Keep Your Pups Paws Adventure-Ready with the Best Dog Paw Wax

The top dog paw wax or paw balms don’t only hydrate and moisturize dry and cracked paw pads but protect your pets paws from cold and hot surfaces, especially if they spend time outdoors. Imagine going for a run barefoot in the snow or on hot pavements. Even though your pet’s paw pads aren’t as sensitive as your skin, they’re still somewhat sensitive and therefore need extra care since they’re barefoot all day long.

Not only will caring sufficiently for your pup’s paws prevent painful dryness and cracking now, but it will help prevent ailments as they get older, which means fewer veterinary bills for you. Paw balms vary in composition where some are geared more towards moisturizing than protection and others are specifically designed for winter months as opposed to summers. This guide will help you choose the best care to keep those tails wagging.

Ingredients

The top dog paw balms are made from natural plant fats and waxes. Many manufacturers, however, add fillers in the form of unnatural wax (such as paraffin) and liquid oils. The fillers make the product cheaper to produce and also thin out or soften the thick waxy consistency. Although this may make it easier to apply and seem like it absorbs quickly, it is important to consider more important factors such as what that may do to the quality of protection for your dog’s paw pads and whether it is safe if they lick their paws after application.

Besides liquid oils possibly causing oily stains on carpets and couches if your pup walks around after application, these oils won’t offer any protection in the summer heat when walking on hot pavement or other surfaces.

When it comes to paraffin (sometimes referred to as part of a ‘blended wax’ in the ingredients lists) it is important to note that this is a by-product of petroleum production. Since it is an industrial waste product, it is cheap. Would you feed your dog paraffin? Of course not. So, if the product you purchase contains paraffin, you’re better off making sure your pup has socks on to prevent them from licking their paws and ingesting the wax solution.

Cold Weather Protection

If you consider that dog paw balms are meant to protect paw pads, it only makes sense that thicker wax consistencies will offer more protection, especially if they harden in snowy conditions. This creates a buffer and repels cold moisture. Essentially, it can prevent frostbite, cracking, dryness, ice build-up and help the dog retain body heat. It also protects against toxic substances found in road salt. To ensure sufficient protection in outdoor winter conditions you need to apply a generous layer of wax on the pads, between toes, and even some on the fur around the feet as this prevents ice crystals from forming and developing into canine frostbite.

Summer Protection

A balm that doesn’t melt that easily will offer better protection in the summer heat. Although you should not be taking your pup out on hot surfaces or tar pavements in the heat, even with protection, it is still important to check which season the wax is intended for since most are geared towards winter. You wouldn’t run barefoot on black pavement in the heat, so don’t subject your best pal to that either.

When choosing summer protection and moisturizing hydration formulas, pure natural beeswax is an optimal ingredient to check for. As mentioned earlier paraffin and liquid oils have low melting points and will wear away quickly while beeswax has a much higher melting point giving it some staying power. Solid natural fats offer the best protection even though they’re a little harder and not quite as smooth to apply.

Paw Balm Application

How much and when you apply paw balm will depend on what you are using it for. If you want to moisturize and hydrate paws to restore dry, cracked, or rough pads, regularly apply a thin coating. If your pooch is not turned off by a little foot massage (depending on the severity of their condition), that may really help to encourage good absorption. A great time to apply the wax is just before bedtime, prolonging the contact with skin and preventing it from being rubbed off when doing activities. As the pads improve, you can start decreasing the frequency of application for maintenance.

Snowdogs usually get a thick layer applied that forms a type of shoe around their paws and this may last one or two days in the snow. Your pal probably doesn’t need this type of extensive protection but winter outdoor activities will require a thicker layer for protective purposes than a purely hydrating application. You don’t want it to come off quickly with surface friction as there won’t be much left to offer protection.