It's cold and slippery outside during these times. This means that lots of salt are sprinkled all over the roads, which isn't a great combination with sensitive dog paws. The salt stings and many dogs refuse to walk or start to limp when the salt touches the paw pads.
And there are great reasons for taking extra care of the paws during the winter since the road salt can dry out the paws and make scratches. And if the dog has small scratches or a small amount of fur on the paws, it won't take much salt to make it sting.
We've collected some great tips for you as a dog owner, and what you can do to take the best possible care of your dog during the winter.
Strengthen the dog
You can advantageously give your dogs supplements such as fish oil. This will strengthen the dog's skin from the inside. Feed your dog fish oil made for dogs, containing both omega 3, 6, and 9.
Using a specially formulated paw wax before a walk will add another layer of protection to the paws. You can also consider using dog paw covers. Dog boots will protect your dog's paws from drying out and protect against frostbite.
After walkies
After a walk, it's a good idea to rinse the dog's paws to clean off stinging, irritated paws. In this way you'll avoid that the dog keeps licking their paws and becomes frustrated. If your dog doesn't like water, you can use baby wipes.
You should avoid using shampoo when rinsing the dog's paws, but instead, use a nourishing cream to keep the paw pads strong. The market contains many great options, and we've collected 5 suggestions for you here
- Zinc ointment
- KoValine ointment
- Helosan ointment
- Aloe-vera
- Paw balm
Always remember to contact your veterinarian, in case the dog continues to suffer from discomfort, and you can of course also try to avoid areas with lots of salt.
Have a great winter