Sores on my dog's feet.

Question: I have been using tape on my dog's feet rather than boots because she hates the boots and throws them off constantly. I use duct tape on her feet and it works beautifully. She sweats inside the tape and when it comes time to take it off, I just use scissors and it comes off like a cast. However, I have noticed from the constant friction, she has rubbed sores on the tops of her feet right on the knuckle joint. I let her feet rest for a week and then use pre-wrap and medical tape but the sores are worse now than ever before.

Questions:

1. Am I doing something wrong?

2. Will she not get sores with boots?

3. What can I do to help her heal? I am already using neosporin on her sores and will continue this three times a day.

Thanks

If they are not healing and getting worse, there is probably an infection. Visit to the Vet and probably an Antibiotic is a no brainer.

Once that is dealt with, stop using duct tape for boots. Ask around for what a popular boot is for your breed of dog and type of terrain you hunt. If your dog has sensitive feet, perhaps look at the types of dog boots made of soft material like leather rather than rubber or cordura. Condition your dog to the boots. She can be trained to tolerate them, even to want to wear them.

Use an athletic pre wrap on the ankles before putting the boots on, then duct tape around the top of the boots to hold them tight. She will not be able to easily kick them off and the duct tape will not be able to rub her skin.

THanks Sniper John. I will continue the neosporin spray and do the boot thing. Thanks for the tip about the prewrap and then duct tape.

Start the boots in the house for short periods and always relate it to a reward. Increase the times. Some short walks. My dog picked up on it very fast and now goes nuts when she sees the boots come out, because she knows she is getting to go hunting.
She gets so excited the moment I put them on she runs around like a kid with new "go fast" tennis shoes. Give her a little more time with them, I think you will be surprised.

Sniper John, What boots do you recommend and where can I get them?

I will take the lead on this. See the new post. You will know which one it is.

+1! Boots with duct tape at the top work best (I make one good wrap with 1/2 of the tape on the boot & 1/2 on the dogs leg) the tape will let go when you get ready to take it off. We lose a boot every once in a while but not very often. Several different kinds to choose from, the only ones I have had bad luck with are the Cabelas orange ones, they are too tall for a Brittany & they will rub a raw spot on the back of the leg under the pad that is up a few inches on the back of there leg.

Thanks everyone!

If you start with a 6" peace of tape and wrap this around the dogs ankle with the stiucky side out.Next put the boot on over this, then go over the boot directly over the first peace of tape with another peace of tape you will cut way down of loosing boots.

Perfect

So, in this way, you get sticky stuff on the inside AND outside of the boot. Perfect, I get it.

Thanks.

I went to Bass Pro and got some boots, dont get the kevlar they suck, the ones i got just had a velcrow strap that went across an my dogs didnt seem to mind them, they high stepped in them for about a minute but ever since they really love them and they work against all sort of terrain great, and their claws dont punch holes in them like the kevlars.

my pops has a damn good bird dog, she will run sores on her feet. he got her some boots and it helps alot.

Have you tried Vet Wrap ? It only sticks to itself and may help. Just an idea.

I remember the first time I used vet wrap, i thought that was the best thing since sliced bread. I have found a lot if uses for it now.

If you decide to keep using the tape instead of boots, try putting a piece across the top of her paw sticky side up before wrapping. My dad has been doing this for years in his own socks to avoid blisters on his bony feet, and I see no reason why it wouldn't work like a charm on your pup's paws. We have a young pup we're going to take out next weekend, and were planning on using tape instead of buying boots that won't fit in 2 months.

this is an interesting thread, I didn't know that blown pads were such a problem with bird dogs. there is a product out there called tuff pad or tuff foot i think that will toughen up a dogs pads when it's sprayed on.

Yup, thorns galore out there in bird country

walking or roading them on concrete helps too.

My dog's pads used to be tough when I had a rough back yard. Now they live on a nice, thick fescue yard, and their pads are sissified. Tuf foot does help, but I wonder how it'd do on the top of their paws? It might make a matted, sticky mess. If the hair from one toe were sticking to the toe next to it, the dog might not like that too much.

I got a bottle of Tuff Foot and am trying it this week. I am applying it to the top of my dog's feet.

this has been some good reading, I don't see them too often on the hog dogs, but they run for most of the year, so they stay pretty rough. it does happen sometimes, but it's usually a case of put that dog up for a little while and let them take care of it. that's not really an option when you have such a limited season and the same dog has to work all the time. do ya'lls bird dogs cover a lot of country in a day?

Got my girl some deer hide booties I just copied the ones they sell. went to az. a few years back tombstone area, did great. but the dogs paws will be hambuger in no time she'd go through 5 layers of duck tape in 1 hr. I made up some and checkd em out on Ft, hood they did ok with no holes.