This time of year we rarely think about what the salt and dry conditions can do to our dog’s paws. They can become chapped and even get infected if not cared for properly. Thankfully there are a few simple and easy ways to protect your dog’s paws.

Dog Boots

Dog boots are a great way to protect your pet’s paws and there are many different options depending on yourneeds. We’ll go through a few of them now, but for a more in-depth discussion come visit us at the store.

Protex PawZ – Our first option are these rubber booties that provide protection from snow and salt, but are thin enough that your pet can still feel the ground through them. This usually makes your pet more willing to accept them. They are designed to be disposable, but as Rebecca will tell you, they easily last several months of continued use.

Pugz – These boots are for the fashion conscious canine, mimicking the popular Ugg boots for people. They feature a rubber sole, faux suede outer covering with fleece lining and accents. Pugz provide more protection than the rubber booties, and cover more of the foot, keeping it warmer.

Ruffwear – Ruffwear boots are the hiking, snowmobiling, and rock climbing boots of the dog world. They’re designed for extreme conditions and to keep your pet comfortable and safe during tough jobs or rough terrain. All these boots feature vibram soles, a high quality sole material used in human sporting shoes as well.

Paw Wax
Musher’s Secret, originally developed for sled dogs, is a clear wax that creates a protective layer to shield your dog’s pads from the snow or ice.  This is a great option for dogs who simply can’t get used to dog boots.

Paw Balm
Paw balm works just like lip balm for humans, but is made lick-safe for your pet. They are relatively inexpensive, and last quite a long time. Simply apply a thin layer of paw balm as needed to soothe your pet’s paw pads. But be sure to wipe your pet’s paws down with a wet cloth or baby wipe before applying the balm to remove any salt residue that may still be present.

Paw Soaks
For pups who’s paws have already had some damage from winter conditions, a paw soak can help rehydrate their paw pads to speed the healing process. We carry the SPA Bubble Bath Paw Treatment, which is a high quality and simple to use soak. Simply add some of the Bubble Bath to some lukewarm water (dogs are more sensitive to temperature that we are and with chapped paws hot water would be painful), and let them soaked for 5 minutes. To increase the benefits, give your dog a gentle paw massage after they’ve been soaking for a couple minutes. This easy treatment done several times a week will have your dog’s paws feeling great in no time.

Relatable articles with simple solutions to common problems.
Many of us have dealt with a dog with some anxiety issues, whether major or minor. In their article “Be Brave“, WDJ offers simple exercises using basic training behaviors to help desensitize a dog to scary stimuli.

Practical information written in an easy to understand format with lots of visual aides.
In their August 2011 issue, WDJ published “A Dictionary of Canine Body Parts“, that included both detailed descriptions of body positioning and photos of these behaviors.

Articles are written by industry experts as archival information.
This isn’t a disposable magazine! All articles are written to be kept as long term reference materials on many different subjects. Dr. Randy Kidd’s article “Understanding Canine Allergies” from August of 2004 still has incredible value to anyone wanting to learn more about why and how allergies happen, as well as effective treatments.

WDJ is free of advertising or sponsors allowing for unbiased opinions and advice.
Unlike other magazines in its genre, WDJ does not receive any money from advertisers or sponsors. This allows the expert writing staff to expression their opinions freely and give you unbiased advice about which products preform best. One excellent example of this is WDJ’s yearly review of both wet and dry dog foods.

If you’re interested in picking up a copy of The Whole Dog Journal, stop on in. We have the current month’s issue available on hand!

Since I joined the Katzenbarkers family, Zeke has had the ability to try, and be picky about, a lot more foods. I was sure that at least one of the wonderful foods we offer would get Zeke excited about food. What I didn’t expect was to get a dog so excited about his meals that my “velcro dog” would completely ignore me in favor of  staring at the bowl, with its contents soaking, on the counter! For that, I have Sojos and Honest Kitchen to thank.

After trying out several kibbles that Zeke quickly lost interest in, I decided to give the new dehydrated foods a try.  These foods, made by Sojos and Honest Kitchen, use dehydrated meat, fruit and vegetables to create a healthy balanced meal for your dog. Many of these ingredients are human grade and can be visibly identified in the dog bowl. To prepare a meal you simply add water and let the contents re-hydrate. Sojos calls for their food to re-hydrate for at least one hour, but preferably overnight in the fridge, while Honest Kitchen requests warm water and only needs 5 to 10 minutes to soak.

The varieties I first tried out with Zeke were Honest Kitchen’s Keen and Sojos Complete Turkey formula. I took photos of each of these foods dry and after soaking the recommended amount of time to show the consistency of each food. While the Sojos looked much more like food you and I would eat, Zeke seemed a bit more enthusiastic about the Honest Kitchen despite it’s oatmeal-like texture. Even with that difference my little picky eater wolfed down each bowl within 5 minutes of receiving them!

My picky poodle is picky no more! After Zeke’s zealous consumption of both foods, we started trying different flavors of Honest Kitchen and I am happy to report Zeke has yet to find one he doesn’t love.

Honest Kitchen's Keen sample before re-hydration

Sojo's COMPLETE Turkey formula sample before adding water

Honest Kitchen's "Keen" sample package re-hydrated with 1/2 cup of warm water and soaked for 10 minutes

Sojo's COMPLETE Turkey formula sample re-hydrated with 1/2 cup of water and soaked over night in the fridge

Zeke inhaling his Honest Kitchen “Keen”

Zeke enjoying the Sojo's COMPLETE Turkey formula. He finished his entire bowl in less than 5 minutes!

Just what are dehydrated dog foods?
Dehydrated dog foods, such as the ones available from Sojos and Honest Kitchen, contain raw meat, vegetables, and fruits that have the moisture completely removed from them through a gentle dehydration process. This process increases the shelf life of all of the ingredients without sacrificing the quality of the nutrients or the addition of chemical preservatives.

What are the benefits of dehydrated dogs foods?
Other than preserving more of the nutrients in each ingredient, the dehydration process allows you to feed your pet raw meat without the concerns of food born pathogens. While you get these nutritional benefits, there is also the peace of mind that all of the complete meals are AAFCO certified.

To learn more about what Sojos and Honest Kitchen have to offer your pet, come visit us at the store to talk with our knowledgeable staff!

Recently Alaska Naturals came out with two new salmon oil products. One has added probiotics, the digestive enzymes that help normal gut flora, like in yogurt. Probiotics help with digestion and keep the good bacteria normally found in the gut balanced. The second is salmon oil with added glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM to aid in bone and joint health.

All of the Alaska Naturals items are located in our refrigerator in the back of the store.

Tyler sporting his Pawz boots

Tyler has found many uses for his new purple Pawz booties.

I had been curious about the balloon-like paw protectors for a while — I am always on the lookout for a dog boot that will stay on and help prevent snow balls from forming around the pads on his paws. An opportunity to try the disposable/reusable rubber boots came along earlier this winter. Kirstin, A friend and fellow dog-lover had bought a pack of 12 large Pawz but only needed four of the boots for her rottweiler. She offered four of the remaining booties to Chris who was looking for a solution to stop her golden retriever from licking a wounded paw. When I mentioned my interest in trying Pawz on Tyler to protect his feet from winter sidewalk salt, I became the lucky recipient of the final set of four boots.

My biggest concern about trying the Pawz boots was thinking that the thick, oversized balloons might be difficult to get on the dog’s foot, but Tyler was very patient as I practiced getting his feet into the rubber booties. Although I can manage to put the boots on Tyler by myself — holding the boot open with one hand and guiding the dog’s foot with the other hand — I do find it very helpful to have another person help with the process.

The boots did not slow Tyler down in the least. In fact, our winter walks took less time when he was wearing the purple Pawz because he no longer limped over the salty sidewalks and spent less time stopping to chew at the snowballs that form on his feet. The rubber boots have not only proven useful for cold and snowy days, but also for wet and muddy days — a great way to keep his feet clean when the mud puddles can’t be avoided. I was so pleased with the first trial set of boots, that I bought my own package of 12 Pawz — a set of four to keep at the cabin for snowshoe walks in the deep snow, a set to keep in the car for dog park adventures, and a set at home for a daily jaunt around the neighborhood.