Back when we were living in a city, we had a scary situation with Beau when one of his paw pads started falling off in the middle of winter. He was limping around in pain and licking at his paw constantly. We learned from our vet that this is not uncommon, particularly for dogs who live in places that put down a lot of salt in the winter. That kicked us into high gear with taking paw protection seriously!
With temperatures hitting record lows and snow accumulating across the US, we figured now is a good time to share some of our must-have winter paw products for dogs.
Note: this post is not sponsored in any way, but please click any photo below to purchase the products through our amazon affiliate link. Thanks!
1. Musher’s Secret
Musher’s Secret is a paw protection wax that we rub on our dog’s paws to protect them snow and ice, but even more so from the crazy amount of salt on the sidewalks. Although it’s not perfect (and won’t protect paws for a long walk in blizzard, for example) it is great for short walks. We also use Musher’s to lubricate paws before slipping on the next item on this list….
2. Pawz
When I describe Pawz to people I generally say, “they look like deflated balloons,” and honestly, that’s pretty much all they are, but with tougher rubber. Just about every dog that we have cared for has at least tolerated Pawz; particularly when we first put Musher’s Secret on their paws and ankles so that they slip on painlessly. Although we have tried various booties on various dogs over the years, we haven’t had any success — many dogs refuse to walk in them, others lose them while walking, etc. So, Pawz it is. Pro tip #1: be sure to review the Pawz size chart carefully before purchasing, or bring your dog into the store with you to measure by setting his or her paw upon the back of the packaging where there’s an image to use as a guide. Pro trip #2: to extend the life of your Pawz and get multiple walks out of each one before having to toss them and buy new ones, make sure your dog’s nails are trimmed.
3. Safe Paw
Although your neighbors and departments of public works might use harmful salt for melting ice and snow, that doesn’t mean you can’t use a more paw-friendly alternative for your own walkways. We’ve found Safe Paw to be the best alternative to salt, and we particularly like that it is blue so we can tell when other neighbors are using it and not have to worry when we walk across their walkways.
4. Paw Soother
Even when we are diligent in applying Musher’s Secret and having our dogs wear Pawz during winter walks, their paws are drier in the cold months. I actually think this might have just as much to do with the heat inside as the conditions outdoors – kind of like dry, cracked hands for us humans! Paw soother does wonders for moisturizing and, well, soothing dry, cracked paws. Pro tip: you can also try coconut oil for this same purpose, but we have found that most dogs love the taste too much and lick it off like a tasty snack.
5. Dog Doormat
Okay so this one might be more for us dog people than our dogs, but we’ve found that durable, fast drying, microfiber doormat in front of the backdoor for our dogs to step on to when they come in from the backyard helps keep our floors cleaner (and us from having to wet swiffer every day).
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