Dogs can keep warm on frozen ground because they have a specialised circulation system in their paws, according to research from Japanese scientists.
Analysis of domestic dogs’ paws with electron microscopes revealed that heat was transferred from the artery to the network of veins, meaning that cooled blood could not return to the body.
Earlier research had found that Arctic foxes and wolves were able to keep the tissue in their feet from freezing at temperatures as low as -35°C. The Japanese researchers wanted to find out if the same would be true for domestic dogs.
Dr Sarah Williams from the Royal Veterinary College has noted that the findings might provide us with interesting clues about the ancestry of domestic dogs:
| “Up until now, it was not considered necessary for domestic species to posses such a specialisation. This discovery has interesting evolutionary implications, and may suggest that the ancestors of the domestic dog lived in cold climates [in order] to bring about such an adaptation.” |
The research findings were published in the journal “Veterinary Dermatology.”
