# Snow between toes



## prezofxms (Jun 22, 2014)

Hello!

I'm relatively new to owning dogs. I live in a cold climate that gets a pretty decent amount of snow. My golden retriever, Jasmine, loves snow, but hates it when the snow gets stuck between her toes. Is there is a way to prevent this? Can I trim the fur between her toes? If so, is there a method to it?

I'd take her to a groomer if I had to, but I'm trying to save money for a house, so if I'd prefer to do it myself if possible.

Thanks in advance!


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## 02pinetree (Nov 17, 2014)

Yes, you can trim the fur between Jasmine's toes. You should be able to find a clipper at Target, Walmart, CVS, or Walgreens for under $25. We found that a clipper with less power actually worked better for this as there was less vibration. It tickles the toes a little bit while trimming, but really eliminates the "snow balls" that build up between the pads.

I wouldn't be comfortable using a scissors between the pads, but here is a Youtube video that demonstrates trimming fur on a dog's feet using both a clipper and scissors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfPuaotli6I 

Maybe someone here who has done a lot of grooming will have some other suggestions!


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## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

You can also put Musher's Secret on her paws before going out into the snow. Helps to prevent the snow from sticking to the fur in her paw pads, and protects her feet.

Amazon.com : Musher's Secret Pet Paw Protection Wax (200 g) : Pet Supplies

Many pet stores are starting to sell it, too.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Musher's Wax will help a lot.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I trim the feet weekly using scissors - they can trim quite close without risking razor burn and don't have the whole noise/vibration thing going on. Trimming weekly allows all but one of my dogs to run freely in the snow  My boy that still collects ice balls benefits from Mushers Secret, or I just clear his feet as needed.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

I prevented snow from collecting between Brooks' toes by moving south


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## Lennap (Jul 9, 2010)

I use pawz booties to prevent the snow build up.


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## Joanne & Asia (Jul 23, 2007)

Trimming and Mushers does the trick for us! That stuff is amazing.


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## Aiden's Mom (Aug 27, 2014)

I have a problem with ear snow balls.... 

Aiden literally dives through snow banks over..and over..and over. : I don't want to trim his ears too much but it looks uncomfortable only just after an hour!


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## Goldylover2 (May 1, 2014)

My last golden Ginger used to get show between her paws all the time. She would stop and lift her paw wanting me to get the snow out. It was hilarious. She was a 95 pound female and her paws were huge. I used to trim her paws with scissors all the time. She didn't mind at all. There are paw mittens you can buy. I never did that, but it's an option.


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## Goldens&Friesians (May 31, 2014)

I'm a groomer and I agree with what others have said: trimming feet and Musher's Secret are great! To trim the feet I use a clipper with a 30 or 15 blade on the bottom of the foot (If you are inexperinced with clippers, I would recommend using the 15 blade or even a 10 blade as it is far less likely to cut or razor burn than a 30 blade). Then I hold the foot and use a slicker brush to brush against the top of the foot to make all the hair between the toes stand up. Using a scissors, I trim the excess hair off the top of the foot. Then I use my fingers to pull up any left-over hair between the toes and trim it off. Make sure when using a scissor that you always know what you are cutting before you chop-I've seen many dogs come in with horrible injuries because the owner tried to cut out a mat or someting and cut the dog. P.S. the youtube video someone else posted was a prety good visual aide to help you learn how to do this. Its not real hard once you get the hang of it!


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