I have a two year old black lab, and I have been getting her ready for pheasant season here in Iowa. The other day I noticed that she was chewing on her paws, so I checked them out, and they were red and had some sores on them. I did fertilize the lawn, so I thought that may be part of the problem.? Is there any treatments that I can do for them or should I put those "boots" on her paws? Tell me what your experience has been.

Thanks for your help.

Without knowing the CAUSE of the sore paws, there cannot be a recommended treatment.

Proper treatment depends on proper diagnosis.

Are all 4 paws affected? Is she mostly a house dog? My black lab gets an occasional cut on her paw and will lick and chew on it alot til it is raw. My vet gave me a bottle of Pad Tough that I used on the sore as well as the other paws. It worked great. It protects the pads and toughens them as well, so use it on all 4 paws twice a day.

It will sting a little when first applied to the sore pad and the dog will want to lick it off. Try to keep him from doing that for at least 5 minutes allowing it to dry.

I fertilize my yard, and it has never hurt my lab's feet. But mine is a house dog mostly. She is a 115 lb. couch dog![&:]

My Yellow Lab Buddy has a tendancy to get sore paws, red, even raw... He is a house dog. I have found it helps to spray hydrocortisone spray (like what they use for hot spots) on them, and if there is a spot that is really bothering him or is raw, I use EMT gel, that you can get at your local Tractor Supply Co. store or you can often order it from 1800 pet meds or even from some hunting sites online. EMT gel also works really good whenever they rip off their pads or if they get a gash on their leg or anything like that. It is a little expensive, but there is nothing like the happiness and safety of my baby. He needs to feel good enough to be ready to hunt. That is what he lives for. Good Luck!