On a recent trip to Olympia, Washington, I noticed as we settled into our hotel room, that Whistle was chewing on his back foot. My husband, Franz, and I got him on the bed to inspect his foot. To our surprise, there was a blister in between the pad of his back foot.
The blister looked pretty angry and Franz and I both felt we should get a vet to look at it just to be safe. We had busy outdoor vacation plans and we wanted to make sure Whistle was up for the week.
The next morning, I located a veterinarian’s office online, Hawks Prairie Veterinary Hospital (www.hawksprairieveterinaryhospital.com), which was close to our hotel. I called to make an appointment and fortunately, they were able to get us in right away.
The vet inspected Whistle’s foot. She and her assistant cleaned and debrided the area and shaved the hair from around the spot. The staff was so friendly and helpful. They prescribed a topical antibiotic cream and a solution to keep the area clean.
The vet also suggested that we consider purchasing Whistle a set of booties. She was concerned that perhaps the blister was the result of the summer time asphalt or a hot rock that got embedded in his paw. Whatever the cause, we wanted to make sure that Whistle’s foot would be protected, remain clean and heal properly.
She directed us to a wonderful local dog supply store, MudBay (www.mudbay.us), in close proximity to the clinic. We went over to check out their line of booties. The first pair we tried were very rigid and durable for all types of terrain. Whistle was bewildered about these foreign objects and he was behaving pretty dramatically.
We decided to try another brand, Ultra Paws Traction Dog Boots. These booties were much lighter and surprisingly Whistle adapted very quickly to them. With the encouragement of a few yummy treats, he was quickly walking around the store and hardly even acting like he was wearing booties.
Another bonus was the price. These booties were much cheaper than the original pair he tried. For about $20.00, we were on our way and Whistle’s feet were protected. From there, we were ready to continue on our vacation.
We began the beautiful drive from Olympia, Washington up to Mount Rainier National Park. We stopped in for lunch as we entered the park. I must say that I was not prepared for the response Whistle received regarding his booties. Literally everyone we encountered wanted to know why he was wearing them, where we got them, and how we convinced him to wear them.
I have been partnered with an assistance dog for almost 20 years and I am used to people’s curiosity. But this was a whole new experience.
Whistle glided throughout the entire trip with his new slippers. I am happy to report that his foot healed quickly and I will definitely continue using the booties during the summer for hot pavement and in the winter time to navigate on snow. Actually, I anticipate Whistle will be wearing his new booties quite often!
