# legs stiffening up outside in the snow?



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Does anyone else's dogs do this.... 

I let Brody outside to potty. It's 5 degrees here with a windchill of -15 and the wind is blowing like crazy. He obviously doesn't want to go out but I put him in the grass and he'll run out and do his business and then turn around to come in and he walks slower... and slower... until it's almost like his legs are stiffening up so he can't move! You can tell he wants to hightail it back inside but his legs are stiffening up!!

I remember our dachshunds growing up doing that in the snow and my mom would have to walk out and pick them up and bring them inside!!

As soon as he's inside he's perfectly fine!

Does anyone else's dog do this?! It's got me worried.


----------



## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

hmmm....i know dexter lifts his paw when hes really cold...but he always runs back in...hmmm...im sure it's nothing brody!


----------



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Pidge - it's almost like he is getting paralyzed. He literally freezes up to where he almost can't move and he's walking in slow motion. Weird. And scary.


----------



## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

maybe he's just being brody!  some dogs just cant take the chill and just like us humans...we freeze and cant move when its wind chills are blasting at our faces


----------



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

As soon as he's inside, he's zooming around here like a lunatic, it's so weird. 

I hope he doesn't have some weird muscle disease or something.


----------



## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

Brodysmom said:


> As soon as he's inside, he's zooming around here like a lunatic, it's so weird.
> 
> I hope he doesn't have some weird muscle disease or something.


u should ask brody and see what he says


----------



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Hmmmm...... good idea .........

Ok - this is what he said ..... 

"I don't know whys it happens mom but can I play ball now? Can I, huh? Can I? PLLLEEEEAAASSSEEE??!!!! I been a good boy and I just wants to play!"


----------



## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

play ball!!! LOL! i need to give dexter his bath...mmm how i love john paul products!!!  i dont think he likes it though...haha :x


----------



## Tanna (Jan 29, 2009)

Maybe you should get some boots for him. I know it looks stupid and it's probably a pain in the neck to put them on every time they go out, but you'd probably only need them thru the end of Feb. His little feet are probably freezing. I grew up in Chicago and I can appreciate how bitter cold it can get. Poor Brody.


----------



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Tanna said:


> Maybe you should get some boots for him. I know it looks stupid and it's probably a pain in the neck to put them on every time they go out, but you'd probably only need them thru the end of Feb. His little feet are probably freezing. I grew up in Chicago and I can appreciate how bitter cold it can get. Poor Brody.


Thanks Tanna. I wish I knew where to find some tiny boots. The ones I've found for sale around here are too big. He's feet are about the size of a nickel.


----------



## BABY BABS (Feb 5, 2008)

Mine do that too. I thought they were just playing hard to get. However, my vet told me that because their little legs are so thin, the blood will actually stiffen right up. She said to always go get them right away. The good news is that with the legs being thin, they also warm up quickly, hence the quick recovery once inside. We've been having a nasty stretch of cold up here in Minnesota too. Windchills have dropped in the -40's and temps have been for at least a couple of days in the -30's. We watch our girls pretty closely.


----------



## BABY BABS (Feb 5, 2008)

Brodysmom said:


> Thanks Tanna. I wish I knew where to find some tiny boots. The ones I've found for sale around here are too big. He's feet are about the size of a nickel.


Boots are a good idea. Tough to find for such little feet. Also, you want to get tall ones to protect those tiny little legs. Perhaps you could cut fingers off of gloves and use velcro and elastic to hold them on? Here's an article on making your own dog boots.

http://domestikgoddess.com/sew-your-own-winter-dog-boots/


----------



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Thanks guys. I will work on getting him (or making him) some boots today!! Thanks!!


----------



## *Princess* (Feb 7, 2009)

Oh poor Brody!!  im with him though, i hate the cold x


----------



## huskyluv (Oct 24, 2008)

Tracy, my grandmother had this happen to one of her dogs who passed a few years ago. She found out after it occurred several times and talking to her vet that it was because the cold was traveling from their feet straight to their brain and effectively causing them to become temporarily paralyzed by the cold, once brought back inside they can move again. What they did for their dog was clear the snow where their dog went to potty and make sure it was a quick in and out. If the dog did start to freeze up like that bring them in to warm up and try again in a little bit.


----------



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Thanks Val. I think that's what is happening. His poor teeny legs and he doesn't have much coat to begin with!! I put a coat on him and have cleared a spot in the grass and set him down but even then, he likes to walk around and find just the right spot. His legs haven't done it today. Maybe because the sun is out? It sure is scary to see him freeze up like that and be unable to move his legs.

I wish he'd just use the darn potty pads when it's so cold out!! He will hold it until he's about to burst rather than use the pads. I don't know why. We always leave one out for him in case of emergencies. Would sure make it easier!! He's just so conditioned to going out I guess.


----------



## huskyluv (Oct 24, 2008)

Poor Brody! I wish Faith was as good at holding it as Brody, she'd rather go inside the house at the slightest inkling of feeling the need to go potty than wait to go outside or let anyone know that she needs to go out.


----------



## lilbabyvenus (Feb 8, 2009)

Ya know, Venus' whole hind quarters goes limp if she's too cold. Jared said that his last chi was like that too. I think it's just too much for them when they get like that.


----------



## WeLoveHiro (Apr 14, 2009)

poor lil brody. hope that being warmer will make it easier for him and he doesnt have this problem again
its very scary


----------



## MarieUkxx (May 19, 2009)

Cookie does this in the snow. It's just his way of showing he doesn't like it. Lola loves the snow but when she is a bit scared she walks all stiff with her head down. Like if I put a top on her that she doesn't like she goes all stiff.


----------



## Tracilea (Jul 27, 2009)

I would agree that its just so shockingly cold for their thin lil legs. Imagine your legs being wet from snow and the cold cold wind chill blowing on those wet legs. Gives me chills just thinking about it!! :-( Luna froze up on me like that one day that the wind chill was high and the snow was deep. She all of a sudden went stiff and started to whine like she was hurt and she'd never done that before. I was watching her (lol as I always do when I walk the dogs lol sometimes I think crap I could get hit with a car for all I am watching the dogs and not my surroundings! lol j/k....mostly ;-)) So i saw that she didn't atually slip or hurt herself. I bent down and gave her a pat and asked her if she was ok and she looked up at me and whined again and I stood up and gave a gentle tug on the leash and we walked the rest of the way home. I think her poor lil legs were just freezing.
BTW, if you buy or make boots for Brody...I must demand pics....lol Cuz I think it would be HYSTERICAL to see that handsome boy with boots on! I can just see the expression on his lil face now!!! LOLOLOLOL I am having visions of his lil halloween costume LMFAO!!!


----------



## Chihuahuasloveme (Jan 8, 2010)

I couldn't find boots for my chi either so I got him little socks at petsmart!! You can get them on ebay too!


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 28, 2008)

Gosh, I dont know how people cope with such extreme cold and tiny dogs. UK is currently falling apart coz we have cold weather and Im loathe to walk the dogs even though its only about -4 (with wind chill) here!!LOL
Ive cut walks back to half an hour at a time and have taken Heidi out in her padded bag. Today she only managed about 15mins before she started to stiffen up. 
Poor Hannah actually had ice balls in her armpits which Ive never seen before.Plus she keeps stopping and sitting with her back feet off the road and whimpering on occassion.I think the grit everywhere is hurting her pads,poor baby. She hates having her feet washed too!
Thank god, for puppy pad training!!LOL


----------



## MarieUkxx (May 19, 2009)

catz4m8z said:


> Gosh, I dont know how people cope with such extreme cold and tiny dogs. UK is currently falling apart coz we have cold weather and Im loathe to walk the dogs even though its only about -4 (with wind chill) here!!LOL
> Ive cut walks back to half an hour at a time and have taken Heidi out in her padded bag. Today she only managed about 15mins before she started to stiffen up.
> Poor Hannah actually had ice balls in her armpits which Ive never seen before.Plus she keeps stopping and sitting with her back feet off the road and whimpering on occassion.I think the grit everywhere is hurting her pads,poor baby. She hates having her feet washed too!
> Thank god, for puppy pad training!!LOL


Lola is loving the snow! She keeps wanting to go out and play in it. Mind you she is big for a chi so more robust.


----------



## canadiandawn (Jan 11, 2006)

Shiver does the same thing when we take her out and it's really cold. It really is a pain but every single time she goes, we put her boots on and go out with her. When we see that she's starting to slow down (stiffen up), we immediately pick her up and carry her in. They really do need those boots though, I've had incidents where my girls are screaming because their feet get so cold.


----------



## Muzby (Jan 28, 2009)

Tracy, Betty does something similar.. I think it's a lot of "every time I step it gets colder again" and they think staying in one spot will keep them warmer? They have such little fur from the belly down!


----------



## blondebond (Mar 1, 2009)

OMG, Seti did this today and it freaked me out! He's never done it before. He was doing his thing and just started falling down and crying like he was hurt. I picked him up and ran inside with him. He scared me to death. I came on here to see if it happens to anyone else's little guys? I've looked for boots and they are just too big. His little foot is the size of my thumb for pete's sake. I like the idea of cut gloves. I'll just hold them on his legs with hair bands for now. He's only out there a couple of minutes, they should do. I've got mismatched old gloves all over the place.


----------



## Joey's Dad (Jul 30, 2009)

Very interesting and informative replies. Something like this happened to Joey the other day... I will be sure to take some of the advice offered here!


----------



## Chiboymom (Jul 8, 2009)

I have never seen Draco do this, but he has his pee spot pretty close to the house and will do his business and hurry back inside in under a minute when it is really cold.


----------

