Make Your Own Puppy Paw Balm

I found a great recipe over at Simple. Honest. Essential for puppy paw balm. I filed it away when I saw it, as we were about 2 months dog-less when that post was made. But now, we have a new puppy and she is experiencing her first winter. It has been pretty mild in the midwest with just 2 short snows that left a small dusting the first time, and only 1-2 inches that melted within a day the second time. However, Christmas Eve we got about 4 inches, and Christmas Day we were below freezing (Boxing Day we were sub-zero!).

So now, our little almost-5-month puppy has to go potty in sub-zero temps. She is not a fan, let me tell you. While this means she goes fast, it also means she does not want to be outside. In fact, the first sub-zero excursion had her trying to keep her little paws out of the snow, not wanting to squat, and eventually toppling over because she couldn't figure out how to balance herself to do her business and keep her feet up. Don't worry--she is fine, we were only outside a couple minutes and she got promptly picked up and carried back inside.

However, between the cold and salt I knew her little puppy paws were in for a shock. So I dug through my bookmarks to find this recipe and whip up some paw protection and soothing relief for her. It was super easy to make, and I had most of the ingredients on hand! Because I was feeling lazy, I opted to melt everything in a small glass dish in the microwave--it worked just fine but took a bit to cool down, so I waited until the dish was room temp to add the essential oils. Instead of chapstick tubes, which would probably make application easier, I just opted for a small 2 oz jar. As a bonus, this works well for your hands and smells great, so if you have to use a jar as well it's not a big deal making a little mess ;)


Luckily for me, Braxton seems completely unphased by the balm. I used 5 drops of each oil because essential oils are not new to my home and I figured the smell would not bother her. I was correct. She let me put it on, does not go after her paws after application, and frankly doesn't even seem to notice. I noticed though, as she was moving around a little better outside and whining less when we came back in. I've also noticed some rougher/chapped patches of her pads returning to normal. She doesn't really fight us playing with her paws, but I think she knows this is good stuff as she just sits there calmly any time I want to apply it.