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How to Protect Dog Paws: 7 Vet-Approved Ways for Year-Round Care

Written by: Misty Layne

Last Updated on March 6, 2024 by Dogster Team

close up of dog paws-on-concrete

How to Protect Dog Paws: 7 Vet-Approved Ways for Year-Round Care

Life can be tough on our dogs’ paws; your feet probably wouldn’t look or feel their best if you walked around barefoot all the time, either! While being indoors is relatively easy on your pup’s paws, your dog may also spend a lot of time outside, which means dealing with extreme temperatures at times or stepping on things that hurt. Are you wondering how to protect dog paws from hot pavement or how to protect dog paws in winter?

You can do a few things to protect paws that don’t include your dog being uncomfortable in booties or ingesting possible chemicals from balms on their feet. These seven natural ways to protect your dog’s paws all year will make their feet feel great!

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The 7 Ways to Protect Dog’s Paws All-Year Long

1. Always rinse your dog’s feet

cleaning-dirty-dog-paws
Image Credit: Andrea C. Miller, Shutterstock

Ensure you are always rinsing your dog’s feet off after time spent outside, whether it’s summer or winter. No matter the weather, rinsing your pup’s paws with warm water when you return inside means getting rid of dirt, grime, pieces of grass, tiny sticks, salt from salt-treated roads in winter, ice, snow, and more. A quick wash of the feet is one of the simplest things you can do to help protect your dog’s paws year-round!

Pros
  • Effective and free
  • Quick and easy
Cons
  • Might be a bit messy if your dog runs into the house before getting dried

2. Take shorter walks

This tip also applies to winter and summer. When temperatures are extremely cold or hot, you may want to consider taking shorter walks and making up your dog’s exercise time with games and playtime indoors. Walking for a shorter period helps keep your dog’s paws safe because it means they won’t be exposed to harsh elements for quite as long. The less time your pup’s feet spend on ice, snow, salt, or hot surfaces, the better off they’ll be.

Pros
  • Simple to do
  • Shorter walks may be better for you, too, in these instances
Cons
  • Will have to make up the difference in your dog’s exercise in other ways

3. Avoid walking at the coldest or hottest point of the day

owner walking the miniature schnauzer dog at the park
Image Credit: Anton Pentegov, Shutterstock

This tip is similar to the one above in that it will help protect your dog’s paws by avoiding what can hurt them. There’s always a certain point of the day that’s hottest or coldest, so you should be sure not to walk during those times. If going outside already isn’t going to be a lot of fun, why would you make it worse? Skipping the walks at these times means your dog’s feet get to skip being burned on super-hot roads and sidewalks or freezing and cracking from too much cold.

Pros
  • Better for you to avoid extreme heat or cold
  • Easy to do
Cons
  • Walking at a different time could be inconvenient

4. Don’t walk on pavement or sidewalks in the summer

Pavement and sidewalks get incredibly hot during the summer, particularly when it’s the hottest point of the year. If your pup isn’t a fan of wearing booties, their paws will definitely suffer. However, if you can, skip walking on concrete and pavement and stick to walking only in the grass. Grassy areas won’t be nearly hot, so they’ll be much easier on your dog’s feet.

Pros
  • Much better for your dog’s paws
  • Avoids overly hot surfaces
Cons
  • Not everyone will have access to enough grassy areas

5. Trim excess fur from your pup’s paws

person trimming dog's paw
Image Credit: BY-_-BY, Shutterstock

Do you know all that hair that can grow between your dog’s toes? Keeping that trimmed can be highly beneficial to your pet’s feet, particularly during winter. If you live where there’s a lot of snow and ice, you know your dog can come inside after spending time outdoors with tiny snowballs and pieces of ice stuck in the fur on their feet and legs. Getting snow and ice stuck in that hair between the toes means your pet is dealing with extreme cold up close and personal until it is melted. So, help them avoid that by keeping excess paw fur trimmed!

Pros
  • Highly beneficial in protecting paws in winter
  • Protects paws from snow and ice
Cons
  • You might need to visit the groomer for this

6. Invest in some dog-safe wax

For cold weather protection, look into some paw wax. These products are pet-safe balms that you can apply to your dog’s feet before going outside. They form a protective barrier that will help keep harsh temperatures and chemicals away from your dog’s paws. Paw waxes can be used in the summer as well, but they are more likely to melt and won’t be as effective.

Keep in mind that dog-safe paw waxes shouldn’t contain any toxic chemicals, but you should try to keep your pup from licking them off as the wax alone can still cause some digestive upset, such as vomiting or diarrhea.

Pros
  • Great for use during the winter
  • Protects paws not only from ice and snow but also chapping and paw burn
Cons
  • Less useful in the summer
  • Some dogs will lick the wax off

7. Put some oil on your dog’s feet

applying paw wax on dog paws
Image Credit: Te9l, Shutterstock

There are balms available for puppy paws, but if you want to go a more natural route, you could try an oil, like coconut oil. Balms and oils don’t necessarily protect your pup’s paws from the elements, but they moisturize dry, peeling, and cracked paws. Just be careful, while ingesting a small amount of coconut oil may be okay, you don’t want your pup licking up a lot of it. This may lead to things like vomiting or diarrhea.

Also, do not use human lotions or moisturizers on your canine’s paws! There could be harmful ingredients hiding in them.

Pros
  • Moisturizes rough paws
  • Coconut oil is fairly inexpensive
Cons
  • Won’t prevent issues, but can help treat them
  • Must thoroughly check extra additives to make sure it is dog-safe

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Conclusion

If your canine companion isn’t a fan of wearing booties and you don’t want to use balms or waxes from the store, there are still ways you can help protect your dog’s paws from hot pavement or in winter weather. Most of these ways involve avoiding things that could be harmful to your pet’s feet, like walking on the pavement during the summer, while others are more natural items you can use to keep your pup’s feet feeling great. Use as many of these as you need when the weather is extreme, and your dog’s feet should be better protected year-round!

Sources
 

Featured Image Credit: 9gifts, Shutterstock

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