Salt, snow, ice, constantly licking feet! HELP!

I have noticed Caiza licking his feet alot and also noticed discoloration between his toes from the silyva. We walk everyday and have had some crazy weather and lots of ice which means lots of sand and salt mix on the roads and sidewalks. I have been cleaning his feet off whenever we come in from outside to get rid of anything on his pads. He's not constantly licking them (guess I exadurated ) but I have never noticed this until the stormy weather arrived and we had to start using the sand/salt mix to melt the ice. We have also been walking alot on snow/ice which is turning slushy when we go hiking in the woods, could that also be bothering his feet? I have tried booties before but they just seemed useless and fell off after a few minutes. Any suggestions

I'm sure someone will help you with what may make him feel better, but I did want to say that his pads could be sore from being cleaned. I know...sounds silly...but it is my habit to wipe the dogs paws prior to coming in, and when Addie jumped one day it occured to me that all that wiping may be rubbing them to the point of being sore. now I toss down an old sheet on the porch and let them walk snow or mud off on it, and I notice her paws aren't sore anymore. I've heard salt is harsh, so hopefully someone gives you help on a topical treatment.

Ick I hate salt. You could put vaseline on his paws before you go out to protect them. We used to do that with our horses so the snow wouldn't get packed in their hooves. It worked! I haven't used it because we don't walk on the city streets here and people don't salt much because it's so bad for the environment. I think oc_spirit or someone made a suggestion a few weeks ago or something else you could put on their paws. It was similar to vaseline. I'll try to remember what it was

Thanks guys! Saje, I think it is called mushers secret but is it safe if he licks that?

How about putting a bucket of warm water by your door inside the house (so it doesn't freeze) just before you leave for your walk so it's ready when you come home.... and when he comes in, place each foot into the water, one by one, swishing them around a little bit and pat dry with a towel?

I'd just wipe the vaseline off for the most part. The stuff I was thinking of wasn't the musher stuff. Something common. Can't think of it!

Doberluv, I have done that too. I actually found the root of his problem late last night with further examination. He started limping a little and was favoring the one paw he's always licking. He has a small cut up by the start of his nail on his pad. Darn black pads, it's hard to see anything LOL! I'm just going to keep him quiet for a few days (wish me luck with an ACD LOL!) and hope it will heal up quick. No more fetch playing in the yard and maybe just an easy going walk on flat surfaces and no snow/ice. We just went hiking yesterday to and now I feel bad I pushed him....funny thing is, is he showed no signs of limping on the walk. Thanks guys! And Saje, if you think of that stuff let me know .

Clean your dogs paws in warm water with a mild dog shampoo.

The best way to avoid this is a good pair of doggie boots with treads. Salt is nasty and can get under the nails where it can cause even more discomfort.

Ah-ha....a cut. That explains it. Poor baby. Well, my dogs must be getting some of that on their feet sometimes...the times when we do walk on the kind of road that has that stuff. Most places we go don't have magnesium sulfate or what ever it is they use. But I never think a thing about it since they go through my yard before coming in the house....where it gets pretty much wiped off from the clean snow. Never really have a problem from it.

I think that stuff is called Musher's wax. I, personally wouldn't like gooey Vaseline stuff on my carpet or furniture. (don't know if that Musher's stuff is greasy or not) Just plain water will rinse it off. Too much soap and stuff, can dry out the pads even more. Although you don't want them all smooth and soft, it's no good to get so dry that they crack badly either. Hope Caiza heals up quickly.

You mean Bag Balm? That's good stuff, has healing properties, but super greasy. However, no matter what you put on their feet, they'll just lick it right off. Hmph! They think they know better than we do.

That's what i was going to suggest, have him step in a pan of clean warm water when you come in.

When I lived in snow country I always put bag balm ( corona) on my dogs pads and in between before going out. It really helped. I do it here too because it is so arid here even in the winter time that cracking happens alot to dogs. I also when I notice this licking thing check for cuts or something ( like sticker) stuck in between pads. Use a little bag balm at night and rub it in good because he will lick it off. Hopefully you will see a change with in a day or two. I do.