Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jane on August 2, 2011 at 10:23pm

mushers wax maybe?

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on August 2, 2011 at 10:30pm

Muttluks

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on August 2, 2011 at 10:47pm

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....

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on August 3, 2011 at 10:38am

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.

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Permalink Reply by Keri&Merlin(Judy&Alan's Pups) on August 4, 2011 at 11:49am

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!!

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on August 3, 2011 at 2:12pm

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.

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on August 4, 2011 at 12:04am

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.

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on August 3, 2011 at 6:27pm

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.

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on August 3, 2011 at 11:58pm

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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