Our Top Paw Balms

Definitely a must in New England, this stuff can protect your pups’ paws from melting salt and ice clumps, which can really make walks unpleasant. We don’t recommend booties because they are tricky to get on and often get lost on walks. Just apply some of these to your dog’s paws before the walk and you’re ready for your winter walk.

What we try to avoid in paw balm:

  • Anything scented

  • Products that are re-branded Vaseline

What we look for in paw balm:

  • Natural ingredients

  • Non-petroleum based if possible

Our Top Pick:

Vaseline

Seems super simple, but this is the easiest (cheapest!) solution. Works as well as anything we’ve seen out there, and odds are you already have it in the house. There is a possibility that licking and digesting a lot of it could make your dog sick, but we’ve never experienced that.

Best Parts:

  • Easy to apply and long lasting

  • Cheaper than most other balms

Stuff We Don’t Love (but not deal breakers):

  • Uses petroleum, so not so green

  • Can potentially make your dog sick if they lick off a large amount

 

Our Top Green Pick:

Musher’s Secret Paw Wax

This is a really popular product and does the job really well. It’s much greener than Vaseline because it’s made from wax and not petroleum jelly. It is more expensive, but we really like it.

Best Parts:

  • Works great on paws in all kinds of conditions

  • Made from waxes not petroleum jelly’s

  • Comes in a variety of sizes

Stuff We Don’t Love (but not deal breakers):

  • More expensive than Vaseline

  • Natural ingredients so less of a problem if your dog licks it off their paws

 

Another Good Choice:

Bag Balm Pet

Similar in effect to Vaseline and Musher’s Secret, Bag Balm Pet advertises itself as able to handle dry noses and hot spots as well. We haven’t tried it for those purposes, and it is pretty expensive, but it does work well for protecting paws. It does also contain petroleum products.

Best Parts:

  • Easy to apply and effective

  • Can potentially help with dry noses and hot spots

Stuff We Don’t Love (but not deal breakers):

  • We haven’t tried it for noses or hot spots

  • Contains petroleum

  • Could potentially cause a reaction in your dog if digested in large amounts