What's a good pad moisturizer?

[coco-bean]

lol, funny title sorry!
but my pups have some really rough pads and i put reg. moisturizer on them and rub them in really really well but it doesnt hold very long! is there anything that can make their pads not so rough?

[Lulu25]

I've had good success with just a dab of good old straight vaseline before bedtime and if the sidewalks are salted, a dab before walks. Inexpensive, but if its good enough for my face...

lulu


I retract my advice. And I personally, will only wash them and not vaseline them anymore. Thanks for the great info everyone!

[Areias]

Rough pads, I would imagine, are good for them-they can "stick" better on slippery floors and their feet will be tougher for when they are outside. :) I wouldn't do anything to them.

[applesmom]

I agree with Areias! Their pads toughen up according to the amount of use they get and the protection they need. Soft pads might be okay for a toy dog that hardly ever gets outside. But an active dog like a lab needs the protection of tougher pads, especially when they're running in the field. To soften them will make them more succeptable to heat and cold and injury such as torn or worn pads.

[Lulu25]

I use the vaseline mostly because during the winter, the heavily salted sidewalks make a crust on his feet that seems to irritate him so he doesnt want to walk around normaly. Great advice in the above two posts though, I didnt even think of it being a defense mechanism! Will look into...

lulu

[applesmom]

I use the vaseline mostly because during the winter, the heavily salted sidewalks make a crust on his feet that seems to irritate him so he doesnt want to walk around normaly. Great advice in the above two posts though, I didnt even think of it being a defense mechanism! Will look into...

lulu

Even though it's more work, it might be better to rinse the salt off and dry his paws after a walk than to risk softening them. As the paws become softer they also become more porous which could allow the wet salt to penetrate deeper and possibly even increase the irritation.

[vagreys]

Even though it's more work, it might be better to rinse the salt off and dry his paws after a walk than to risk softening them. As the paws become softer they also become more porous which could allow the wet salt to penetrate deeper and possibly even increase the irritation.
Rinsing off the paws after being out in the snow and ice (and road salt and chemical ice removers) is a good idea, anyway. Some of those chemicals can cause skin damage, irritate cuts and scrapes, and can be toxic if the dog licks them up while grooming.

Our hounds stop at a plastic dishwashing basic set up for washing paws after walks when the road has been treated. It doesn't take but a few extra minutes, and I worry less about what they might have picked up and ingested.

Edited to add: And when I need to put something on the pads to help them heal after they've been damaged, I've found that Bag Balm works well.

[borzoimom]

Bag balm works great if the pads get cracked. However- the other points on the pads protecting the dog in brush and even heat of sidewalks ( okay- yea I know its cold right now- but you get the point)- I wouldnt change the pads. Just like you- if your feet are tougher, you cant feel the stones in a stone driveway- same thing..

[Christine283]

What if the pads are so dry that they've turned into what feels like....I don't know...a porcupine! Sophie's pads are so dry? that they scratch the devil out of me and my husband. Can your dogs pads get too tough?

[applesmom]

Tough, rough pads are healthy pads! As long as there is no redness, irritation, inflamation or obvious wounds they're far better off if left alone.

Deliberately softening their pads is equivelent to taking shoes away from humans!

[Christine283]

"As long as there is no irritation..."

There's the mad licking episodes...but I don't know if that's due to her pads, allergies, boredom, or what :confused:

[BratBoxers]

I use a product called Mushers Secret. It not only protects pads better than just using nothing from heat/cold prevents salt burns in winter from salt, also helps with traction among other things. Just google paw wax or mushers secret.

[applesmom]

"As long as there is no irritation..."

There's the mad licking episodes...but I don't know if that's due to her pads, allergies, boredom, or what :confused:

If it's allergies, the irritation would show up between the pads and/or between the toes and is easy to spot. It's generally moist and pink or even crusty looking.

She may be walking in something that sticks to her pads which leads to the licking. Rinsing them off and drying them after walks may help.

Then it may be just boredom and a clue that she needs to find something else to occupy her time for awhile! :)

[skunkstripe]

I agree with applesmom about NOT wanting soft pads. Back when Zircie's were soft he was constantly cutting them. Now they are tough (so are Sophia's) and pad wounds are a thing of the past.

[applesmom]

Tuff foot is another excellent product that worked great for my dogs.

http://www.tuffoot.com/

[golden-lover]

Hm.. What about if a dogs pads are so rough that they get so that they break apart a bit? I can't describe it very well, it's sort of like the pad gets split ends? I had it happen with my first dog, and Kira's are a bit like that.

[applesmom]

As long as they're not cracked and bleeding it's perfectly normal. Generally speaking, the more active the dog and the more varied the surfaces they run on, the rougher the pads will be.

The pads on a very athletic dog should feel like rough sandpaper to the touch.

There are always exceptions either way though!;)

[golden-lover]

As long as they're not cracked and bleeding it's perfectly normal. Generally speaking, the more active the dog and the more varied the surfaces they run on, the rougher the pads will be.

The pads on a very athletic dog should feel like rough sandpaper to the touch.

There are always exceptions either way though!;)

That should explain it then. She's always running around the backayard like the mad shepherd she is.

:o

[Julz]

Dog's pad are supposed to be rough...not soft ...if soft they will pierce too easily on grit and stones.... if you want them to be soft, i suggest you also buy him some boots to protect them...