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Boots/wrapping legs


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Jude is a demon. Super fast, tall, lean and won't ever stop. Right now the poor guy is lying on the ground beside me looking so sad because he can't go play because of his cone and a nasty cut on his lower leg that just missed the stitches point (thank-god). He has no regard to his own safety, and is constantly living in the fast lane. I do as much as I can do minimize this but at the end of the day he still comes in with scratches, cuts and what not from out hikes and playtime. I'm constantly terrified for his poor legs, I mean he gets hurt that's the end really of his joy, because it's only day 3 of his two week current rest period for his gash and he's already got me pittying him. Slow walks just aren't enough as you all know.

 

Does anyone boot their dogs for rougher terrain, or even wrap their legs with vet wrap or something. I come from the horse world so i'm so "leg-conscious" so i'm thinking along these lines. Thoughts? Opinions?

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I will wrap a dog with "blown" pads so I can work it (this is usually a case where a dog is here for training and we're on a limited schedule so I can't afford to just let the dog sit back and heal).

 

But I think it would cost a small fortune to wrap a dog's legs for daily outings, and my experience with boots has been that if they're running that hard and wild, they're liable to lose a boot or three in no time, amd that really could run you some money.

 

I guess I would question why/how he's injuring himself so often and work on making his environment safer for him. I have had (still do) dogs with little regard for self-preservation, but I've always been able to manage them to prevent accidents as much as possible. I know you say you're trying to prevent accidents, but I think you'll have to include greater supervision and even a leash if necessary. I see nothing wrong with wrapping injured parts so he can go out and play, but I really think I'd try to put the brakes on him before he does serious or irreparable damage.

 

J.

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Yeah, I will certainly try to get him to be more careful. I'm thinking run him in the fields first to get some of that energy out of him first off. The thing here is so much rocky terrain so that's whythe boots got in my head and wrapping. He's not as bad as I make it out but certainly he worries me.

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Yeah, I will certainly try to get him to be more careful. I'm thinking run him in the fields first to get some of that energy out of him first off. The thing here is so much rocky terrain so that's whythe boots got in my head and wrapping. He's not as bad as I make it out but certainly he worries me.

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I got boots for my Vizsla at a tag sale for $2 - they did work- although I only used them on the back legs. She was cutting up her pads on the rocks running after her frisbee. She was really good about me putting them on. The bottoms were like a canvas material with the tops like felt. Velco wraps kept them on. We used them for a couple of weeks while her pads toughened up. Plus I picked up rocks off the area that we play frisbee every time I went out. She still chases the frisbee with wild abandon - but her pads seem to be holding up now. Brought her to the Vet when her pads first started to get cut up - vet said they would heal , nothing you could do, it would take a long time. Thank goodness for my $2 boots - Miss Grace would not have been a happy camper to be grounded from frisbee play.

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Keep in mind that wrapping and booties can be a vicious cycle - if you wrap and boot your dog their feet won't toughen up so if you miss using the boots their feet will be at more risk.

 

Kes is a bull in a china shop at times, so we do what you're thinking of I think: run him on softer surfaces to get the crazies out before rougher hiking terrain and I make sure he doesn't run on rough terrain after getting his feet wet. His pads are toughening up nicely and he's not had an issue on dry feet for a number of months now, though wet pads will still get roughed up with a mile+ hiking afterward.

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Until the last couple years, I'd never wrapped a dog's leg. I finally did wrap my boy, Nick, after he sustained a knee injury last summer. He'd tweaked heck out of himself just running across uneven ground, and when he was sound enough to go back to work, I wrapped the leg just to support it while working. I took the wrap off as soon as we were finished each session.

 

I'd do the same again, if he sustains a similar muscle/tendon injury, as I know how long it took my ankle to heal after I wrenched it. It's so easy to re-injure that kind of hurt, even when it seems to be back to normal.

 

As far as boots, I've used a boot when a dog was recovering from a cut foot or torn pad, and I wanted to protect the healed area until I was sure it could take normal usage. But again, I only used the boot during work and took it off afterwards.

 

That's about it, though. I don't wrap dogs legs or feet as I might a horse. Then to think on it, I've only put splint boots on a horse when working a youngster, so maybe I'm just not of the vet-wrap school. :rolleyes:

Cheers ~

 

G;proa

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I have a "carpal" bandage that is kind of like a splint boot for a horse that I will be using on my dog when she is able to go back to work, but she has a serious injury (cut a flexor tendon in 1/2) so will need the support of the carpal joint. Not the same as just a torn pad...

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You can get neoprene wraps for support/protection from sled dog suppliers. Here's one example:

Booties & Wraps

 

Not sure where you're located but you can find links to various suppliers if you check out this site and click on the "equipment and supplies" link (left side, scroll down)

Sled Dog Central

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Guest maya's mom

Totally different reason, but we've been using Muttluks all summer and they are doing what we'd hoped. Maya loves to swim, but at my parent's pool with all of the running around on hot cement, she was tearing her pads up really badly. We got these boots and now she swims every day and LOVES it! The Muttluks are able to be tightened where they don't come off and she is VERY active, running and swimming in them. Granted we have been through a couple pairs b/c they wear out, but I think she is way harder on them then if you were just walking/hiking. In fact, we are going to try them this winter, to avoid some street salt and ice balls on long walks. If you decide to buy them, look on eBay. I paid $50 for them the first time at the pet store, but only $18 for brand new ones online!

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