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- Go farther, longer.
- Remember that as humans increase the number and duration of their activities, dogs are often not conditioned to do the same. Our gear-enhanced activities allow us to go farther, longer and on unusual terrains that bare dog paws are not equipped to handle. Avoid paw injuries from rocky terrain and worn out pads with the Ruff Wear Grip Trex™ boots. We recommend the use of dog boots for all your on-the-go adventures. Not only will these boots keep your dog’s paws in good shape, they can prevent against such nuisances as crab grass, foxtails, stinging nettles and snowballs.
- Protect against paw injuries.
- Dog boots such as the Bark ‘n Boots™ Grip Trex™ can prevent a variety of injuries from the surfaces we walk and run on, on the trail or in urban environments. Trail running and walking is hard on all feet—rocks, roots, mud, snow or ice can be torturous. Generally, dogs' paws become conditioned to run on familiar surfaces after a few weeks, but new terrain and changing environmental conditions can cause stone bruising, cuts and blistered pads. Pavement can be just as hard on dog feet.
- Pavement comes in thousands of textures and can be extremely abrasive—hot in summer, freezing in winter and often riddled with glass and sharp metal debris, and laced with oils, solvents and de-icing chemicals.
- Identify sore feet.
- Being in tune with your dog's activity level and personality can help you identify if they’re suffering from a paw injury. You should be able to tell if your dog is staying off his feet or favoring a paw. Look for the obvious cuts, blisters or in extreme cases a "sloughed" pad. Less noticeable will be abraded or thin pads. In this case look for small wet dots the size of a ballpoint pen or moist areas on the pads. These are areas where the pad has worn down to the capillaries. This condition is painful, as there is very little pad left on which to walk.
- Treat sore feet.
- To treat a cut pad, make certain there are no foreign objects left in the wound. Splinters, gravel and glass are just a few things to look for.
- Flush the wound with the sterile eye-skin washes or use a saline solution (1-tsp. salt to a quart of warm water) and dry the paw. You may want to apply an antibiotic ointment then wrap the paw with a non-stick pad.
- A boot will protect the dressing and keep the area clean between dressing changes. For bruised pads, try to reduce activity to allow the pads to heal more rapidly. If left to their own, dogs will often regulate their activity to facilitate quicker healing.
- Breaking in dog boots.
- Don’t forget that just like your hiking boots, your dog’s boot will require a break-in period, so try to take your dog out on short adventures in the boots prior to a long trail hike. And don’t forget…for most dogs, footwear is a new concept. The first time your dog tries on a pair of Bark'n Boots™ it will be difficult not to laugh, as the dog will do a little dance. This is normal. Once you have the boots in place, immediately engage in your pup's favorite activity (chasing a ball, catching a flying disk or just running). After this “break in period” you and your buddy are ready to explore.
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