Dog Booties
Would like recommendations for comfortable, non-slip dog booties meant for outdoors.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
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Why?
I carry Pawz(TM) booties for emergencies only -- blue, medium size -- do NOT get them too tight or will cut off circulation! They're big tough balloons that roll over the feet. They'll last several miles of hiking. I consider them disposable, in case of pad injuries. The dog won't tell you if they are too tight!
My dogs have done a LOT of hiking the the Washington Cascades, and they've never had pad problems EXCEPT in loose sand, the ocean beach, and some kinds of coarse spring snow (running to keep up with skiers). Loose sand gets into the soft skin between the pads. I've also heard of hikers carrying a dog with bloody feet on Mt. St. Helens; being a volcano, it's a rough slag heap, a place to avoid when not snow-covered.
Ruff Wear makes booties complete with Vibram lug soles and socks (not making this up). Someone here gave me a set (like $65) when I was trying to rule-out pad injury. I believe these were the medium size; they were red. To get these to work requires extensive modification:
Problem is, they slip down too low on the feet, and flop like clown shoes. To fix this, lower the velcro straps about 1.2" -- about 1 width of the straps, so they cinch around the narrow part of the foot just above where the toes start to spread out. The idea is to hold the paw fully inserted into the bootie.
Cut the stitching with a seam ripper. I reattached them with Barge cement (contact cement, hardware store, it's what Vibram lugs soles were glued on to classic hiking boots with, must-have stuff). When the straps are off, carefully select the place where you want to reattach them. I ground the glue area on a grinder, removing some of the "lugs" on the upper sole, to a coarsely smooth surface. Using a 1.5-2" dowel in the vise as a last, I applied the cement to both shoe and strap, let it set for 10-15 min. until tacky, and then I had one chance to get them together in the right place, wrapping the velcro tight and letting sit overnight.
This worked very well. Al wore them around the hood several times. He got the hang of it right away. But I never did try them out, like, all day, so I can't be sure they'd work for the long haul.
After all this work, I gave them to a guy whose corgi got sore feet in the sand of central Washington. They were so cool, maybe I'll buy some more and do it again.
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Permalink Reply by Dawn Drzaic on
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Thanks John Wolff,
You are a do-it-yourself guy!
I tried the Ruffwear Skyliners and returned them without ever putting them on her. The seam in the back had exposed velcro and was sharp and abrasive. I would consider adding a chamois pad over the seam by hand, but for the price, they should be perfect w/o alteration. A sock liner would not be enough. It would be like having a blade on the tender side of the wrist. I will look into the Pawz brand, literally, to see if the inside is comfy.
Why! Usi-Pie (eleven years old) had an accident on New Years and was paralyzed. After all the recovery and drugs she still has a gait problem which was present before so probably a problem for a long time. As a symptom of a ruptured disc, Usi drags her right front toes and occasionally stumbles. If she was not dragging her foot, we would think she had completely healed. After neuro evaluation we are on conservative course of treatment. At this time, she is allowed four 5-10 minute walks per day and is in swim therapy, plus acupuncture and herbals for spine healing and pain. She really needs those walks, but is scraping her knuckles. Vet says boots will make her lift feet higher when she walks and help with the problem. Baby socks with treads might do, but I would have to consider them as disposables.
Before this happened, she was a great little hiker. Three miles or so was as far as we would go before the recent accident, but she would easily go five miles in her prime. Before she came to us, she was found running loose in Ventura county ranch country for who knows how long. The wild dog is still in her so she needs to get out an about to be happy. This is a house of healing now.
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Beca Beca and Mishka is the one who gave me the boots. Her dog drags a front foot. This is common; Al does it, too, but only enough to wear the center claws a bit. You might talk to her; she opted for glue-on nail covers. I think the Pawz(TM) would be an inexpensive, worthwhile experiment. They are, literally, big tough balloons. Medium, blue is what I've used.
You could also try baby socks held on by that vet-wrap or adhesive gauze or plastic surgical tape (another great DIY item, great for fabric repairs). Scotch tape might even work. Remember, not too tight.
So sorry to hear of the accident. Would you mind describing how it happened? It might help others avoid it. Our Siri had a painful episode, apparently a neck/spine thing, which went away.
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The accident: It was the beginning of New Years just after firecrackers. I took a hot shower before bed because I had a cold and I shut the bathroom doors to get as much steam as possible. I did not know she was guarding me or trying to be close to me. We have double bathroom doors that close with a spring. They open out quite forcefully and when I opened them, whacked her in the neck.
Lesson: Always know your corgi is guarding you. It is their instinct to stay close.
Other important thing: Vet says this was not necessarily from accident. Accident probably made an existing condition worse.
Here is the list of possible origins of the problem before the accident.
It could be from attaching leash to a collar. Corgis should always wear a harness. A collar around the neck is just for tags not attaching a leash.
Or it could be from the time she shook a rat to death.
Or it could be from slippery hardwood floors. Cover your floors with non-slip area rugs.
Or it could be from jumping on and off furniture. Lay down the law.
Or it could be from jumping in and out of car. Use the harness to assist and as a seatbelt. I really like the Ruffwear harness.
Or it could be from chasing squirrels and even trying to climb the tree after them. Now I check for squirrels before I let her out.
She has always dragged both feet a little and so does our other corgi. This is different. She is getting bloody one bloody knuckle on top. Also her toes are spreading like Mr. Spock on Star Trek. That is new. I think someone stepped on her foot and it got overlooked because she was confined. Her foot is not painful and she is not limping. She is painful at times in her right shoulder. The swimming is really helping. I can see that she is feeling stronger and walking better. Her muscles got weak from so much kennel time.
Both of my corgis were seeing a chiro regularly for the past 8 years or so to adjust their backs. Usi can no longer have chiro, but I am pretty good at corgi massage. Also I need to get three pounds off her. All that kennel time and pills hidden in food put on a few.
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Permalink Reply by Beca and Mishka on
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To add my bit - the Ruffwear Skyliners didn't impress me either. I sent John the Grip Trex, which seem to have a slightly different design wrt velcro placement/attachment.
Also, I've had a custom "shortie" boot made through the ortho vet. It doesn't cinch enough between the metacarpal and carpal pads, so the dragging motion gradually pulls it off. If you ever consider custom boots, see a sample first. Since corgis have limited leg real estate, unless there is something that really holds on right between those pads, the boots will just slip off, and it isn't worth spending the money.
Most successful so far: training Mishka to automatically walk on the dirt or the grass or mulch wherever it's available ("go grass" command). Which is less than I'd like in urban areas. When the fur over the problem knuckle gets thin, I get up early for a week or two and we do laps in the baseball field next door before school hours instead of going on a neighborhood walk. Early enough, and we go off leash for the full-field-frap.
I've been trying to come up with some sort of top-of-paw-only cover, like old-fashioned spats for shoes. something that fastens in that space between the carpal and metacarpal pads, leaves the pads free, loops over the nails. Maybe with a break-away in case it catches on something, so the spats detach at the nail instead of damaging the nails.
Unfortunately, I think it would wear through really quickly if made of leather or rubber or anything conventional.
Think I can get kevlar made in corgi sizes?
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Maybe I should try making corgi moccasins. I am ver crafty making costumes and doll clothes. I never thought of sewing for the dogs. I bet I could use a doll pattern and convert it. Bottoms could be leather and attach treads like John said. Tops could be suede. I am inspired by all this discussion. In folk dance costumes that I know best dancers wear shoes called opanke. I can visually deconstruct those for design. All stiching should be on the outside. Brainstorming.
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Today my vet recommended Walkaboots. Has anyone had experience with this brand? The problem is wear on the two front nails on both corgis. Vet says corgis tend to shuffle. She suggested glue on nail covers or boots. Boots will make them lift their feet higher and have theraputic value.
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Glue on nail covers work REALLY well if the problem is wear on those front 2 nails. I've been using them on Mishka for about a year. No more bleeding.
Takes a little practice, but it works. I trim the covers down a little at the open end, since the size that works for corgi nails is too long for Mishka. I also pre-fit each cap by putting them on without glue for a few minutes. Makes it easier to slip them on with glue later. Lastly, I had fewer glue accidents using a bottle of krazy glue (with a brush applicator, like nail polish) instead of the tubes of glue that usually come with the caps.
They can last several weeks, depending on how much scraping is going on. I replace them every week regardless because I trim nails every week.
The advantage over boots is that you don't have to put them on and take them off every time you go for a walk. This is especially handy if you are not the only dog walker. My husband refused to use the boots when we had them.
If knuckles are scraping, the boots are worth a shot (especially at that price point!).
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