TransplantedSpud Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone can advise here - Our very-recently adopted BC Maverick has a deep affinity for kicking/scratching his paws as a marking maneuver. Apparently this morning on his walk, he must have kicked over a pine cone or something similar as I found him nibbling at his back foot and found something sticky-resiny-sappy coated over one of his pads and matted in the hair between pads. Does anyone have any tips for cleaning pine sap off a dog's paws? Also, would it be okay to trim out the matted hair between his pads? I'd have to trim the hair down pretty far and I want to make sure it wouldn't make Maverick's paw more vulnerable to damage. We live in Arizona and while it's cooling down now and we try and keep off of blacktop/cement, I just want to make sure that trimming the hair out wouldn't compromise anything. Thanks in advance for any help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 GIYF A quick search confirmed my hunch of using cooking oil (the poster used olive oil). Another site said mayonnaise or peanut butter . . . or rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover. I'd try the edible options first to avoid any poisoning if the dog licks it off or the possibility of stinging if there are any cuts or scrapes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Yes to the cooking oil. You may need several applications of it to get it all out. Remember to wash the paws after you get the gunk out so you don't get oily pawprints on your carpets/floors. And yes, it's okay to trim the fur between their little hobbit toes. I wouldn't reach into between the paws to trim, just clean it up so that it doesn't stick out from the pads. If you live in ice and snow country, I hear that shorter fur on the paws makes it easier to get snow/ice out after outings. Ruth and Gibbs ETA - Avoid mayonnaise or peanut butter. Yes, they're oily, but pb has a texture that makes it hard to really get all the removed, and mayonnaise, if not fully washed out, can leave a nasty odor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Agree with urge to herd. Trimming hair flush with the pads, especially the stuff in the center of the foot, can help a dog that has traction problems on slick floors. I have also experienced dogs (Rough Collies) getting balls of ice forming between toes in snowy weather. It can be chewed out by the dog, but I used to trim all the hair from between their toes and around the center pad. No ice balls that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 ETA - Avoid mayonnaise or peanut butter. Yes, they're oily, but pb has a texture that makes it hard to really get all the removed, and mayonnaise, if not fully washed out, can leave a nasty odor. Dunno about anyone else's dogs but both of mine would make sure there wasn't a molecule of either PB or mayo remaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 ^^^ And then there's this. Ruth and Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 My yard is full of pine and fir trees, and I have 3 hairy dogs who like to stand at the base of trees looking at the squirrels. We get sap all the time. I use butter (not margarine)...I rub it in the sap until the sap breaks up and then remove the biggest chunk, the dogs then lick the rest off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 I use a regular set of hair clipper to shave my rough coated dog's feet and lower legs. She doesn't *like* her feet being messed with (totally fine with the lower leg shaving) but has resigned herself to the fact that it happens. It sure helps cut down on the dirt and mud she tracks around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher7151 Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 I absolutely clip out Keeper's feet. It definitely cuts down on mud, dust, burrs, and snowballs in the winter. But more importantly, I just like clean looking feet. I trim nails twice a week and get rid of any slipper feet. I use my clippers to scoop out the hair between his pads and use scissors on his grinch hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 Grinch hair?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 Hobbit paws, I would think. Where the fur sticks out and/or covers the nails. Gibbs has a serious case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 Tilly had snowshoes. Appropriate, I guess, since she was definitely partly a spitz breed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfreda Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 I trim for traction. Ice balls can still be a problem in snow... so, maybe I'll need to trim more between toes this winter. Haven't tried Musher's Secret yet.... I'm a little leary of any stuff my dog might ingest by licking it off... ? Hmmm, maybe butter? This reminds me: this summer my dog's carpal pads got very cracked and split. My vet told me to try this: place a damp tea bag and wrap with saran wrap for a few min.s 2X/day for a few days. The tanins in the tea will toughen up the pads --(but don't let your dog ingest the tea leaves!) It did seem to help. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher7151 Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 Grinch feet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TransplantedSpud Posted October 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Thanks everyone for all the great advice! We've trimmed out the worst of the sappy hair and I used cooking oil to work most of the rest off (we were out of butter). Maverick is much happier now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 image.jpg Grinch feet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beach BCs Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 image.jpg Grinch feet! We call them slippers here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosikins Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 We call them slippers here! We do too! But I hate Cal's slippers. They're hairy and they get so dirty and look ugly on her otherwise beautiful socked paws. Plus, she constantly tugs on the fur but won't let me trim it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beach BCs Posted October 22, 2015 Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 I use a little cordless beard/mustache trimmer. Maybe once a month. I also call them Lorax feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TransplantedSpud Posted October 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 I use a little cordless beard/mustache trimmer. Maybe once a month. This is genius! The problem I had trimming Mav's feet this time is that he got bored and no amount of distracting peanut butter could make up for my slow-snipping self! Thanks for the idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCjetta Posted October 23, 2015 Report Share Posted October 23, 2015 Not a border collie....but Hairy mat forming, snowball sticking fuzzy feet - and thats not even as bad as they would get Nice clean feet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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