Muttluks: Foot Protection for Dogs

Now that the snow is starting to leave the passes the hikes are starting to get longer and more and more scrambling is involved. Imagine trying to hike 15 or 20 kilometers in your bare feet. To be more accurate, image that you never wear shoes so your feet are somewhat conditioned and then you hike for a day across rock spree slopes. You might expect some lesions. For dogs a ripped pad like the one in the photo below are painful and may mean that you have to carry your dog back to the car.

My dog saw her veterinarian immediately and it took about 10 days for her foot to heal. It seems that some dogs have soft paws and others don't. Foot protection for your dog is available. I have used two different kinds now. Muttluks are available both in an allweather and a winter fleece lined versions. The Muttluks have a smooth rubber sole and are held onto the dogs foot with a velcro strap.

I have also used a model made by Ruffwear but it appears that the model that I have, which is very similar to Muttluks, has been replaced by a treaded version. The photo is of the version that I have used for my dog. They are very similar to the Muttluks except that they do not have the high cotton collar.

The Muttluks can be found on eBay for between $25US and $35US while the new treaded version of Ruffwear are about $60. It looks like the Ruffwear boots have been totally redesigned and now have "an upper inspired by human shoes and a high performance Vibram® sole which includes omnidirectional treads and traction zones."

I assume that most people are not interested in buying several pairs of dog shoes. If you want to use them in the winter when you are out snowshoeing get the Muttluks. The cotton collar helps to keep the snow out of the boot. I should emphasize helps because eventually snow will freeze to the cotton and start to pull it away from the dogs leg allowing snow the opportunity to fill the boot. The use of vet wrap which is a elastic tensor bandage that sticks to itself but not hair will help prevent snow from getting into the Muttluk.

Both the Muttluks and the version of the Ruffwear boots that I am using do have one negative in the summer and that is the loss of traction. The smooth rubber on the soles helps but on loose gravel my dog slips where it would not if it had nothing on its feet. Ruffwear appears to be suggesting that they have fixed this problem. I will likely pick up a pair towards the end of the season once one of the pairs of boots that I have suffers the same fate as my dogs pad.