German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

[abbyw]

Hi. My 1 1/2 year old GWP keeps getting very irritated legs and paws. They get chaffed and bloody. There is a ton of snow on our property right now, and at the park we take her to. She ofcourse does not stay in the plowed area and likes to run and leap in the deep snow like a maniac! Then she comes in the house with her legs all cut up. Any suggestions on how I can protect her legs better? Someone suggested vasaline, but I don't see how that would stay on. Should I be keeping her on the leash in this weather? It is really hard because she loves to run and doesn't get as much exercise on the leash!

[trackindog]

The following link is not approved or endorsed by the GWPCA.

http://www.k9topcoat.com/

This would definitely help! It sounds like the snow must have a crust on it and when she breaks through it is cutting her - I don't think vaseline would stop that from happening. And I think it would be hard on both of you if she didn't get a chance to run!

Ann

[Walter & Claudia]

We had the same problem with Arthur and we used a selfclining wrap on his legs, the kind that you see at the dog shows (to protect the freshly grommed ears) or horse shows.
We normaly get it at a farmer supply store in the horse or first aid section they come in a bunch of colors and are 2 or 3 inches wide.
As for the feet we use bag balm after we get home to prevent any infections in case he has small scratches form running through icy snow.
Maybe you could combine booty's with the wrap to protect both the feet and the legs at athe same time.

Hope this helps.
Claudia

[dualgwp]

Ahhh, the importance of proper coats!
A dog with a really good leg and foot coat won't really be bothered by the snow and ice. This is just to give a "learning lesson" as I know it won't help your situation.

I've had poorly coated dogs that the snow and ice did bother their legs and feet... but to be honest.. once they are home and warm and dried off they seemed to handle it fine.

Other than boots or leggings, I'm not sure what else you could do. It doesn't seem fair to keep them from enjoying the weather.Bring them home, warm them up... and if need be.. maybe a bit of Bag Balm on the feet will help.

[cheerio]

The wrapping Walter and Claudia refer to is called 'Vetwrap", and can be purchased in petstores and at your vet. It does very well but remember to remove it once the walk is over as a wet vetwrap can also irritate the dog's skin. If you intend to use it in the snow, make sure to not use a generic type as only the Vetwrap will stay on once wet.
Now, alternatives are off course booties and leggings, and also something called "Invisible booties". It is an oitment a little like vaseline that stays on and protect the dog's feet and paws. It is excellent against snow and normal ice, but if you go through an area where the ice is really thick and brittle, the dog may still get a cut or 2.

Finally, are you sure you are talking about insuries and not a skin condition? Most de-icing salt will cause irritation and cut like sores to the dog paws. Also, any thining of the coat around the eyes or the nose/lips? This would be consistent with mange. Any rash under the tummy? which could in fact be due to an alimentation problem. How about along the flanks? hormonal problems may need to be ruled out... GWP usually don't get cut and irritated paws just by running in tall snow. So it might be good for you to make sure this is really what you are dealing with.

Good luck