I took Franklin camping in the Sierra Nevada mountains this weekend and he ran and played quite a bit on the rough granite. Today he can barely walk because his feet are so sore. We are planning to head out again thursday on another camping trip for 2 weeks this time also in the Sierras. Wondering if anybody has any suggestions for anything I can do to help Frank with his sore paws? He has no open wounds, just really tender paw pads. I was thinking of buying protective booties for the next trip and was wondering if anybody has any recommendations on boots that will stay on and protect his tender pads from the rough granite? I wrapped his feet in vet wrap today and that seemed to help but is too much of a hassle to get on and off for swimming etc and not really a practical long term solution

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mushers wax maybe?

You can buy dog booties, but if he's that sore, two weeks of hiking/camping may not be the ticket for him.  Dogs feet need to be conditioned/hardened for the type of terrain you are talking about, that is the only long term solution. There are booties made of fleece and others of cordura with ballistic cloth bottoms. They velcro on and off.  I've had them for sled dogs who injured a foot, but would not know where to direct you for the size foot of a Corgi.  If you take him, I would keep him on leash to avoid  the back and forth dogs do and any running around and, as much as possible, I would keep him  on dirt or grass....

Contact John Wolf directly. I know he has dealt with this and if he is not on the side of a mountain somewhere may have some ideas.
I second Bev's response.John Wolf is always a good person to ask about those kind of things.Plus,He's got a sense of humor that is amazing!!

thanks for the ideas.

Anna- I guess by long term I meant for the 2 weeks I will be gone. I don't really live in an area where I can adequately toughen up his feet so I was looking for a boot to help protect his feet while we are on the granite. My trip was moved back a few days and I plan to just let Frank rest and let his feet heal. One reason he is having so much difficulty is in March he broke his foot and the vet splinted it wrong causing his foot pads to become necrotic and slough off. This resulted in him basically having to regrow the foot pad on the front left paw and so it is still more tender than all his other paws. I've tried 3 different booties and none fit on his stubby corgi legs, they just slip right off. I'll have to do some shopping between now and when I leave and see what I can find for him.

That may be it. He's lost his callus. Is it only on that one foot?
I have not tried booties other than the Pawz (those only for short periods, up to maybe 5 miles). They do not seem to hinder footing. I do carry one of the velcro type that I found, for emergencies.

Something along these lines might work and they come in small:

http://www.frontgate.com/x/25859?SourceCode=ZZ50869&cm_mmc=Comp...

If you only have to protect one foot, the booties will come in a set of 4  so you can have a reserve and change one when it wears out.  Hopefully will last you through the 2 wks.  Glad you have a few extra days.

In my experience, bare rock has been less trouble than loose sand and coarse snow. Ours walk mostly on pavement, so they're used to hard surfaces. Two days on loose sand, and they're done. It gets between the pads, irritates the soft skin inside. Look for pink, irritated skin at the edges of the the tough pads. I spoke with dog owners in eastern Washington -- lots of sand -- they said, no problem; apparentlky their dogs were used to it. It may be that dogs must get used to certain surfaces.
I carry Pawz(TM) booties for emergencies -- they are tough rubber balloons that roll over the feet. They can last for a few miles and do not seem to hinder footing. Lightweight. Don't last forever. Cheap enough, take a lot of them. I recommend blue, medium. Usually just on the front.
You can try Mushers' Secret. Try rubbing in chapstick. Make your own out of paraffin and mineral oil? If a waxy residue is left that collects sand, it could do more harm than good?

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