Quote:
Originally Posted by alaskayorkie  Wow, that must have been some walk! Ranger must be in great shape. You should be proud of that. There's no way you could tell he was hurting his pads. Don't beat yourself up!
A couple questions and a couple suggestions:
* Are you sure it was just wear and tear on the pad, or is there salt or a chemical on the road that might have irritated it? If there's a chance it was a chemical, make foot-washing after walks part of your regular routine.
* I'm sure you've looked into it, but I Googled and one of the first things to come up was the below link. It suggests washing the feet twice daily now that they're cracked. Use an anti-bacterial soap and treat them with an antibiotic to prevent infection. How to Help a Dog With Winter Paw Pad Injuries: Dog Paw Injuries, Cracked Dog Foot Pads are Common in Winter
Those booties you found look pretty cool. If you get them, just make sure they're not putting too much torque on his ankles. I'm always leary of heavy-duty booties on Yorkies because they can create false pivot points on tender ankles. I think you'd be better off starting with a fleece or nylon sack and no heavy duty sole.
This link shows the kind I like for the snow. They might work just to protect the pad. Unfortunately, the sizes aren't small enough for most Yorkies.  Dog Booties |
Thanks Mike. I am sure the pads are just worn, and not from any chemicals. We haven't had a speck of snow, and it takes ALOT for them to do anything to the roads. I always make sure never to take him through anything spilled on the road or anything wet. His front paws are worn pretty close to the owie point, but not there yet.
I was wondering that exact thing about those boots. I actually found a product called musher's wax I think, which may be a better option. The Ruff Wear company actually has these boots, too, which may be softer and not so much torque.
Bark'n Boots™ Skyliner™ Dog Boots – All-weather, paw protecting dog shoes - from Ruff Wear they look less harsh, don't they? The other problem is finding ones that would fit him, I looked at a few "sack types" rubber and nylon, but they weren't small enough.
I just looked at the link you sent, and I think those would be the most practical way to go. It looks like thier smallest size would fit him! And they are cheap, which is great!
Thanks for your advice, I figured with you guys being out in the salt and stuff you may have a better idea that I. Thank you!