| Quote: | |  | |
| | |
| | |
Whether we use shoes or salve depends on the type of snow, on the trail or surfaces we expect to walk.
On salted pavement shoes are a godsend. Shoes also work well on well-trodden snow trails. I have Ruffwear, I really love this company's products. Top quality, well-researched functionality. (Each mutt has both their Front Range and Webmaster harnesses, too.)
But when the snow is wet and heavy, or when the snow is deeper than the height the shoe comes up on the dog's leg, shoes can become less effective. The shoe should be tight enough to keep snow out, but not too tight to be uncomfortable or, doG forbid, cut off blood flow - that's a fine balance. If snow can get in the shoe the dog is then left walking in a wet discomfort. And if the snow is too deep the shoe can fall off, you have to get creative to make sure you don't lose them. Think mitten strings.
So for days like today with 40cm of very wet heavy snow, paths mostly untrodden as we were out at the crack o' dawn, paw wax is the better option.
And as Jagwaugh points out, not every dog will take to shoes. Hooligan will wear them, but Heffalump is of the same opinion as Hachi.
Should he, too, develop the back leg weakness his predecessors did I will have a lot of desensitization work to do.
Mostly I have used shoes for traction to help my mutts who were losing back leg function due to DM. Melon had a shoe collection to rival Imelda Marcos.
Linear Mode
