"Like humans, some dogs do not want to go out or go for a pee under the cold spell," said veterinarian Taizo Umeshita, who heads Heart Animal Hospital in the snow-covered central province of Fukui. Owners were also too busy clearing heavy snow to take dogs out for a walk, he added.

"It is normal that cases of cystitis increase in winter as dogs have less chances of talking a walk outside. But the number this season is a bit higher than usual," Umeshita said. Masayoshi Suzuki, who heads Sakamachi Animal Hospital in another snow-blanketed province, Niigata, said dogs were also suffering mentally.

"Blocks of snow sometimes fall from roofs, making a big sound and terrifying dogs walking nearby," he said. "Even if they do not get hit directly, timid ones shiver or become mentally unstable. Some owners said their dogs had lost appetite by hearing the thuds from inside the house," he said.

"There are sensitive dogs." Japan has been battling the worst snow in more than two decades with the human death toll climbing to 95. The Year of the Dog started on January 1 in Japan, unlike in Chinese societies when it begins at the end of this month. Last year, the Year of the Chicken boded ill for Japan's chicken population, with more than 1.74 million of them ordered killed since 2004 after outbreaks of a mild strain of bird flu.

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