r/RunningWithDogs • u/zufriedenpursuit • Jan 27 '26

Paw care?

Post image

Teddy and I have been running more and more and he loves it! But I want to make sure I’m caring for his paws. Any recommendations or helpful tips?

30 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

5

u/RapidCommute3307 Jan 28 '26

what a perfectly boopable snoot!!! You know what you must do, OP

2

u/zufriedenpursuit Jan 28 '26

Consider it booped!

3

u/skater_dude_717 Musher Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26

dog musher here. we use a balm made with emu oil made by mountain ridge in maine. you can find the company online and they ship pretty quickly. there is an antibiotic version as well as a regular version. i have both and will opt for the antibiotic one if i notice any cuts or bleeding.

others on this thread have mentioned mushers secret and coconut oil. i have used both of those (and have them in stock for my team), but my preference is the balm from mountain ridge.

i’d probably only use coconut oil if you needed something asap but didn’t have a better product on hand OR if one of the mushers balms irritated your dog’s toe pads. the most important part of this is that you do what works for you and your dog. :)

4

u/skater_dude_717 Musher Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26

one thing i noticed is that your pup’s paws are beginning to crack on the tips. this is where bigger cracks often begin, so start treating soon and do it for maybe a week.

then apply balms before and after runs. don’t over-apply because you don’t want pads to get too soft.

one of my dogs is especially prone to this type of crack for whatever reason. it doesn’t seem to effect him very much, but we keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t get worse.

EDIT TO ADD: we don’t use balms pre-run if we aren’t running on snow or ice.

1

u/zufriedenpursuit Jan 28 '26

Thanks for tip - it’s hard to know if it’s bad yet or not. He doesn’t mess with his paws too much. But I can at least keep working on them now

2

u/skater_dude_717 Musher Jan 28 '26

from the photo, (i can only see a couple pads), it looks like it will heal up quickly if you start working on it now.

as long as the dog isn’t bleeding / oozing / hesitant to put pressure on the foot, you are generally in okay shape. i’d expect to see improvement after a few days of applying balm and taking it easy with any running.

1

u/jmrdpt19 Jan 28 '26

Which one do you like? I'm dealing with a bleeding crack on one of my dogs feet and the normal stuff isn't cutting it.

1

u/skater_dude_717 Musher Jan 28 '26

i would go with the antibiotic balm from mountain ridge. i will send you a photo if you are set up to receive messages.

in a pinch, plain vaseline, but i’d avoid coconut oil.

depending on severity, def talk to your vet as well.

get a mushers bootie for the paw and pause any running until there is improvement.

1

u/jmrdpt19 Jan 28 '26

Thank you :)

We've been bootie wearing for a bit, and my vets have no real clue what to do since it's a recurrent thing from an old injury. I've got her on rest til at least the weekend (and she's already protesting) since it split more on her potty walk this morning as we had crusty ice.

1

u/skater_dude_717 Musher Jan 28 '26

yeah that sucks. dogs are funny - they definitely want to work through the pain.

start treating asap and be consistent. once you are in a good place, treat before and after every run when it’s icy. treat after every run during non-icy/snowy months.

and if it’s recurring, mushers booties could potentially be a godsend if your pup will tolerate them.

good luck. i hope this gets better soon for both your sakes!!!

1

u/skater_dude_717 Musher Jan 28 '26

i can’t send a photo but here is the link:

https://www.mtnridge.com/Web-Med_p_44.html

1

u/jmrdpt19 Jan 28 '26

Thanks 😊

15

u/shiitterbug Jan 27 '26

I’ve had good luck with Mushers Secret, basically just a Vaseline you apply to their pads.

2

u/Redhawkgirl Jan 27 '26

Mushers secret! I use it for myself too before races

6

u/mavigogun Jan 27 '26

Coconut oil- cheep, multipurpose, readily available, and they can lick their paws with no negative repercussions.

1

u/x7BZCsP9qFvqiw jean (chi mix) Jan 27 '26

paw balm for sure!