Winter tips to keep your pet healthy

Winter tips to keep your pet healthy

Why Dogs and Cats Need Electrolytes in Winter

Electrolytes are minerals that regulate fluid balance, nerve conduction, muscle contraction, and acid-base balance. In winter:

  • Dry indoor environments: Central heating and, in some climates, air conditioning create low-humidity air. This accelerates insensible fluid loss through respiration and the skin. Even though pets are not “sweating” like humans, they lose more water vapour with every breath.

  • Reduced drinking behaviour: Dogs and cats often drink less when water is cold, or when they’re less active outdoors. Cats in particular have a low thirst drive, so winter can silently push them toward dehydration.

  • Electrolyte depletion: When fluids are lost through urine, respiration, or mild winter diarrhoea (more common if diets change), electrolytes go with them. Without replenishment, muscles, the heart, and the nervous system work less efficiently.

Thus, providing electrolyte support in water or food during winter can help maintain hydration, circulation, and muscle/nerve function.

Why Prebiotics Are Important in Cold Weather

Prebiotics (non-digestible fibres such as FOS, MOS, inulin) selectively feed beneficial gut bacteria (like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium). In winter:

  • Dietary shifts: Many pets eat differently (heavier diets, more treats, less fresh prey-like food), which can disturb the balance of the gut microbiome.

  • Reduced activity: Less exercise can slow gut motility. Prebiotics support regularity and prevent constipation.

  • Immune challenges: 70–80% of a pet’s immune cells reside in the gut. Cold weather, crowded environments, and less fresh air increase pathogen exposure. Prebiotics enhance gut barrier function and immune readiness.

  • Antibiotics & seasonal illness: Winter often coincides with more vet visits and antibiotic use. Prebiotics help restore a healthy microbiota after disruption.

So, prebiotics keep the gut flora balanced, promote short-chain fatty acid production (fuel for colonocytes), and improve mucosal immunity — all crucial in winter.

Why Pets Dehydrate Faster in Cold Weather

It seems counterintuitive, but pets are at greater risk of dehydration in winter:

  1. Dry heated air → Increases respiratory water loss (similar to people in heated bedrooms waking with dry mouths).

  2. Cold air inhalation outdoors → Must be warmed and humidified by the respiratory tract, pulling more water into the airway lining.

  3. Reduced thirst drive → Pets don’t feel as thirsty in cold weather, so they drink less.

  4. Less moisture in food → Some owners shift from raw/wet diets to more kibble in winter, further reducing water intake.

  5. Heavier coats → Dogs and cats often have denser winter coats, which increases basal metabolic rate and can slightly raise fluid requirements.

The result is subclinical dehydration: not always obvious, but it stresses the kidneys, dries out the skin/coat, and can predispose to urinary tract issues — especially in cats.

Putting It Together

  • Electrolytes keep the fluid balance stable, allowing muscles, nerves, and organs to function despite drier air and less natural drinking.

  • Prebiotics ensure the gut microbiome stays healthy, supporting digestion, immunity, and resilience against seasonal stress.

  • Hydration management in winter is essential because pets lose more water through respiration and dry indoor air, but often drink less.

  • The Convenient Solution: DoggyRade & KittyRade

    The easiest way to keep your pets hydrated and healthy through winter is to use DoggyRade (for dogs) and KittyRade (for cats).

    ✅ Tasty and palatable – pets love the flavour, encouraging them to drink even when water bowls are ignored.
    ✅ Rich in electrolytes – restores fluid balance and supports healthy muscle, nerve, and kidney function.
    ✅ Packed with prebiotics – keeps the gut microbiome strong, improving digestion and immunity during seasonal stress.
    ✅ Convenient – ready-to-use pouches, no mixing required. Perfect at home or when travelling to shows, kennels, or the vet.

    Practical Owner Tips

    1. Always offer fresh water alongside any supplement — water should still be the first hydration option.

    2. Use DoggyRade or KittyRade daily in small amounts to boost hydration and gut health.

    3. Increase availability when:

      • Central heating is running for long hours

      • After outdoor exercise in cold air

      • If your pet seems less keen to drink plain water

      • Following illness, vet visits, or medication courses

    4. Check hydration by gently lifting the skin on your pet’s neck — if it doesn’t spring back quickly, dehydration may be setting in.

    Key Points for Consideration

    In winter, dehydration and gut imbalance are hidden risks for dogs and cats. By combining electrolytes for hydration and prebiotics for gut health, you can keep your pet comfortable, energetic, and resilient.

    DoggyRade and KittyRade are the most effective and convenient ways to achieve this — tasty, functional hydration that pets genuinely enjoy.

     

Back to blog