There are some prevention measures that can be taken, such as wearing dog boots, trimming excess foot fur to avoid picking up irritants, and applying protective wax products. However, when the damage is already done, it might be time for some spa treatment!
Doggy Foot Spa:
Step 1: Clean feet
It is important to start with clean feet, because if irritants like road salt are on the paw pads, adding moisturizer will just continue the irritation.
Since Chewy hates baths and will not willingly get in a tub or shower, I just use a plastic take-out container filled with clean water. I soak each foot and gently scrub the paw pads by hand, and then towel dry.
Step 2: Moisturize
There are a variety of products marketed specifically for applying to dry paw pads, but they can be quite pricey. Coconut oil is also an option, but I find it to be too greasy/messy, and Chewy makes it his mission to eat it ALL.
Generally, human moisturizers are not suitable for use on dogs because they might be poisonous/unhealthy if ingested, but I like to use Bag Balm. Originally made for healing cracked cow udders, it is now widely used to treat dry skin on humans, and can typically be found in drugstores. In the aftermath of 9/11, the search and rescue dogs were provided Bag Balm to soothe their scratched paws.
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| Bag Balm |
Bag Balm is made with lanolin, a wax secreted by sheep to protect their wool and skin. Since it is an animal product, Chewy thinks it smells and tastes delicious. I always try to keep him distracted with a chew thing, bellyrubs, or treats during his foot spa treatments so that the stuff actually stays on his feet.
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| Ready for foot spa! |
I gently massage Bag Balm onto his paw pads, making sure to get the problem spots, which for Chewy are the carpal pads (the ones higher up on the front legs), the metatarsal pads (the big ones on the hind feet), and under all the toenails.
Step 3: Allow moisturizer to absorb -- SOCKS?
Moisturizer needs time to absorb, so your dog might need to be discouraged from immediately licking it all off. You can provide a distraction like a tasty chew or belly rubs if a verbal "uh-uh" correction is not sufficient.
