Is it the cold weather or is there something wrong with my doodle?

[Teri & Clover]

Hey everyone! I've been following this site since the spring...months before I actually got my puppy Clover in June. I've learned so much from all of you and hope you can help me on the latest strange thing that my pup is doing. When I am walking her out in the cold weather and a little bit of snow, a few times on each walk her back leg will "curl" up while she is walking.Is her foot cold or is it a bigger problem? I checked her feet and didn't notice anything. She had surgery about a month ago for eating a piece off of my coat. She seems to be better from that. I am worried. I watch her like a hawk. Am I just being an overprotective or do I need to go to the vet -- AGAIN? I would appreciate any insight.

[shelly]

Hi Teri. I am a worrier too, but I think you can relax... for now.... Tori does this too. She does not like walking on wet grass, mud, and even the first snowfall. Also, she will lift up one of her feet off the ground as she squats to pee in conditions like this. If this has just started since the cold and snow, and there is nothing visible, I'd say Clover is fine. I think they just have sensitive feet. But I would watch her if she's licking or biting at it and then call the vet. (Have you tried doggie boots?)

[Jaime and Barley Barker]

Hi Teri,

Would you describe her action as limping? Does she ever behave this way in the house? It's possible that Clover might have something really small lodged in a pad or between her toes that you can't see. She might be curling up her foot because it irritates her. Our collie once had a really small thorn stuck in one of her pads. It began to work its way out and I was able to dislodge it without a trip to the vet. If the cold is bothering Clover, it's strange that she is responding by curling up just one foot. If you can afford to, it might be worthwhile to go back to the vet just to put your mind at ease. I can understand not wanting to go again to the vet, especially in this economy. I recently brought Barley to the vet for a check-up (he just turned one), mainly because I was concerned that he breathes really hard after playing. Well, Barley is fine and the vet said it's probably that he plays a lot harder than the rest of the dogs. Hearing that really took the anxiety out of me, and peace of mind is priceless. It depends on how anxious you feel. If it's really, really worrying you, I'd go. If you can hold out and observe Clover for a few days, more details might be revealed about how and why she's reacting that way outside. Best wishes, no worries!

[Sandra Griffith]

Is there any de-icer put on the ground where she is walking? If so, it might burn her feet. Just to be sure, I always rinse dog's feet when I come back from a walk when in winter weather to rinse off any chemicals that might be on their feet.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Hi Teri,
We had a dog that did this to the point of walking on three legs. He would actually hop over puddles. We did not live in snow country so it wasn't from de-icer. I would be careful about that but not worried about the leg curling thing. We had another dog that did that too. He wasn't quite as "weird" about getting his feet wet as the Golden but he did curl a leg up sometimes when we walked.

I can well imagine you feel overly protective after he had to have surgery! I freak about all sorts of things.

[Camilla and Darwin]

If there is salt on the ground, it could be that her paw is burned. We had to be really careful with where we walked Darwin last winter. The salt made his paws raw so we had to walk him on the snow. Luckily my new apartment has pet friendly salt. Is it always the same paw, and only that paw? Perhaps she has something stuck in there or has a little cut.

[Brittany&Sami]

Theres pet friendly salt? Do you happen to know the name?

 

Teri- I'm glad you found a solution, I hope it fixes the problem!

[Camilla and Darwin]

I know that Morton salt has a line that is pet friendly.

 

http://www.mortonsalt.com/products/road_sidewalk/safe_t_pet.html

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

They have pet friendly salt at PetsMart...and I'll bet PetCo, too.

[shelly]

Teri... one more thought - does she let her touch that paw? If you run your hand around the bottom, does she pull away? Do you play ball with her in the house.... does she limp or curl then? This may also give you an indication if she is in pain.

[Teri & Clover]

Thanks everybody! It does just happen outside and my neighborhood just put down de-icer. I'm going to start washing her feet off everytime we go outside. I'm going to go check her paws again and look more closely between the pads. I will sleep well tonight knowing other doodles out there deal with the same stuff. So thankful for all of your responses.

[Kyoko]

She is cold!! ( Her feet are cold!) Many dogs at the shelter I volunteer do this when it is icy or snowy outside, because out side of the shelter is all asphalt or cement. At the shelter, we use this product to protect their feet.
http://www.gundogsupply.com/mushers-secret-all-natural-paw-protecti...

[Teri & Clover]

I am going to look into Musher's Secret. We spend a lot of time outside. I was worried because when she got something lodged in her stomach, she had trouble walking because she was in pain. I was relieved to hear they also do this when they are cold.