There have been some limping Scotties around here lately due to the snow that has accumulated in our backyard and freezing temperatures. We go outside, romp around in the fresh snow, and end up with ice balls between and around our paw pads, which can be painful and cause us to limp.
Wen tries to make sure that the hair between our paw pads is trimmed short so that not a lot of hair has contact with the ground and ice balls can’t form as easily. Since we don’t spend a lot of time outside if it is really cold anyway, a protective coat of Vasoline or Bag Balm between our pads isn’t as necessary for us as those dogs that spend lots of time outside. If one of us comes back inside limping though, our feet get wiped with a nice warm washcloth to remove the snow and ice.
We Scotties aren’t usually allowed on any areas that have been treated with salt or de-icers because we like to lick our paws and we could be ingesting potentially toxic chemicals. Any accidental contact we may have though gets us a quick foot bath to remove those chemicals.
The winter hazards of exposure that apply to people also apply to dogs and since dogs can get frostbite and hypothermia also, our time spent outdoors lately has been limited, especially with the frigid zone-type temperatures we have had. Better safe than sorry and honestly, we would rather be soaking up the warmth in front of the nice warm fireplace anyway!
