Vezer Care

10/02/2025

So much fun getting baths! Honey Shampoo from helps make it worth it!

07/02/2025

Taking care of your dog. https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/upland-birds/ask-a-vet-cold-weather-bird-dog-concerns Vezer Care

Training and fieldwork creates a special kind of bond between a dog and its owner. But our four-legged friends often find themselves in situations where they need your help. Our new Ask A Vet series delivers advice directly from a professional, working veterinarian. Have a question about your dog...

02/02/2025

Winter Foot Care and Injury Prevention for Bird Dogs

Examining risks and foot care methods for bird dogs during the winter.
From the crusty hard snow to the dry air and freezing cold temperatures, winter conditions can take a toll on your bird dogs, especially their feet. Being prepared and knowing how to deal with foot care, maintenance and injuries simply come with the territory of owning bird dogs.

Having owned a large sled dog kennel, I am very familiar with booties, putting booties on my dogs and getting a sore back in the process. I have found it much easier to prevent problems than than trying to heal an active dog’s foot. Foot injuries take time to heal.

Thus, taking time to check your dog’s feet after a hunt or exercise run is very important. However, too often we don’t look at them until we notice our dog’s gait is off, there’s blood on the trail, or the dog stops hunting.

Every dog is different in how quickly their pads wear on any given surface. A dog’s speed, gait, weight, and how hard your dog drives all affect the pad wear.

Personally, I do not like to use booties unless necessary. I only use them when the conditions are such that they are going to tear up my dog’s feet or if one of my dogs has a pre-existing condition that needs to be protected.

Knowing when to use them is the key. Also, the length of time you are going to run your dog in marginal or poor conditions is a factor. If in doubt take time to check their feet during the hunt and carry a set of booties with you.

Running your hand over the surface of the snow can tell you if the dog may have trouble. If the snow feels sharp and abrasive more than likely it will start to tear your dog’s pads up in an hour or so. Not every dogs’ feet wear the same so checking your dog’s webbing between the pads during the hunt will tell you a lot about the snow conditions.

I have booties in my first aid kit. I carry two types, 500 Denier Cordura boots and fleece boots. A dog that tears a pad or has a fissure in the webbing is going to be sore. After treating the sore foot, the fleece bo**ee goes on first (that is the cushion) then the 500 denier Cordura boot goes on next which protects the fleece boot and the foot.

Ensuring good foot care and injury prevention for our dogs is a must. Checking them regularly can help you detect problems before they affect your dog’s performance and prevent your hunting season from ending early.

Working with Your Dog’s Feet
It is never too late to start handling your dog’s feet. If you have a new puppy start right away playing with and examining their feet. With older dogs, start well before the hunting season. This includes, massaging their feet and getting them used to having their feet worked with. They should also be comfortable with trimming of the hair between the pads and around their paws if necessary. If your dog is used to you messing with their feet, working on a potential injury will be much easier.

Early Detection of Foot Pad Injuries
There are subtle signs that a dog will show that can indicate foot problems. Make it a part of your routine to check your dog’s pads over for cuts, abrasions and broken toenails after training runs and hunts. Limping and/or favoring a leg are obvious and these signs can mean the foot is in pain.

If a dog has a wear area on its pad you will want to boot the foot in order to protect the pad. Fissures occur when snow/ice packs between the pads and form long raw cracks. Fissures look like long cuts between the pads or toes. Many dogs who have soreness from cuts or fissures will lick their pads. The saliva will stain the hair a reddish color. Fissures can be difficult to heal. If a pad or area of the paw becomes infected, you may also detect swelling.

Winter Foot Care Precautions for Bird Dogs
Trim the hair between the pads and all around the foot. Reducing the amount off hair on and around the foot makes it harder for ice balls to form.

Always be on the lookout for ice-melt products as many are a skin irritant. These products can cause dryness, cracking, and even burns to a dog’s pads. Take time to rinse or wipe your dog’s feet if you believe they have encountered these products.

If you are going to use boots, make sure the toenails are trimmed properly so that they do not wear a hole through the boot.

If you secure a boot so it tightens over the dew claw this can cause the dew claw to start rubbing the leg leading to a sore spot. To help prevent rubbing marks on the leg, break off a small piece of cotton from a cotton ball, place it between the dew claw and the leg and use some medical tape to hold it in place.

If the boots become wet, put on a fresh pair. In cold weather the moisture can start to ice up around the paw and the boot will become stiff and uncomfortable. If a boot gets a hole in it, throw it away.

Conclusion
It is very easy to look at your dog as a whole and miss something that is right in front of you. However, taking time to look at your dog’s feet to make sure they are in good condition is an important part of taking care of your dog.

The issue with foot problems is that they can easily lead to gait compensation that then causes other sore muscles or even injuries. A dog can easily become lame with a foot injury.

There’s and old saying that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I can attest to this after running large teams of sled dogs, the ounce of prevention is probably worth ten pounds of cure… There are few things worse than trying to fix a foot injury. Always keep foot care and injury prevention for your bird dogs in mind.

Vezer Care 📷 Bynum Photography

01/02/2025

Very cool project! https://projectupland.com/hunting-dogs/paws-to-peaks-rescue-rehomes-bird-dogs

Since 2018, Gina Deem has rehomed over 130 adult bird dogs through her hunting dog adoption program, Paws to Peaks Rescue.

31/01/2025

Check out more videos on our products! Vezer Care Vezer Oy

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24/01/2025

Vezer Care treatment cream for animal skin problems. Softens calluses, treats cuts and small scratches, eases skin itching and scaling. Works great for dogs paws, and horses summer rash. Also soothes skin irritation from insect stings and bites. The Pitch Oil in the cream heals but also is a natural fly repellent as well as reduces licking of wounds. Vezer Oy

23/01/2025

Great way to train your dog with high value treats like hotdogs or cheese sticks. Train'n'treat brought to your by Vezer Care Like a PEZ dispenser for dogs.. Easy to use and no more slimy hands!!

22/01/2025

Horses are always having issues with their skin, hooves, or cuts and bites.. Treat and heal them with natural products made with HONEY and SPRUCE Resin from Finland. Vezer Care Vezer Oy

21/01/2025

Tar Shampoo effectively, but gently, cleans the fur. Treats the animal’s skin and fur at the same time. Tar shampoo also eases the animal’s skin problems and reduces the formation of dandruff. Washes off easily and gives terrific shine. After washing, a show dog usually does not need a conditioner. Vezer Care Vezer Oy

20/01/2025

Check out the Train'n'treat Vezer Care Vezer Oy https://www.vezercare.com/blogs/best-pocket-dog-treat-dispenser/

Discover the ultimate pocket dog treat dispenser for easy and efficient dog training. Learn about the benefits, features, and why the Train-N-Treat Dispenser is the top choice for dog owners.

19/01/2025

Our great earwash is BACK IN STOCK.. cleans but also soothes and helps heals with the power of HONEY and SPRUCE!!! Vezer Care Vezer Oy

18/01/2025

Vezer Care is proud to announce it's new role as sponsor for National Shoot to Retrieve Association Taking care of your dogs with natural products from Finland!

17/01/2025

Let’s welcome our New Sponsor, Vezer Care.
www.vezercare.com
Thank you for supporting NSTRA!

11/01/2025

This dog had an autoimmune disorder.. The Honey Ointment with Spruce Resin helped with the symptoms better than other prescription meds were able to. Vezer Care

10/01/2025

Farriers love Vezer Care Vezer Oy! Hoof care to the max!!

09/01/2025

If it's good enough for humans, it's good enough for your pets! Vezer Care