Winters in NEPA are no joke, and although we have been fairly spoiled thus far in Montrose, the up and down temps, mud, ice, and salts wreak havoc on our fur baby's paws!
I've had dogs my entire life and literally have NEVER thought about caring for their paws. I get TERRIBLE dry skin in the winter and know full well how painful it can be, BUT somehow didn't think twice about the cracks in my dogs' pads or how this up and down weather might be affecting them. That is until I discovered Nelli constantly licking her back paw. Initially, I only noticed it when she would come in from outside, so I just assumed she was cleaning herself up. BUT, after some incessant licking, I saw she had licked her paw RAW between her toes!!! The hair was gone, it was swollen, and super red - my poor girl!! Luckily, she had a vet appointment the next day anyways to be
microchipped and sure enough, she had an infection! Antibiotics, here we come!!
Knowing this winter weather isn't going anywhere soon, I HAD to figure out how to protect my pups' paws from here on out so this didn't keep happening...
I know, I know... they make dog booties, but let's get serious - those things aren't staying on her feet and Lord knows she'd yank them off herself if the mud & snow didn't! PLUS, they're super expensive... so, NO THANKS!
I'm a holistic mama as often as I can be, so I was super pumped to find a recipe from Planet Paws for a homemade balm that moisturizes and protects their paws and pads all year around! Again, you can buy products like this from any pet store, at a whopping $16/tub, but I'm also a penny pincher and will go the homemade route every chance I get! Here's a quick video with the recipe: https://www.facebook.com/PlanetPawsMedia/videos/1308386425902903/
I love this stuff because for 1. IT WORKS, 2. she's not licking it off, and 3. it's even making my own hands feel a little softer!! By all means, feel free to try some pup paw creams that are out there, I'm sure they work well too! OR, if you'd like, I'd be glad to whip you up a jar of what I'm using!!
Winter well, friends!! XOXO, Hezz
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