Why are my dogs ears cold? You might touch your ears while petting or stroking and find them cold. Before panic keep in mind every breed has different ears than others but they are far from the heart. So, blood circulation takes time to get there so, the ears usually are cold.
The ears are not the only part that normally is cold other parts include paws and fur. You will mostly see them cold when your furry friend plays outside in the rain or snow. Besides this, there can be different reasons for cold ears in dogs.
5 Reasons: Why Are My Dog Ears Cold?
Here are the 5 proven reasons that affect the ear temperature
1. It’s Cold Outside
Like humans dogs also feed cold. As compared to other body parts dog ears are more exposed to the external environment and can become cold simply due to the outside temperature. Depending on age and furr dogs can be affected by cold
- Small puppies: Small dogs or puppies are very sensitive and quickly affected and get cold in minutes.
- Older Dogs: With age dogs’ circulatory system becomes less efficient and less effective and can get cold quite easily.
- Short Hair: Short hair dogs don’t have fur to cover their body and can keep them warm.
What Should You DO?
Here are the things you can do to keep your dog warm when it is cold
- Put a warm scarf, hat, or blanket on them and offer them a blanket.
- Instead of going for a walk during the morning and evening choose the warmest part of the day.
- Keep your dog hydrated and feed him properly.
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2. Circulation issues
If your dog has circulatory system issues, they might get cold ears. If the circulatory system is not working properly you will notice the symptoms in the paws and tail too. The heart provides blood to the whole body if the circulatory system is not working properly it means your heart might have problems like anemia and internal bleeding.
What Should You DO?
- Seek Vet Opinion: If you think cold ears are caused by blood circulation issues consult to vet.
- Treatment Options: If heart disease is confirmed your vet will suggest various medications and must change your pet’s lifestyle.
- Surgical Intervention for Serious Cases: If the Problem is serious like internal bleeding surgery is mandatory. After successful surgery, your pet will slowly come to normal life.
3. Dog is Sick
Like humans dogs can fall ill. If you see that your dog’s ears are cold frequently, along with other signs like cold intolerance, decrease in energy, tiredness, and oversleeping this indicates that the dog is sick.
Usually, dogs can sick because of spending too much time in the cold. This condition is known as hypothermia or low body temperature. It’s suggested to check your dog’s temperature with a digital thermometer and if it’s below 99°F it means your dog is sick. Normally it’s not serious but when it stays for a longer period it can be life-threatening.
What Should You DO?
- Blood Test: Consult with the vet and perform a blood test.
- Thyroid Screening Tests: Your vet will collect a blood sample for screening. The initial test used to diagnose hypothyroidism is the total thyroxin (TT4) level test.
- Treatment: Treatment for hypothermia is thyroid hormone replacement.
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4. Frostbite
After staying a long time in a cold if your dog’s ear color has changed to pink, blue, or gray with swelling it’s suggested to take your dog to a warm place, Cover it in a blanket, and seek Vet help ASAP because these are the symptoms of Frostbite. If you don’t do this in time your dog can lose its ear.
What Should You DO?
- Warm Massage for Ears: After returning soak a piece of cloth in warm water and apply it for at least 10 minutes.
- Provide him Banket: Sometimes frostbite indicates low body temperature and when you keep it in a warm place provide him a warm blanket and slowly your dog will recover.
- Consult with Vet: If you see or feel that your dog’s health is not improving consult with a vet.
- Treatment: If the frostbite is severe surgery is the only option and your dog can lose its whole ear or any of its parts.
5. Parvo
Parvo is a highly contagious and fatal disease in puppies. The symptoms are bloody diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, loss of appetite, and lethargy. In this disease, the whole body including the ears will be cold because of dehydration and poor blood circulation.
What Should You DO?
- Isolate and Quarantine: Separate the infected puppy from other dogs to prevent the spread of disease.
- Keep Your Dog Hydrated: Provide your dog water in small sips and if necessary drip will be needed.
- Seek Vet Help: Contact your vet for treatment.
- Hospitalization: In severe cases, hospitalization may be required.
How to Keep Your Dog Warm and Healthy
If you want to keep your dog warm and healthy follow these steps
Provide Warm Sleeping Space: Make sure you give your furry friend or pet a warm, dry place for sleeping. It can be a soft blanket etc.
Groom your Dog: Make sure to trim the extra hair around the dog’s ears so they can stay comfortable.
Winter Supplies: Provide your dog warm dress in winter like
- Dog Jacket
- Scarf
- Booties
Clean dog Ears and Regular Ear Checks: Clean your dog’s ears regularly and always to the vet for a checkup if see any of these symptoms
- Redness
- Swelling
- Discharge
Limit outdoor time: Make sure to take care of your dog outdoors time in winter. If it stays out too long the chance of sickness due to cold increases.
Your dog’s ears are mostly because of cold and it can be treated with warm compression of a towel or piece of cloth. But if you see anything serious or a cold ear for a longer period always seek help from the Vet. We have tried to cover every aspect of Why Are My Dogs Ears Cold? and will look for more and add that in the next update. Did you find this article helpful? Let us know in the comment section below.
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FAQS: Why Are My Dogs Ears Cold?
Still not satisfied? Here are frequently asked questions
How Can I Tell If My Dog or Pet Is Feeling The Cold?
Here are the reasons
- Shivering
- Whimpering, or barking
- Tucking their tail
- Uncomfortable
- Seeking shelter
- Chattering teeth
- Weakness
- Muscle stiffness
What are the causes of hot ears in dogs?
Here are the causes of hot ears in dogs
- Fever
- Infection
- Inflammation
- Poisoning
- High temperatures
- Heat stroke
- Stayed near to heater
What does it mean when a dog is cold to the touch?
If your dog is cold to touch this mean this means he has having cold. Other reasons are
- Blood Circulation issues
- Dog is sick
- Frostbite
- Other medical issues
Monitor your dog closely and if your dog stays cold despite providing a warm place or blanket it is suggested to visit the vet.
Should my dog have warm or cold ears?
Normally the temperature of the dog’s ear is the same as the rest of the body but if your dog’s ears are too warm or cold this indicates something is wrong,
Is it bad if my pup’s ears are cold?
In most of the cases, dog ears are cold because there is cold outside. But in some cases if you see symptoms swelling like it’s bad because this indicates a health issue, In this case, consult to vet for treatment.
Do dogs feel cold in AC?
When there is hot outside it’s really important to keep your dog in a cool environment. But some breeds of dogs don’t like to sit in AC rooms because they start shivering and this is really uncomfortable for them to adjust.
Do dogs get cold at night?
Like humans, dogs can also get cold at night even if you keep them inside the home. So, it’s really important to give them a blanket at night.