cold weather

[sparks01]

With the prospect of three months of freezing weather is anyone contemplating some sort of protection for there dogs paws
Or am I over reacting and his pads will be robust enough

[Kimmikins]

I've never had any protection in terms of booties for them, but if it's been snowy or icy I rinse their paws off when we get home to get rid of any salt or anti-freeze. Their paws are pretty resistant to the cold for the length of a walk, but the salt and anti-freeze are what's going to cause any problems.

[marykay]

Have to say I am very concerned about this forcast of very cold weather,my little Xena right now does not like going onto a very frosty lawn,she stays on the concrete path and does a pee and a pooh on the slabs!! Easy for me to pick up her poohs and wash away the wee,but not sure what she will do when or if it snows?? but she is a hard young pup so sure she will cope,they did in the wilds did'nt they and thats where all our lovely dogs originate from.Marykay

[kimthecat]

 I just rinse paws if salt stuff has been put down .   pip doesnt mind cold , frost or snow but hates rain.  I adopted Libby in February and we havent had very bad weather yet but I get the feeling she wont like it and I'll have to push her in Dibs' buggy

[Adrianne]

looks like we are getting snow before the week is out, my old girl shivers, she wears fleece jumpers now and coats ..I never used shoes tho, looked some out for a neighbours dog once - he goes running with his owner and has taken flaps of skin off his pads before, but they were not specially for snow or cold ..just for protection..looked a bit daft to be honest but he runs with then on now.

[Dani]

 I can just imagine Dodge trying to walk with booties on !! Have put a sock on him before when he hurt his pad . . . . . have not laughed so hard in a long while,he looked like a stork trying to walk !! 
So no,dont think I will get him any,to be honest,I dont think I can stay out in the cold longer than his paws could tolerate it haha ! I feel the cold terrible . . . . I do however wash his paws after walks for mentioned reasons 


(for goodness sake take a video if you decide to get some boots,we dont want to miss that first moment of him trying to walk with them on 

[Jordan]

These bad winters I had with Jordan she loved the snow and she only had a problem once when an ice ball formed in the pad of her paw and made it impossible for her to walk.  I tried melting it with my hands but it was too big a kind man stopped and took us home and even then it took ages to thaw in the heat of the car. Wonder if Domino will like the snow.

[SandyM]

One of my neighbors made a dog coat for Karma, however, Karma won't keep it on because she gets hot from moving about in the snow, so I don't put it on her. The only thing I do for her in the winter time is make sure all the salt and anything else is cleaned off of her feet once we get inside. 

[baileysworkworld]

The only thing I do for Bailey at the moment is I will sometimes put one of his coats on in the morning. As he gets in the van and it can some times take up to an hour of picking dogs up before we get to walk, that I worry he gets cold in there. As soon as we get out and walk, I take it off as he warms up quick when he runs around.

Most of my dogs are short coated but I know that dogs with longer fur, such as spaniels and setters (for example) do get snow balls (impacted ice
balls) around their pads and these get caught up in the longer hair. This make the dogs uncomfortable to walk as well as causing ice burns if not removed and just left for a while. You just have the keep an eye on them when walking in snow and brush them off now and again, or you get what Jordan described, big balls that are hard to remove.

I don't walk my dogs on pavements and roads much but if I did, I would rinse paws off after a walk as the salt and grit used to keep the road clear can be a problem.

[Adrianne]

Does 'paw wax' protect their pads or is it a conditioner? might have to go and find Lisa ..(Health Mutt)she makes and sells is she on this forum? hmmm will go and 'fetch'

[Kimmikins]

Health Mutt isn't on this forum, so yes please fetch! I'm intrigued by paw wax!

[Adrianne]

Done ..posted a request to answer about paw wax and come along and join us onto her facebook page