common.
Not only does winter air hold less moisture, but many houses use forced air for heat in the cold winter. This forced air accentuates winter dryness. Humidifiers can be helpful to combat low humidity and air dryness. Humidifiers are one example of “environmental control,” also known as adding moisture back into the environment.
Maintaining energy
The other winter need is energy, or calories. Think what your body does when it’s cold — it shivers. Pets shiver too when they are cold. Shivering generates heat, but the body is burning calories at the same time — that’s how it heats itself. This means cold weather creates a demand for extra calories.
It’s not always as simple as more food volume. Sometimes, pets need specific foods to replenish heat and calories. Often, fat is what’s needed. No one can survive with zero fat consumption; fat is the backbone of all hormones. The brain and nerves are 50% fat. Pets need dietary fat, but these need to be healthy fats. Fats can help with energy. Fats can also help with dryness.
Some pet owners have luck supplementing their pets’ diet with fish oil (an omega-3 fatty acid). Others supplement with coconut oil (a medium-chain triglyceride). Some add olive oil (an omega-9 fatty acid) to their pets’ food. Others will add beef tallow or ghee (omega-6 fatty acids). Heavy working dogs like sled dogs and Iditarod competitors need an abundance of fat or tallow added to their diet to provide sufficient calories for warmth and energy. Don’t run from fat because you heard a negative story once. When used healthfully, fats can have great benefits for pets.
What’s in the bag
Now that we better understand pet dietary and environmental needs during cold months, let’s tackle the big topic: what’s in the bag or on the label. In truth, the biggest thing people do for their pets is feed them. For the majority of pets, the most commonly fed food is dry. However, dry food accentuates the dry aspect of winter weather. Therefore, the biggest, most important thing to do is feed your pet food that nourishes and provides internal moisture.
There is no conventional pet food that specifically advertises as being good for winter months. However, there are certain fresh pet foods that do tackle dryness and winter. A very small, niche market looks at eastern food therapy concepts to address dryness in pets. This article is not meant to delve into the technicalities of food therapy concepts; rather, the intention is to present new ideas and concepts to the pet owner looking to address winter health issues via diet and nutrition.
A fresh food diet:
- Is 65% moisture, thus moisturizing the body internally.
- Uses fat to provide energy, thus warming the body.
- May support the body’s nourishing/moisturizing system.
Did you notice there is no discussion here as to the presentation of that fresh food? That’s because it depends on the pets’ needs and the needs of the pet owner. Fresh diets can be made at home (with help from a nutrition coach) or with a pre-mix. Fresh diets can be purchased, gently cooked, or uncooked/raw.
Our key here is real food. Need help selecting a fresh diet to support your pet’s wintertime needs? Next Generation Pet Food Manufacturers Association represents fresh pet food manufacturers. Our members can help your pet avoid winter dryness and meet their calorie needs. Find a constantly growing list of our members at https://ngpfma.org/about/.
