Hope your pup is feeling better today.
If the boots don't work out for whatever reason, here's a tip. If you can, pick your hikes with an eye towards the terrain. Also, start with easy hikes and work up to more challenging ones. Like a human's, your dog's feet and muscles need a chance to get used to the new activity, so don't start out by trying to climb Everest.
We go hiking a lot with Lady, on many different types of terrain due to our geographical location -- we live in the desert but are close to high elevations, so we do desert /lower elevation hiking in the winter time, and higher elevation hiking in the summer. The desert hiking is definitely harder on her feet due to all the rocks. I would consider boots if I thought I could get them on her without losing a hand (it's a battle I have just honestly decided not to fight at this point). We keep a special eye on her then, limit the distance, and carry her over especially rocky patches or whenever she looks like she may be getting footsore. That's another advantage of ratties -- they're small enough to give a ride if needed. That said, I once carried her the last, very steep quarter of a mile to the summit of our local mountain, and let me tell you, that was a slog. Sixteen pounds of pup, a day pack, and a steep grade! Downhill was fine, though!
On the other hand, she loves to go hiking on nice, soft, pine-duff covered trails (me, too!), and never seems footsore afterward.
Good luck! LM |