Paw Covers for rainy weather

[Kami Allen]

Just curious if anyone puts on covers, boots, etc...??  Living here in the Pacific NW we have rain more than sun and I'm constantly having to dry her feet after every visit outside.  I went to Petco today and they had some that literally looked like deflated balloons (latex) and I put one on in the store and it definetly would not work for us - she hated it!  Curious if anyone has had any luck with a certain brand?  Any suggestions?

[Christine & Camus]

I bought booties for Camus because he has a claw like growth in one of his pads and healing has been a problem. The first set I bought was from Petsmart and I did not want to spend too much money until I knew Camus would actually wear them, however they have not held up well. The ones I am looking into now are Muttluks Dog Booties and Ruffwear. From the short experience I have had the key is how well they secure around the leg. The inexpensive ones I bought from Petsmart worked well for walks, but not for running or playing. The Ruffwear look as though they will stay on for play, as well as walks. One link to Ruffwear is http://www.youractivepet.com/boots.htm. The Muttlocks look good too and Petsmart as well as many others carry them.

It took time for Camus to adjust to wearing the booties, but not long. You can also do a search for Booties here in Doodlekisses for more information.

[Kim]

Not that this has ANYTHING to do with this discussion - but I just read your response regarding the claw like growth! Allie had one of them, and we went to the vet 3 times for it. They thought we would have to have it surgically removed, but had us try soaking it in Epsom Salt after our third appointment and it fell off 2 days later!!!!!! We were thrilled!!!! I keep checking now, certain that with our luck it will grow back. It has been about a month now and her paw looks normal!

[Christine & Camus]

The vet removed the part that extended beyond his pad, but it is getting longer again, I guess like a regular claw would. It is also quite large, IMO. How long and how often were the soaking sessions? Did the vet recommend a paticular mix of salts to water? It would be great if Camus had the same reponse that Allie did. He still limps, now and again, if I let him play too hard.

[Kim]

I will have to look when I get home from work to see the particular mix... I think it was 1 or 2 tablespoons to 1 cup of water. The soaking sessions lasted about 2 minutes. We put one cup of the mix in a bow and another bowl filled with clean water - and we cleaned the salt off after it was done soaking.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Is this just an over growth of pad tissue you are talking about. Does it come from an injury?

[Kim]

We thought Allie's was from an injury, the vet did anyway. The Vet told us that it was due to trauma. I think I would have remembered a "trauma" to her paw pad. Allie is VERY dramatic and would have let us know if some kind of "trauma" happened, VERY vocally! On our last visit the Vet called it a Cutaneous Horn. I looked online for pictures of it - but couldn't find one that looked like Allie's. It is more common in cats.

[Christine & Camus]

It is a growth coming out of the pad. I have only had Camus for three months (as of tomorrow) DRC rescued him from a shelter, so there is no medical history, however the Vet did not think it was the result of an injury, but that the growth caused the pad to split. Camus started limping one evening after a rather long play session, then he started walking on only three legs! The pad had split and he did not want to put his paw down. I took him to the vet and he told me to rinse it with a sterile saline solution and apply Bag Balm several times a day. Then I covered it with a baby sock until the balm had been absorbed. On walks and later when playing he wore a bootie. After a few days he began to use the leg but I continued with the treatment for about a month. I check it daily. And limit play when he starts favoring it.

[Kim]

This sounds exactly as what happened with Allie! The paw split... and turned raw from her licking it, then the growth started.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Nancie Casey has something for Graciedoodle. Go to her page and ask about hers. I think she likes them.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Hey, that's us...Nancie and Gracie Doodle!!! Gracie wears the MuttLuks! I have two brand new pair waiting for the next time we need them. She has two types. Both are size medium and one is for All Weather and the other are Fleece Lined. She has had to wear them off and on since she was around 6 months old. Gracie is totally tennis ball obsessed and from chasing her ball so much on cement she wore her back nails down to the quick and they were bleeding. My neighbor loaned me her Muttluks and they worked like a charm. When I first put them on she gave a huge "buck" like a bucking bronco but then saw her tennis ball and that was it. She was off and running and never gave them a second thought. I had them on her for about two weeks anytime we went out to play or hike in canyons. She did just fine. Now she will just lay down and let me put them on her without a problem. With her fox tail incident on the front paw I had to again use the Muttluk to prevent her from licking and to allow it to heal. Again, not a problem. The trick is that you have to pull the velcro strap really, really tight. Tighter than you think you should. Otherwise the shoe will twist around and they will be walking on the top of the shoe or it will just fall off. I also have the Ruffwear Bark 'n Boots Grip Trex that I got at REI. Haven't used them yet but have them on hand so when we taker her up to Mammoth Lakes next Spring/Summer she will have them. Since the mountain is all volcanic the pumice really chews up their feet. So I haven't actually tried them out yet. I got those in a Size Large. The trick to getting them on and keeping them on is strap tightly and distract them with whatever their biggest distraction is!!! I never used them as rain shoes but for protection when there were injuries. Can't guarantee the feet will stay dry! Good Luck!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

My guess is that even if you put the booties on you are still going to have to towel dry because even if it isn't currently raining and the grass/sidewalk or where ever you are walking is wet, the underside of the body (tummy) is going to get wet and the remainder of their legs too! It would take longer to get the booties on than it would to towel dry off when you get back inside. I would think that one good use for the booties would be if it were extremely cold/snowy and you were going on a long walk it would help protect the paw pads but for rain, I wouldn't mess with it personally. They will also protect from briars and things like that if you are hiking .... again, see Nancie and Gracie doodles page for more info on that!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think the same thing.