As we watch the mercury drop, the need to make sure our pets are comfortable rises.

Animals go through a lot of changes with the shorter days and colder temperatures, just as humans do. While our dry, cracked hands might make it obvious that the air is drying, animals’ symptoms may not be so easy to read. Nor is dry skin always to blame for their itchiness.

“Seasons change, and animals’ coats are going to change respective to that, depending on the breed,” said Dr. Byron Maas of the Bend Veterinary Clinic.

Humans add extra layers of clothing to keep warm. Animals have to grow their coats, at the same time shedding their old summer coats.

Maas said animals grow their coats based on hormones triggered by light cycles. As the day length changes, hormones cause pets to shed their old coats — known as blowing their coat — and prepare for the next season.

Their thicker coats in winter allow them more thermo-regulation. Your job as an owner is to make sure that their ability to thermo-regulate remains intact.

“They need that air layer there,” Maas said.

What you can do

Grooming is the best way to keep your pet’s coat in good winter condition. For some breeds, this can be as simple as giving them a good brushing to make sure all the old hair is off their body.

Other breeds have naturally oily skin, though. Maas says these breeds — Schnauzers fall into this category — need bathing to make sure the excess oil on their skin does not go rancid, which may cause itchiness.

For dogs that don’t have oily skin, too much washing isn’t a good idea.

According to Healthypet.com, which is part of the American Animal Hospital Association, you should bathe your dog — or cat for that matter — as little as you can while still keeping the coat clean.

When you are bathing your pet, be sure to use shampoos and conditioners specific to your pet, the Web site says. Cats, dogs and humans have different pH levels in their skin. Human shampoo can be harsh on animal skin.

Dry skin

Even if your pet is clean, it might still have dry skin, winter-related or not. While persistently itchy skin can be a sign of other problems, dry skin can sometimes be remedied fairly easily.

Maas said adding different vitamins and oils to a good quality pet food can help pets combat dry skin from within.

Don’t run to the kitchen and grab any old thing, though. Maas says something like olive oil, which is completely digestible, will manifest itself as energy or weight gain.

Instead, you need a good quality alpha omega fatty acids like salmon oil. Vitamins A, D and E can also help keep a pet’s skin and coat healthy, according to Maas.

You do want to watch what ingredients you’re putting in your animal’s system. Maas suggested checking ingredient lists for items that don’t come from a natural source, which the digestive tract might not be able to process.

Chatting with your veterinarian can give you an idea of which supplement is better for your pet and how much to give them.

For cats, brushing them during coat transitions can also help them reduce the risk of getting hairballs.

Maas said long-haired cats, like Persians, often get matted coats in the fall because their old coat clumps up with the new coat.

“Then they really get uncomfortable,” he said.

The matting also exposes their skin to further drying.

You shouldn’t use lotions or oils designed for humans, though, because they can gum up the animal’s hair and attract dirt, according to the HealthyPet Web site.

Seasonal changes

If your pet does a lot of scratching and licking in the fall or the spring, it might not be a dry skin problem.

Parasites or infections can also cause problems.

Allergies are not uncommon, and Maas says paying attention to the times of year when your pet does scratch a lot can give you an idea that it’s being caused by something external.

He said itchiness in the fall could be due to fungal allergies, while spring and summer skin problems might be from grass and tree pollen allergies.

Patrick Carney, resident of small animal internal medicine at Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine, said in an e-mail that omega fatty acids can also help reduce or alleviate inflammation due to allergies, since they help regulate the body’s inflammatory pathways.

He warned that these fats are not “calorically negligible.”

Especially with the small animals, he said, you should make sure you’re not giving them too many calories.

Carney added that outdoor allergens may not be to blame.

He has known of cats that were allergic to down, so when the comforter came out for the winter, the cat got itchy and started chewing its fur.

He said it’s important to know if your pet has fish allergies, because many of the omega fatty acids come from fish.

No matter which of these problems is the culprit, keeping a close eye on your pet’s behaviors can put you at an advantage for taking care of the problem quickly and keeping your pet comfortable.