check your local pet store and see if they have balm for dog paws, I cant for the life of me remember the name

Glad to hear the Epsom salt is helping but be aware that it has the possible side effect of irritating and drying the skin.

I would suggest using a salve made for dog paws, in addition to doggie boots. Unless they're waterproof the doggie boots are going to allow salt to reach her irritated paws so I'd use a salve, along with the boots, to protect her feet during the walks.

After washing her feet, dry them with a hair dryer since dogs just tend to lick their feet when they're wet....at least mine do. If your dog has long hair, consider trimming (or letting a groomer trim) the hair around her feet so they dry faster and hold less moisture.

I've linked to options that may help.

Here is a link that might be useful: salve, etc.

This post was edited by annz on Fri, Mar 8, 13 at 12:54

There are booties for paws.

Mix a few spoonfulls of Aloe Vera, gel or juice with an equal amount of Olive Oil, and a small amount of Golden Seal powder mixed first in a bit of water. Rub it in real good all around your dogs paws, and pads too.

Whenever we stay in town I walk our two Golden Retriever X Alaskan Huskies for quite literally several hours each and every day regardless of the weather. In the summertime, Daisy, the 60 pound smaller of the two, her hind feet get all flaky and cracked and weird looking and she displays that she is rather obviously in some discomfort.

Since I came to the conclusion several years ago that this must be some sort of a heat/asphalt/concrete related thing, I start putting the stuff on her paws and pads as soon as it starts warming up pretty good here, usually around mid to late May until sometime around early to mid September and put it on her every day or night right after we get back to the house. It seems as if this must be related to asphalt and concrete and being in town as the more and the longer we stay at our foothills place the less trouble she has with this. I don't do the "treatment" at all when we stay up the hollow, which is 2.5 miles from the nearest road, and where they have free run of several thousand acres of unoccupied woods behind us and several hundred acres of pasture in front of us. She seems to be bothered by this just when we are in town, and then only in the summertime. The stuff works real well and she doesn't mind having the stuff rubbed in her paws at all.

Odd how Daisy's almost 100 pound big idiot brother Duke has no such problems at all. But then, Duke is a flea magnet while Daisy is almost untouched by them. Anyway, it's simple easy and inexpensive, and it works real well for Daisy.

I don't know where y'all live, but if y'all iare in a rural region, you might want to try using some udder balm and see how that works too. Udder balm certainly makes a for pretty good hand "lotion" too.

I hope you and yer furry lil friend find this helpful, but, as with all things animal, YMMV....

I have not ever heard of golden seal powder? I google searched and came up with goldenseal root powder...is that what you mean, like from the health food store?

Yes!
Goldenseal,
and Aloe-Vera....
The stuff really works.

My experience is that digs won't lick the stuff off of wherever you put it as Goldenseal has an acrid, bitter taste and a disagreeable odor.

I don't know where she came up with this from, but.... Growing up in the mid-late 1950's at the very edge of the Everglades in far, far south Florida, where instead of frosts we had fungus, my Grandma used to get a big bag of goldenseal powder from somewhere and mix it with "fresh squeezed" Aloe gel/juice and rub it in/on all of our many and regular bites and scratches and inflammations and cuts and infections. This was standard treatment for all children, and any of the other animals that were always around us, once we actually caught them....

And if anyone around us was ever "sick" with anything, she made sure that we all swallowed us a couple of tablespoons full of the nasty bitter tasting snot like mix stuff, just in case..... Seems as if it might have worked. It seems none of us were ever sick.....

I use bag balm on my lg dogs feet when the weather is nasty. It heals the ouchy and does not hurt them if they lick it. They do have puppy boots for dogs. they do work.

Bag Balm!!! I knew it had another name!

My wife says she has seen both so named thing of the stuff somewhere....
So I looked it up and found that not only is it still being sold, it is apparently a rather well known product..... Deservedly so as I recall....
The stuff as formulated for cows and goats and sheep anyway....
Mt Lady's advice might be a bit easier than mixing Aloe and Goldenseal, and certainly works quite well on people paws too.... I used to keep dairy goats, the lil' things would get a bit antsy when they were getting washed and ready to be milked but they calmed right down and didn't mind being milked at all once the balm was rubbed in.... Of course they knew they were getting a bucket of sweet feed and a couple of honey locust pods too....

I am not responsible for any comments made by any bodies pig like men creatures regarding the use of such products by the female human beings that own them.

The link below is for those who like to make such stuff for themselves....

But first, this from Wikipedia: >>>> "Bag Balm is a salve developed in 1899 to soothe irritation on cows' udders after milking.[1][2] The product is officially only meant for animals and is inspected as such by the United States Food and Drug Administration,[2] but it's also often used as a treatment for chapped and irritated skin on humans and can be found in places such as drug stores, ski resorts, online vendors, needle-work stores, and of course farm and feed stores. Its uses are many, for example "squeaky bed springs, psoriasis, dry facial skin, cracked fingers, burns, zits, diaper rash, saddle sores, sunburn, pruned trees, rifles, shell casings, bed sores and radiation burns."[2]"

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY Bag Balm

I have since found that an iodine and water soak is working wonders on her paws. I'd tried it at first but found out that I wasn't using enough iodine so what I did was just use a small amount of water in a tall thin container so that way I could have it strong enough without wasting it.

Has anyone found any boots that work? I'm not finding much on Amazon or google searching...what I'm finding always has some really negative reviews about how badly they are constructed. Beginning to wonder if I need a pattern to make them myself...HA! To be waterproof would be a real challenge though!

For quality boots you'll need to shop at places that supply working or service dogs.
Below is one link and their boots have good reviews. Don't expect those that have good reviews to be cheap..........

Here is a link that might be useful: dog boots

Wow. I love those Polar Trex boots but, yeah, they are pricey. It's also nice that they sell a single boot in case you lose one - for some of the styles.

I have some boots that work great for my dogs. I have to make sure the velcro is tight enough, tho, or they do come off. If we're out and about, I just keep an eye on them to make sure they don't come off.

Here's a pic of my girls with their former boots on. The newer, better boots I have now are linked below.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Ultra Paws Boots

Awwww, what cute little angels! Just precious!

I saw the taller boots which seem like they would be better for snow but I don't think they'd be very practical as far as the shape of a dog's legs. A lot of reviewer said they didn't work right. I think a low boot is the answer. In fact with wrapping her feet with socks, I've found that if I try to wrap them up higher, the tape or elastic will just slip down anyway.

Your dogs are saying "let's go walking NOW!"

Well there's always ACV that works very well on sores, however, it will sting the first few times. I also have been using Vetericyn that works well also. You can find this in a farm store or someplace like Farm and Fleet. It's in the department where animal supplies are sold. Saw it advertised on tv channel RFDTV. My one dog ha allergies and had scratched a mean open sore on her throat. Used the Vetericyn and it healed it up quick. Other than my experience with it I am not connected in any way to the company, just like to help out when possible.

I just went and got a bottle of Vetericyn at Petco and we will see. It's like they are almost healed up and she'll lick one of them during the night and BAM it's all festered up again. I keep them covered with a sock bandaged up but she will just chew it off if she wants to and I can't watch her 24/7. It seems like everything I put on them makes them worse and not better. So far the Vetericyn seems to be helping ALREADY!

Brownthumbia, which variety of this do you use? There were several different kinds. I was able to find ONE bottle of the wound and infection variety in the whole town! GAH! If this does work as well as it seems, I'm going to buy some on line for cheaper. The bottle was $37 for 8 oz.! ACK! But if it works...hey, I've already spend a ton on meds that don't work.

OH and the goldenseal....SHE LICKS IT RIGHT OFF TOO even though it's bitter as all get out! I just got it last night so I haven't been able to see if it's going to work or not. Right now I need something more medicinal such as that Vetericyn spray. I put a small dab on goldenseal on my tongue and holy cow, that's about the most bitter taste I've even come in contact with...how the heck can a dog lick that...ugh! Crazy! LMAO!

Wow! I think I would ask them if they have the right price on their bottles. I do use the wound and infection care. I have had it awhile but I didn't think I paid that much for the 16 oz. size. But I'm gonna check and ask what they charge. Will let you know. Just give it time to work Now one nice thing is it appears to be really safe to use. I like the gel spray because it really clings well. Best of luck.

Arkansas, I do NOT care where you go to buy this....I am just telling you what I just found out. If you have a Farm And Fleet store in your area, this is what Their prices are...fora 16 oz. bottle it is $29.99. But what doesn't make sense is the same thing in an 8 oz. bottle is...hang onto your hat...$25.99!! What I did find out is the large bottle will be found in the part of the store that has large animals (horses) and the small bottle is in the small pet department ( dogs, etc. hope you can find a store that has farm animal supplies. Home Depot may handle it or Lowe's if you have either of those stores. Good luck.

We've had to resort of the cone collar because she just will not allow the paws to heal...each time they get looking good, she will gnaw off her sock and make her paw raw all over again. It's becoming a vicious cycle. I wish I wouldn't have been so stubborn and would have gotten the E Collar a lot sooner. She isn't crazy about it but HEY she can't chew her paws. I have also gotten something called Domeboro Solution which is a wonderful product to dry up the sores. I will definitely use this on myself the next time I get into poison ivy that's for sure...weird thing is I had never heard of it until researching paw treatments.

We have been using the e collar (cone) for a week now and since we have finally been successful in keeping her from chewing, the paws are now on the mend. I am not really finding anything that I think is doing any wonderful job as far as a medication. It almost seems as if whatever we use irritates it. I'm now just washing them each day and putting witch hazel in a spray bottle and putting that on and allowing it to dry and once again putting the paws in a cotton sock to protect them from the elements. I'm only putting a spot of antibiotic cream on remaining sores.

I use extra virgin coconut oil and highly recommend it

Once healed, use a preventative like 'MushersSecret' before you go out for walks. It is a barrier wax to protect from road salts. (i tried the boots...that was entertaining...they hated them)
Anything oily would work in a pinch, coconut etc. Vaseline maybe, but it a petrolium based and i don't think very healthy...
EMT gel should be in every pet owners first aid. It protects and forms a collagen skin to help heal...like liquid bandaid.
Contact allergies are usually in the spring with fresh grasses. Food and environmental allergies often start with the feet even if the allergen is ingested...or inhalants as in dust mites.
(i have an allergy pup)
With irritations like road salts, the initial 'irritant' causes distress and licking...and often a secondary infection occurs if the wound is raw and not allowed to heal. So a staph infection can happen with all the thaw and muddy puddles. I had all of that happen at once...
I have a soft blow up collar that is very comfortable and not cumbersome and can be used over and over...has been a good investment.

Here is a link that might be useful: paw protection

Can't use coconut oil unfortunately, went and bought that and she is nuts to lick it off. I think I'll put it on her food instead.