Can Anyone recommend any decent, high quality, hard-toe hiking boots for dogs?
6½ years ago, when Simon was only a pup... he hit a rapid growth spurt that caused the growth plates in his rear hips to pinch a nerve and paralyze his back-right leg; Simon was immobilized for 2½ months. I had to pick him up, carry him outside, and hold up his rear half in order for him to go to the bathroom.
Here's the original Post about the injury/defect
After 2½ months of arduous potty breaks, and 30 days of Prednisone™ steroid anti-inflammatories... his growth slowed, and the growth plates let go of the nerve and he regained his mobility*... with one caveat...
No sciatic reflex and a total lack of proprioception in his back-right foot. Proprioception is tghe "roll-over" reflex. When a dog takes a step, they pull their back legs forward and set them on the ground; if they set the paw down "top down".... theres a natural reflex to pull up the toes so the pads on the bottom touch the ground. Simon doesn't have this/.
When he takes a step, he steps with the top of his foot facing the ground... foot rolled under. When he walks, it just looks like he drags it; he actually DOES lift the leg to take a step, he just doesn't lift his ankle to right his foot before setting it back down. This causes his toenails to wear down as he walks, and the tops of his paws scrape and scuff on the ground when he walks.... this limits how long we can go on walks because his back-right foot starts bleeding from asphalt abrasion over time...
I need boots with hard-toes so he can walk long distances without destroying his paw.
For the last few years, no matter what we do or how much we try to limit the distance we walk... it seems like every time I take him out; I wind up having to call home for a ride (pick-up) because the prolonged walking scuffs/grinds off a toenail or chaffs off the skin on the top of his paw and it starts bleeding. I usually bring 2-3 liters of water, a collapsible bowl, treats, and 5-6 white athletic socks with me in a backpack.
If/when his paws opens up, I have to layer 4-5 white socks over his paw to staunch the bleeding and call home to have someone come pick us up.
We need to find some boots that will protect his foot from abrading while walking
6½ years ago, when Simon was only a pup... he hit a rapid growth spurt that caused the growth plates in his rear hips to pinch a nerve and paralyze his back-right leg; Simon was immobilized for 2½ months. I had to pick him up, carry him outside, and hold up his rear half in order for him to go to the bathroom.
Here's the original Post about the injury/defect
After 2½ months of arduous potty breaks, and 30 days of Prednisone™ steroid anti-inflammatories... his growth slowed, and the growth plates let go of the nerve and he regained his mobility*... with one caveat...
No sciatic reflex and a total lack of proprioception in his back-right foot. Proprioception is tghe "roll-over" reflex. When a dog takes a step, they pull their back legs forward and set them on the ground; if they set the paw down "top down".... theres a natural reflex to pull up the toes so the pads on the bottom touch the ground. Simon doesn't have this/.
When he takes a step, he steps with the top of his foot facing the ground... foot rolled under. When he walks, it just looks like he drags it; he actually DOES lift the leg to take a step, he just doesn't lift his ankle to right his foot before setting it back down. This causes his toenails to wear down as he walks, and the tops of his paws scrape and scuff on the ground when he walks.... this limits how long we can go on walks because his back-right foot starts bleeding from asphalt abrasion over time...
I need boots with hard-toes so he can walk long distances without destroying his paw.
For the last few years, no matter what we do or how much we try to limit the distance we walk... it seems like every time I take him out; I wind up having to call home for a ride (pick-up) because the prolonged walking scuffs/grinds off a toenail or chaffs off the skin on the top of his paw and it starts bleeding. I usually bring 2-3 liters of water, a collapsible bowl, treats, and 5-6 white athletic socks with me in a backpack.
If/when his paws opens up, I have to layer 4-5 white socks over his paw to staunch the bleeding and call home to have someone come pick us up.
We need to find some boots that will protect his foot from abrading while walking
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