Paw protection for dogs

QShould I get boots for my dog if I’m taking him into the mountains? Scott Emerson, via Facebook

Graham says This really depends on your dog and the route. Certainly rough ground can cause some dogs to get sore pads, but this is often due to the dog spending most of its daily walks on grass rather than spending time on concrete or other rough ground. So one of the most important ways you can prepare your dog for the mountain is to do daily walks that extend onto pavements, loose gravelly paths or other rough terrain rather than simply keeping him on grass.

In really cold locations, sled dogs often wear boots to protect their pads from snow collecting between their toes and also to protect the pads from being cut on hard, sharp ice. Sled dogs do try to remove the boots themselves by chewing at the straps, so clearly they don’t particularly like them.

Sore areas and blisters can also form from wearing boots, so in races veterinary staff remove them regularly to check for redness and swelling caused by the boots.

Finally, anyone who has a dog that has cut their paw and subsequently had it bandaged up will have noticed their dog will tend to try to remove the bandage so, again they clearly don’t particularly like having their paws covered.

There may be some situations when some dogs would benefit from boots but, as a general rule, I would suggest they are unnecessary and, in some cases, they just annoy the dog. It may be better to put in some extra preparation into helping your dog cope with the terrain so that boots are not required.