Keeping Your Pup’s Paws Safe in the Winter

By Kathryne McCann

While the winter months are a time for holiday cheer, they can present dangers to your dog’s paws. From harmful salts to ice balls, here are the most common dangers dog paws face during the winter and how you can prevent them.

The biggest threat to dogs during the colder months is ice melt, or salt that is used to clear ice from sidewalks. According to AccuWeather, ice melt products are made of either sodium chloride or calcium chloride, both of which can irritate paws and be harmful if ingested.

For dog owners who use ice melts, there are options that are non-toxic such as brands like Safe Paws or Morton Safe T-Pet which do not contain salt or chloride.

Another danger that some dogs face are ice balls that form in between the toes and pads of hairy dogs. Hairy paws not only risk the chance of ice balls forming but they can also trap ice melt salt. The best way to protect against these issues is to keep your dog’s hair trimmed around their paws.

An easy way to protect your dogs’ paws and pads are booties. Booties are one of the best options because it protects your dogs’ paws from salt, ice balls, and cutting themselves on sharp objects all at once.

To clean ice melt salts off of your dog's paws after a walk it is helpful to keep a small bowl of water along with a towel to wipe away and wash off any residue to reduce potential damage.

Paw balm is another option to keep paws and pads safe. Applying paw balm before and after walks will decrease the chances of salt damage and help avoid dry skin.

One final suggestion is to stay on the snow or grass during walks to avoid any areas that have ice melt. During extremely cold weather it is also important to keep walks short. If it is too cold for you, odds are it is too cold for your dog, so multiple shot walks are better than one long one during cold weather.