# Hiking booties for dogs?



## mandelyn (Mar 23, 2007)

A friend of mine and I took all our Shepherds hiking together in an area where we can safely let them off leash. 5 total Shepherds, it was a blast! First time we had them all, and they all listened and behaved wonderfully.

After playing in the stream (more like small river though) and we were headed through the woods again, I noticed blood on Ricca's foot and a trail of it where she was walking. I called her over and looked, but couldn't see the source of it. She wasn't gimping on it, so we continued on in the direction of home.

After getting home, I washed her foot and found a nice slice in the larger back pad, inside the paw on the side, not the bottom of the pad. I could see where the injury "bunched" where the object ran out of pad to cut. If that makes sense. Blood all over the place, so I cleaned it real good to make sure there wasn't something stuck in it, poured peroxide on it, monitored it to watch the bleeding and ultimately decided we didn't need stitches. Neosporene, bandage, vet wrap, locked her up to keep her off it since it would bleed when she walked on it. Day 2 it finally stopped opening back up when she walked on it.

It was raining and gross, so I bagged her foot when she went outside to keep it clean.

So with that all taken care of, I'm wondering if they make foot protectors for dogs? Sort of like swim shoes people can wear at the beach to protect their feet?

Has anyone used them? Do they stay on over the river and through the woods?

The cut looked to be from glass, which can be found in nice broken pieces wedged into the rock in stream beds. Any stream bed, or lake, or body of water. They don't get injured very often, maybe twice a year. But the culprit is typically glass or a sharp stone. Once we had a thorn get between the toes, that was a quick fix but very painful to the dog. 

Had the cut been slightly deeper than it was, it would have been an expensive vet trip for stitches. Booties that protected the feet would solve all this if they were durable enough and actually stayed on the foot.

Any suggestions or ideas?


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## Powell (Oct 13, 2006)

Well those who race Huskies use booties. I went to sled dog central and found this:

Porter’s Original Dozen Booties | Dog Booties

Powell


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## doxsee (Jun 14, 2007)

www.ruffwear.com


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## abby (Mar 13, 2010)

smartpak canine have a couple of types i bought some for my guy they do stay on but he tends to drag his toes (another story) and they have a tendancy to spin but they look like doggie sneakers with a rubber sole.


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## Gmthrust (Mar 3, 2010)

First time posting for me ....hoping to do this right....so far Neopaws are best for Keek because her front paws are bigger than her back paws. The booties are sold in two-per-set, so that front and back sizes get accommodated. Another nice thing is how the booties fit up higher on her legs so that her dewclaws get protected. Have a look, see if these are what you're looking for, click here.

Booties have really helped out protecting Keek from plain 'ol urban jungle life --sometimes find broken glass and other sharp pieces of litter on the bike trails. Good luck on your search for booties!


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

i agree ruffwear Bark'n Boots Grip Trex Dog Boots - all-terrain, all-condition, all-season paw wear - from Ruff Wear

check on ebay too


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## tintallie (Aug 6, 2008)

Ruff Wear Grip Trex boots!


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## RunShepherdRun (Oct 5, 2009)

I use booties for hiking on my dogs BUT would not let them wear the booties in the water, or let them hike in wet booties. Neither do we. The wet toes rubbing against each other cause painful sores. I'd take the boots off before the plunge, dry the toes, and put booties back on. I always carry a set of replacement booties on long hikes, and a basic first aid kit for myself and for the dogs, to be able to make a compression wrap on an injured pad, and cover it with a clean bootie.
I use Ruffwear, too. Recently I came across Neopaws online. They looked great, especially that they have a warm weather and a cold weather version, but I haven't tried them yet. Glad to see them recommended in this thread.
Happy hiking!
Sarah


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## mandelyn (Mar 23, 2007)

Wow there's a lot of choices! Thanks for all the tips!

I was thinking about the water... I don't like hiking in wet shoes, why would they? So I'll need 6 sets, one to wear into the water, remove, dry, replace with new ones once away from the water. I'm willing to bet she got cut in the creek bed or in the water. Never had an injury just in the woods.

Her foot is much better, and she's being so good about letting me tend to it like she knows. If only she'd let me trim those nails as nicely!


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