Can Dogs Paws Freeze in the Snow?
Dogs’ paws can’t actually freeze because they have a unique circulatory system that keeps them from doing so. Dogs have veins that run parallel to the arteries within their paws, keeping the warm blood flowing between them and their hearts. (And we all know how warm dogs’ hearts are!) This ensures that warmth always goes to the area that’s experiencing the coolest temperatures first – the feet!
This is called a countercurrent heat exchange system and is found in arctic animals such as penguins and seals. Dogs are the only domesticated animal with such a system, likely meaning that they inherited it from their arctic canine ancestors.
Specialized Circulation Systems Discovered In Dog Paws
According to the Wiley Online Library Dr. Hiroyoshi Ninomiya of the Yamazaki Gakuen University of Tokyo, Japan, tested the theory of whether or not dogs’ feet could resist freezing after reading previous studies on the topic. In the past, researchers claimed that dogs’ feet can withstand becoming frozen in temperatures as cold as -35° Celcius. Ninomiya and his team wanted to see whether this finding applied to today’s domesticated dogs.
After using electron microscopes to observe the feet of domesticated dogs, researchers discovered that dogs have a unique circulatory adaptation that protects dogs‘ pads from freezing. How does it work?
Each dog has veins that are extremely close to arteries within the dog’s paw or footpad. The close proximity of the veins and arteries ensures that heat transports from the circulatory system to the area that’s experiencing cooling first. In more simple terms, as a dog steps outside and his feet begin to cool down rapidly, the heart can pump warm blood to the feet quickly by utilizing the artery that is near the neighboring veins in the footpads.
This discovery was important because this type of circulatory system had not yet been seen in other types of domesticated animals or even humans (meaning at some point during the evolutionary process, dogs naturally lived in cold climates). For an animal to develop such a specialized feature, it must have been a necessary adaptation to help the creature survive.
The Advantages of a Dog’s Cold FeetIn the 1970s, researchers wondered how foxes and
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Why Don’t My Dog’s Paws Freeze in the Ice and Snow?
Certain breeds, like Huskies and Malamutes, tolerate cold and snow much better than short-haired breeds, like Chihuahuas and Whippets. But even winter-adapted pups can still be at risk due to chemical or salt exposure.
So, whether your dog enjoys the cold and snow or not, most dogs can benefit from special gear and precautions in inclement weather.
