When your favorite part of the day is going for a walk to explore the neighborhood, it’s no fun when you’ve got sore cracked paws!

 

Cold winter weather is hard on your dog’s footpads, because they are constantly in contact with cold sidewalks and snowy grass. The result is painful fissures in his pads which may bleed and become infected.

 

There are steps you can take to treat splits in your dog’s footpds, and prevent them recurring.

 

Cure those Cracked Pads

 

• It’s important that you look closely at your dog’s pads often. That way you find any splits early, and can start treatment straight away.

 

•  If the cracks look at all infected, take your dog to your vet for a checkup. Infection can delay healing, and he may need antibiotics to clear it up. He may also need a bandage to protect his foot as he recovers.

• If your dog’s pads are only mildly cracked,  you can take care of them yourself at home. Clean his pad gently with a mild antiseptic such as iodine scrub, and dry his foot thoroughly. Apply bowWOW Butter Balm to his pads to help heal and condition his skin. It not only contains shea butter and other natural oils to moisturize his skin,but also coconut oil and tea tree oil which can help to control infection. Marshmallow extract and calendula will soothe the irritation in his skin, and have him feeling comfortable very quickly.

 

• Providing your dog isn’t limping, you can continue to take him for walks as normal. Just be careful; sometimes salt is sprinkled on icy footpaths to make it melt, and this salt will be very painful if it gets into the crack in his footpad.

 

Prevention is Better Than Cure

 

It’s worth while taking a few minutes after your walk to care for your dog’s pads; by doing that you can prevent painful fissures from developing.

 

When you return from your outing, bathe his feet with warm water to clean away any salt that has stuck to his paws. This will also remove any chemical ice melting products that may have been used on the roads. These aren’t good for your dog, and you don’t want him to lick them off his paws. It will also allow you to have a good look at his feet for any injuries that need more attention.

 

Massage bowWOW Butter Balm well into each paw as a preventative, to help stop his pads from splitting.

 

You can purchase booties for your dog, and these may be useful if you plan on walking over rough ground or going for longer outings in the snow. He may take a little while to feel comfortable in them, and may try and kick them off or walk with a funny gait. Booties are very handy, not only to protect his feet and stop him developing splits in his pads, but to protect any existing cracks as they heal. There are so many styles of booties available, you’re sure to find a pair that suits your dog’s personality.

 

Cracks in the footpads are your dog’s least favorite part of winter. Fortunately, they usually heal quickly, and it won’t be long before you’re again sharing winter adventures.

 

 

 

By Kevin Fisher

It’s November and in most parts of the country winter is imminent. (It’s even getting a tad chilly here in Southern California!) Time to winterize your house with a little weather stripping and a few extra blankets; time to to winterize your car with anti-freeze and an ice scraper. It’s even time to start thinking about winterizing your best friend! No you don’t need to weather strip or de-ice your dog but there are a few things to bear in mind as the shorter days draw in.

It goes without saying that if you live in a cold weather area you should have a warm place for your dog to sleep . The back yard is no longer good enough unless your little guy has a somewhere to get out of the wind and the rain (but you knew that already didn’t you)

If you bathe your own dog make sure you use warmer water, preferably inside and spend a little extra time drying and brushing. Bubbles n’ Beads is the perfect cold weather product because it cleans and conditions in one go so your dog spends less time wet. If you want to skip a few bath times try DryDog Instant Clean , an all natural bath replacement spray that not only helps to clean your best friend but contains ordenone, an ingredient that traps and removes the bad smells that seem to flourish between groomings. TIP: Keep a rag and bottle at the door to use on after-walk muddy paws

Don’t leave your dog alone in the car; If the engine is left running there’s a possibility of carbon monoxide infiltrating the car, if the engine is not on it may just get too cold.

Salty frozen sidewalks can be a dogs worst enemy. Not only do his paw pads (and nose) get cold but they’re desiccated even further by the salt. It’s always a good idea to rinse and wipe his paws (and nose if he’s been sniffing around) when yo come back in from a walk. A great product to use before and after walks is bowWow Butter Balm . Apply a little before you go out and it forms a barrier between the skin and the environment and a little more after you come in will prevent irritation and heal dry skin. Note you should never use Petroleum jelly or Petroleum based products on your dogs pads; petroleum jelly contains petrolatum, which can cause gastrointestinal upset if ingested. bowWow Butter balm is all natural shea butter and is perfectly safe.

Be vigilant on walks, this is the season for antifreeze and some of which can spill on driveways, It’s a particularly lethal product because it tastes and smells good to your dog but contains ethylene glycol, which can be deadly even in small quantities.

If your dog is out in the cold and starts shaking or shivering get him inside as soon as possible. If the shaking doesn’t stop within ten minutes of being inside it’s a good idea to call your vet.

Like people, dog’s seem to be more susceptible to illness in the winter , so be alert for the warning signs; loss of appetite, drinking an inordinate amount of water or just general lethargy. Never give your dog over-the-counter medications meant for humans unless you’ve spoken to your vet first. Some products that are perfectly safe for humans are toxic to dogs; aspirin, in the wrong dosage can cause toxicity, pseudoephedrine can be very harmful or even deadly to pets, even breath fresheners can contain both menthol, (which can be irritating to the mouth and the stomach) and xylitol (which can cause liver damage).

If you want to be proactive in keeping your best friend healthy this year Eyemunity is the perfect product. It contains Epicor an all natural immune booster that will not only improve your dog’s overal health but also help prevent tearstains. Click here for more information on this product

But the winter is not all bad news, many people, and dogs find the chill in the air invigorating. (I’m definitely not one of them, 20 years shoveling snow in in New York were enough for me:-) As a dog owner you not only have a loyal playmate but you have your own personal heating unit; your dog’s body temperature is a few degrees higher than yours so cuddle up and enjoy the exothermia!

How to Prevent & Treat Your Dog’s Dry, Cracked Paws

Whether your dog loves to play in the snow and wile away the winter hours outdoors, or hates the cold weather and wants go to back inside as quickly as possible, caring for your dog’s paws is a vital consideration. Road and sidewalk salt can cause serious damage to your canine pal’s paw pads, so if your dog has dry, cracked paws, consider these solutions and remedies:

Don’t let your dog suffer – look out for dry, cracked paws!

Your dog’s paws should be rough, to enhance traction and enable your dog to run and play, but dry, cracked paws can be extremely painful for your dog. Treat paws when they are dry to help prevent cracking – don’t let them get cracked, because not only are they painful for your poor canine pal, but dirt and debris in the cracks can actually cause an infection!

If you live in an area with cold, snowy winters, or if you live in a dry, dusty climate, check your dog’s paws daily for dryness. Make it part of the morning or evening routine; it’ll help you stay on top of your dog’s paw health, and it’ll also help your dog become accustomed to people handling his paws!

Wash your dog’s paws regularly to remove road and sidewalk salt.

Not only can road and sidewalk salt cause dry, cracked paws, but some of these salts are actually toxic if your dog ingests them! Wash your dog’s paws in warm water when you come inside to remove any salt. This is especially vital if your dog is a licker; if your dog licks chemical salt from his paws, you might find yourself with a trip to the emergency vet in your future!

Use bowWOW Butter Balm to treat dry, cracked paws.

Because dog’s paw pads need to retain a bit of roughness, you can’t really use human-grade moisturizers on them to treat dryness. In fact, some human moisturizers even contain chemicals that can be harmful to your dog! One of the best products to treat dry paws and help prevent cracking or damage from road salt is bowWOW Butter Balm . bowWOW Butter Balm is completely safe for your dog, even if he licks it off and ingests it!

Applying this soothing salve regularly can help condition your dog’s paws and prevent dryness, and if your dog’s paws are injured or dry, Butter Balm can help alleviate pain and help your dog heal faster. The formula is not greasy, so no worries about getting little paw prints all over your sofa. As an added bonus, bowWOW Butter Balm can also be used to treat dry noses and even dry skin , flea bites and hot spots

For some dogs, boots are an option.

If your dog tolerates boots, you have an effective tool to combat dry, cracked paws. Simply put the boots on before you leave, and remove them when you get back. Using boots also saves you the trouble of having to wash your dog’s paws, as you can simply take them off when you return home. Unfortunately, boots can be time-consuming to apply, and some mischievous dogs remove boots as quickly as you can put them on. Boots aren’t a universal solution for all dogs.

Whichever method you choose, be sure that you add ‘paw maintenance’ into your dog’s daily checklist.