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I have a question that has been bumping around in my head for a while (no jokes please) and I finally decided to find the answer to it. If the majority of sweat glands on a dog, and there are not many, are on their paws will putting boots on them cause them to overheat? My first stop on Google was an anecdote about a bulldog that did get overheated while wearing boots. Following up on that I learned that bulldogs and other short nosed dogs are prone to overheating anyway. I wanted a more medical based opinion and found it at the Pet Health Network. Dr. Justine Lee explains that most heat exchange happens by panting, some by vasodilation (dilating the blood vessels) and that they are capable of sweating a little on their paw pads. She goes on to say that paw sweating is likely a minor method of heat release and is likely rare.
The reason I’ve had this question in my head is because I’ve been trying to decide if I should invest in some quality boots for Martok for this summer. We have a couple types of foot protection in our travel pack. I wrote about needing them when K’Ehleyr burned her paws on asphalt that she wouldn’t get off of fast enough. We still have those boots but they don’t stay on well. We also have some Pawz, which turned out to be a great solution to mud season in Idaho. Now that I think about it maybe I will save the money and just stick with the Pawz. If you haven’t heard of them, they are basically a rubber sock that are reusable and disposable when they tear or wear out. They are a bit tricky to put on but they don’t fall off. Dogs also seem to get used to them more quickly than other paw-wear. (I’m not affiliated with Pawz, I’m just sharing my experience with them.)
How to tell if the ground is too hot
I suggest checking the surface if you are in doubt about letting your dog walk on it. If you can’t hold the back of your hand on the ground for 7 seconds the ground can burn your dogs paws. I also found another interesting bit of information. Astroturf gets hotter than asphalt according to a study on Vetsnow. Grass is of course the coolest option but can still get surprisingly hot according to that particular study.
Additionally, if it is hot enough to worry about your dog burning their paws you should watch for overheating.
How to identify heat exhaustion
- Excessive panting
- Red-colored gums
- Thick ropey saliva in the mouth
- Warm to the touch
- Red “flushed” skin near the ears, muzzle, underbelly
I feel comfortable that the protection provided by boots outweighs the risk of overheating from wearing them for my Dane. Feel free to share any experiences you have had with dog boots in the comments below.
