Winter in Wisconsin is supposed to mean snow...(and ok, cold). NOT rain storms in balmy (relatively) temps! Nitro does fine in snow, in fact, he LOVES snow; loves it when we're outside shoveling because it's so much fun to drop the ball in the path of the shovel, only to grab it up at the last minute like Lucy does to Charlie Brown. Yesterday the winter storm that was headed our way turned out to be rain/ice. Our backyard is like an ice rink - if only I could remember where my skates are. We have a LOT of concrete the way our yard is set up, and it's so hard watching him struggle, especially at 2am when he decides he needs to go out. John put his harness on him this morning and practically pulled him along like a sled.

If any new members are facing issues like this, we found a really good, inexpensive, safe product to help a Tripawd (or anyone for that matter) deal with slippery conditions. Our vet recommended "Chicken Grit", which we got at Fleet Farm - you Midwesterner's probably have heard of it - or online at Amazon. Apparently its something chickens eat to help with digestion; looks like small pea gravel and helps with traction without cutting pads/feet. 

This is Nitro's 3rd winter, and Chicken Grit has pretty much saved him from a fall or worse. Funny story...a little old man helped me find this product the first time I went to Fleet Farm to buy some. As he loaded it into my cart he said "how many chickens do you have?"

Paula and Nitro