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Keeping your pet safe is an important part of being a pet owner. As someone with a couple of highly active dogs, I know that minor inconveniences can often turn into bigger problems. One of the most common injuries is damaged paw pads.
While we can’t protect our pups from everything life throws their way, there are a few helpful outdoor products for dogs that make it easier to keep your dog safe and happy. Dog shoes are one of those things.
Easily strapped onto your dog’s feet, dog shoes are a great way to keep your furry friend’s paws protected from hot pavement, sharp seashells, or icy conditions in the wintertime. They can also be helpful for senior dogs with limited mobility on slippery surfaces.
After researching dog shoes and combing through thousands of user reviews, these are our choices for the best shoes for dogs.
Lots of color choices
Durable
Stiff
May not work for small dogs
Good for dogs with mobility issues
Come in three color options
Not as durable as others
You may be asking yourself, do dogs need shoes? While dogs don’t necessarily need shoes, they can be a helpful assist in protecting your dog’s paws.
Paw pad injuries can ruin your dog’s day but luckily they don’t usually require a vet appointment. With time and some attention most paw pad injuries will heal. In the meantime, a pair of dog shoes can be useful to avoid damage or aid in healing.
Consider your own experiences walking around outside barefoot. Maybe you also have a glaring memory of walking over hot sand at the beach, cringing at each piercing step as you made your way to the shoreline. Dogs can experience this same sensation.
During warmer months, asphalt can easily reach temperatures up to 140 degrees, which can easily cause harm to an animals’ feet. Air temperatures around 85 degrees mean that the concrete is sitting at about 105 degrees, while asphalt temperatures sit around 130 degrees.
On top of safety concerns, some dogs have issues with certain types of surfaces and can run into issues as they get older. A pair of sticky dog shoes can be a big help for some dogs in simply getting around.
Getting the right fit is important when choosing the best shoes for your dog. A secure fit will ensure your dog is comfortable and can spare you the hassle of them easily slipping out of their dog booties. In order to choose the correct size and style of dog shoe you’ll want to carefully measure your dog's feet. Luckily this isn’t as hard as it might sound.
One easy way to measure your dog's feet is by simply grabbing a piece of paper and having your dog stand on it. It’s important to make sure that your dog is putting some weight on their foot so that their foot is spread as if they were walking.
Next, you’ll want to mark where the bottom of their paw pad sits, the tip of their longest toenail, and each side of their paw. Using a tape measure or a ruler you’ll be able to find the correct dimensions without having to get your dog to stand still for longer than they’d like.
Before measuring you may want to trim your dog's nails to the proper length so your measurements are accurate.
Ceara Perez-Murphy is a staff writer at Reviewed. In her free time she likes trying out new recipes in the kitchen, exploring new restaurants and spending time outdoors with her dogs.
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