BigGameHoundsmen.com

Hi all, wondering if anyone has any advice for fixing raw pads? Snow has been pretty crusty/ icy here in MT and my lead dog has pretty raw/tender rear pads of her front feet. Thanks for any advice on products or home remedy type of suggestions.
Thanks
Jeremy

Happens to one of my dogs also only thing that seems to really help is keeping her inside for a while seems to heal faster if their not outside all day in the dirt

Have posted this before, Tuf Foot has worked well for me in the past. You can apply twice a day for couple weeks or longer before you start hunting and I have seen good results, not sure if crusted snow would still cut the feet or not, but might be worth a try. Mushers secret might work better in snow country. Al Need to add tuf foot has never worked for me on a fungus problem in a dogs feet!

Jeremy,try Happy Jack Pad Kote on ole June's feet.I use a tooth brush and put it on twice a day.Wear gloves as it will stain your hands but rubbing alcohol takes it off pretty good .My old female chewed her pads(fungus) and i used it .It worked really well for me.

Mix 50/50 Neosporin and Preparation H apply to the feet as Robin explained in his post. The Neosporin will heal and the Preparation H will reduce swelling. Do NOT try to shove this up the dogs butt as it wont help its feet and you may get bit!!!!! An old Chuckar hunter told me about this years ago and it works!

mark wrote: Do NOT try to shove this up the dogs butt as it wont help its feet and you may get bit!!!!!

Marcus, you had to go there didn't you??!

Well the last time i posted that remedy Mike Leonard ask how to apply it so i was just being clear lol

Thanks everyone, special thanks to mark fir being clear on "how to apply"!
Robin, i had bought some of that last year, i just need to find it since we have moved. I will give it a try!

I'm curious how you keep your dogs? Chain, kennel? What is the floor, dirt, concrete or rock?

Consider trying Houndsmen's Cream on the pads to condition them and resist cracking. DU carries it.

jrob160 wrote:Hi all, wondering if anyone has any advice for fixing raw pads? Snow has been pretty crusty/ icy here in MT and my lead dog has pretty raw/tender rear pads of her front feet. Thanks for any advice on products or home remedy type of suggestions.
Thanks
Jeremy

Jeremy, the only solution I have found for that razor edge crust is to stay home, or tape the dogs feet and ankles.

When you can't hunt full time, you go when you can. Tape them. It will slow them a little but I have caught cats with taped up dogs. Some don't seem to notice it, more sensitive dogs may be noticeably bothered by it. But they will hunt day after day in crusty snow, and they will catch a lot more game than they would have in their kennel.

You can tape up a damaged, medicated pad and hunt the dog, and the pad will continue to heal.

Make sure you squeeze the pads and toes to spread them as you tape.(so there is enough tape for their feet to flatten and spread when they step down on it) I usually used duct tape because it was available. But the kinds of cloth/elastic/and foam tapes used to tape athletes would be much better and provide friction against the snow.

Instead of trying to put a bandaid on the problem, why not fix what is causing the problem. What causes foot problems is keeping dogs in small kennels. Kennels with concrete floors are even worse. Dogs walking on smooth (concrete) floors every day makes their feet soft. You are not keeping their feet conditioned at all. When I got rid of kennels 20 years ago, all my dogs foot problems went away. Along with barking cause they are bored and some other healt issues. My dogs are all kept together 24 hrs a day in a half acre run. There is one 8' long insulated box they all sleep in that keeps them warm. I have not had a single bloody foot since I started with this set up and I run 2-5 days a week in crusty snow all the time.

I have my dogs in Concrete kennels and yes these can cause foot problems if you don't keep your dogs exercised regularly. That said not all of us have the room to let our dogs run around in a 1/2 acre enclosure.

The crusted up snow conditions are hard to get by no matter how tough footed your dogs are. Recently i have using Mushers Secret. The last few times out i have been in various types of conditions from crusted up week old snow to dirt mud and rocks to a foot of fresh... i apply a bunch of this stuff in, on and around the dogs feet legs dew claws etc... i have yet to blow a pad or even have a bloody footed dog at a tree. Not saying this stuff is a replacement for keeping your dogs legged up but i have seen a considerable difference in foot issues this year from past years. Hunting the same dogs in the same country in the same conditions with the same amount of exercise.

Neil Call
Double C Outfitters

i use pine tar of tore up feet. seems to help healing quicker.

I use pea gravel in my kennels, not concrete. colobbcat, I've used musher's secret in the past with decent results. I need to get some more and start using it more consistently. How exactly does the pine tar work? I've not heard of using that yet.
David, I'll try the tape, but even when using mushing booties to try to prolong her running, she doesn't like to walk or run in them. She just ends up chewing or ripping them off. When putting booties on and dumping her on a track right away she does better. I'm just worried that when getting into the rocks of steep creek banks that she won't have the traction she would otherwise.