Keeping Your Pets Warm This Winter: 5 Must-Know Tips

Is your furry friend ready for the cold months ahead?
Winter isn’t just tough on humans—our furry friends feel the cold too. While we may not have snow, our pets can still feel the cold—especially indoors or during early morning and evening walks. It’s crucial to take extra steps to ensure their comfort and safety. In this guide, you’ll learn how to keep your pet warm this winter

Why Winter Pet Care Is Critical

While Australian winters aren’t as severe as other places in the world, pets still face seasonal risks—especially in homes without central heating. Short-haired breeds, kittens, puppies, and senior pets are particularly sensitive to temperature drops and dampness.


5 Essential Winter Care Tips for Dogs and Cats

  1. Dress for the Weather

Even in milder winters, pets with short fur or lean builds (like greyhounds or Siamese cats) often need extra warmth. A lightweight, insulated dog coat or cat jumper can make chilly walks or outdoor time much more comfortable.

  1. Create a Cozy Sleeping Spot

Some homes aren’t built with insulation or central heating in mind, which means indoor temps can drop fast. Make sure your dog or cat has a warm, cushioned bed away from tiles, floorboards, or draughty doorways. Add fleece blankets or invest in a heated pet bed—especially helpful for older pets with arthritis.

  1. Limit Exposure to the Cold

Even in more temperate, it’s smart to adjust outdoor time during colder months. Keep walks shorter in the early morning or after sundown when it’s coldest. For cats, reduce time outdoors during damp or windy days, and encourage indoor play to keep them active.

  1. Keep their Skin and Coat Clean

During colder months, bathing may be less frequent. To keep your pet’s skin and coat pleasantly fragranced and hydrated use Aloveen Oatmeal Intensive Conditioner in between baths. When bathing your pet during winter, ensure you do it inside and use warm water. Make sure your pet is dry before putting them back outside; ideally perform the bath during the warmest part of the day.

  1. Watch for Subtle Signs of Cold Stress

Shivering, lethargy, or constant curling up could mean your pet is feeling the chill. Don’t overlook the signs—bring them into a warmer space and monitor their comfort closely. If your pet is older or has health concerns, consult your vet for additional winter care tips.


Keep Your Pet Warm and Snug This Season

Winter whether mild or freezing calls for thoughtful pet care. With the right adjustments, you can keep your furry friend warm, healthy, and happy no matter where you live.

🐾 Download our free Winter Pet Checklist

Congratulations to Dr Ken Mason on an Outstanding Achievement!

A big congratulations to Dr Ken Mason, founder of Dermcare-Vet, for being recognised by Veterinary Dermatology as the author of one of the top 10% most-viewed papers for 2023/2024! This is a significant accomplishment, given the journal’s global reach and its steady stream of high-quality dermatology articles and reviews published each month.

Dr Ken’s paper, “Canine Dermatitis on Contacting Grass Leaf: A Case Series,” presents a retrospective analysis of 18 Australian dogs exhibiting pruritic dermatitis localized to areas contacting grass. The study identifies a distinct hypersensitivity reaction, akin to human protein contact dermatitis, triggered by direct exposure to grass leaf proteins.

This paper represents the culmination of a lifelong passion — sharing his clinical experience and knowledge to better educate veterinarians around the world. His work has shed light on an often-overlooked cause of canine skin issues and is making a real difference in veterinary practices everywhere.

Well done, Dr Ken! Your dedication and expertise continue to inspire and elevate the field.

Check out the article by clicking the link below.

Canine dermatitis on contacting grass leaf: A case series – Mason – 2023 – Veterinary Dermatology – Wiley Online Library

Keep Your Pet Protected!

Your furry best friend counts on you for everything — including their health and safety. 🐾

Every visit is a chance to make sure your pet’s microchip details are current and their vaccinations are fully up to date.

Keeping microchip info up to date ensures they can always find their way back to you and vaccinations will keep them safe (and others!) from preventable diseases.🛡️❤️

It’s the small things that makes a HUGE difference.

Book a vet visit today! 🐕🐈‍⬛

 

As of 09/04/2025 HomeSafeID is no longer licensed to provide registry services in Queensland under the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008. Please ensure you transfer your pets Microchip to another registry service provider.

How Itchy Is Your Pet?

It can be difficult to assess how itchy a dog is without a reference guide. This is particularly important when trying to assess your patient’s response to treatment. Dermcare have created a poster for clinic consult and waiting rooms to help with this. If you would like one for your clinic, speak to your local territory representative today.

Pet-friendly Holiday Tips 

Easter school holidays are almost here which means more time spent enjoying time with family, friends and pets. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy your Easter Holidays.
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1. ‎Pet-friendly getaways
  • Planning a getaway? Why not take your pet along with you? Whether it is a camping spot, Airbnb or hotel, there are plenty of pet-friendly accommodation options out there.
2. Watch out for potential toxins
  • Easter is a time for enjoying chocolate and hot cross buns but make sure to take care around your pets. Chocolate and raisins are toxic and potentially life threatening to our furry family members. If your pet ingests something they shouldn’t, make sure to take them to your local vet immediately.
3. Pet-friendly activities
  • Keeping everyone entertained over the holidays can be difficult and expensive. Consider some free activities such as going to the park, a dog beach or dog cafe for a puppuccino.
4. Heading out for the day
  • Planning on leaving your pet home for the day? Kongs, lickimats, snuffle matts and frozen treats can provide long lasting entertainment for your pet and avoid boredom behaviours.
We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday with their loved ones!

Does your dog suffer from ‘hot spots’?

Does your dog suffer from ‘hot spots’?

Pyohex Shampoo is an aid in the treatment of superficial dermatitis associated with infections by Staphylococcus intermedius in dogs🐶

REASONS FOR BACTERIAL SKIN INFECTIONS:
The majority of skin infection cases in dogs are due to underlying conditions which allow the low numbers of normal bacterial residents to overgrown and cause disease.

UNDERLYING CAUSES FOR BACTERIAL INFECTIONS:
🌼Allergies: pollen, grass, food (meats), fleas
⚖️Hormonal problems (including Cushing’s disease and thyroid problems)
🔬Parasitic infestations such as demodex mites or scabies

In an active infection we recommend bathing twice a week with Pyohex Shampoo and once every 1-2 weeks for maintenace.

Otitis Externa

Otitis externa means inflammation of the external part of the ear. Otitis externa is a multi-factorial disease, meaning that many causes and factors can contribute to the disease process. Each of these must be addressed, especially for chronic or recurrent cases of otitis externa.

 

Causes and factors that may contribute to otitis externa in dogs:

Allergies, bacteria, parasites, yeast, foreign bodies, masses within the ear, moisture in the ear, pendulous ears, narrow ear canals, chronic changes to the ear canal, middle ear disease and ruptured ear drum.

 

If your pet shows any signs of otitis externa, speak to your local vet clinic about booking a consult.

New Otoflush Publication

We are thrilled to share a link to a new publication in Veterinary Dermatology reporting on the superior performance of our ear product, Otoflush, against biofilm producing pathogens in comparison to other commonly used ear cleaners.

 

Biofilm formation in canine ear disease is becoming an increasingly recognised problem and cause of resistance, and we are delighted to be able to provide Veterinarians with an additional therapeutic option that it both safe and effective in these difficult cases.

 

Comparison of the in vitro antibiofilm activities of otic cleansers against canine otitis externa pathogens – Savaliya – Veterinary Dermatology – Wiley Online Library

 

This paper is open access and can also be found on the vet section of our website. If you are a veterinarian and would like the log in details for the Vet Section, please contact your local territory representative or the Dermcare head office.

Contact Time

Most shampoos, particularly medicated shampoos, will have a recommended contact time to allow the optimal kill time for bacteria and yeast.

 

During this time it is important your pet doesn’t lick or ingest the foam. Taking them for a walk and playing a game is a great way to keep them distracted. Keeping your pet moving can also help them to stay warm while they are wet if the weather is cool.

Live Seminar – Dr Meng Siak

Dermcare were lucky to have Dr Meng Siak present a seminar on Canine Atopic Dermatitis last November to a group of veterinarians in Perth, WA.

This seminar was recorded and is now available for viewing in the Vet Section of our website.

If you are a veterinarian and would like the log in details for the Vet Section, please contact your local territory representative or the Dermcare head office. Below are the seminar details:

 

Canine Atopic Dermatitis:

Are you itching to learn a practical approach you can use in a 20min consult?

Presented by Dr Meng Siak – BVMS, MANZCVS, FANZCVS (Veterinary Dermatology)

WAVES specialist dermatologist, Dr Meng Siak provides a practical approach to a common but complex dermatological condition, canine atopic dermatitis.

Presented on 13th November 2024.