The Edit — Pets
Dog Paws and Winter Road Salt: Booties, Balm and a Towel
The ASPCA's winter advice comes down to 3 habits: a barrier before the walk, a wash and dry after it, and a look between the toes. Here is the kit for each, and the one boot owners keep on their dogs.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
This page reads the ASPCA’s published guidance and each product’s listing against what owners report, and the 6 picks are ranked as How we choose describes. Nothing here was used or tested.
Burt's Bees for Pets Nose and Paw Balm
Good fit Pads are already dry or rough after a week of salted walks
Not for You want a barrier to put on before the walk
Good fit Your dog will not wear booties
Not for Your route is thick with salt slush every day
Tuff Pupper Quick Dry Dog Towel, 35 x 15 in
Good fit You want the drying step to take a minute at the door
Not for You have a giant breed and want one towel for the whole dog
Safe Paw Pet-Safe Ice Melt, 8 lb
Good fit Your dog walks your own steps and driveway several times a day
Not for You need the fastest melt at the lowest temperatures
Dexas MudBuster Paw Cleaner, Medium
Good fit You want the salt off before it is licked or tracked indoors
Not for Your dog will not let you hold a paw in a cup
XSY&G Dog Snow Boots, Medium to Large
Good fit Your city route is salted heavily and your dog accepts boots
Not for You cannot measure a paw before ordering
Road salt dries and cracks paw pads, so the ASPCA says wash it off
Rock salt and chemical de-icers cover salted sidewalks all winter, and a dog walks through them on bare pads. The ASPCA gives 3 remedies: booties to limit contact, petroleum jelly or a similar barrier on the pads before going out, and a wash and dry after every walk.
The same guidance says to check for cracked pads and redness between the toes while drying. That check is the early warning: a rough pad is far easier to look after than a split one.
Musher’s Secret wax is the barrier before the walk
A paw wax goes on the pads before the walk and puts a layer between skin and salt. Musher’s Secret is the long-standing name, sold in a 60 g tub, and it is the choice for a dog that will not wear boots.
Musher's Secret Paw Wax, 60 g
A 60 g tub of paw wax that goes on before a walk and puts a layer between the pad and the salt.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Size | 60 g (2.1 oz) |
|---|---|
| Type | Wax |
| Use | Before the walk |
Owners say a small amount goes a long way and that it leaves pads softer, with a light scent dogs do not mind. Several describe a visible improvement within days of starting it in winter.
Wax thins with a long walk through slush, so it is a barrier for everyday sidewalks, not for an hour on a salted road.
Buy it if
- Your dog will not wear booties
Don't buy it if
- Your route is thick with salt slush every day
Boots block salt completely, if your dog keeps them on
Boots are the only option that keeps salt off the skin altogether, and the ASPCA recommends them. The catch is the dog: some walk happily in them within a day, and some never do.
XSY&G’s boots rate above the best-known pair, from QUMY. They use 2 reflective hook-and-loop straps per boot and are sized by the width of the paw, so measure before ordering.
XSY&G Dog Snow Boots, Medium to Large
Fabric boots with rubber soles and 2 reflective hook-and-loop straps each, sized by paw width.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Closure | 2 hook-and-loop straps |
|---|---|
| Size 6 | 2.9 x 2.5 in, 52 to 70 lb |
| Sole | Rubber, anti-slip |
Owners find them easy to put on and adjust, and report them holding up on muddy hikes, snow and city sidewalks, across breeds from German Shepherds to toy poodles. The complaints are about fit and long-term wear, and tightening the straps after the first few steps is the common advice.
The best-known pair, from QUMY, stood at 4.0 across 36,151, and its owners split the same way on sizing.
Buy it if
- Your city route is salted heavily and your dog accepts boots
Don't buy it if
- You cannot measure a paw before ordering
A MudBuster and a towel at the door do the washing
The wash-and-dry step works best when the kit lives at the door, because salt left on the paws is carried indoors and licked off. The Dexas MudBuster is a cup of soft silicone bristles: add water, put a paw in, twist, and lift it out.
A towel finishes the job. Tuff Pupper’s 35 by 15 inch microfiber towel has a hand pocket at each end, which helps with legs and paws.
Dexas MudBuster Paw Cleaner, Medium
A cup of soft 1 inch silicone bristles: add water, insert a paw, twist, and dry.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Bristles | 1 in silicone |
|---|---|
| Medium fits | Paws 1.5 to 2.5 in |
| Sizes | Small, medium, large |
Owners of active dogs call it one of the most useful things they have bought, and say their dogs accept it. The medium fits paws from 1.5 to 2.5 inches, and the recurring complaint is sizing: check the width of the paw against the 3 sizes.
Buy it if
- You want the salt off before it is licked or tracked indoors
Don't buy it if
- Your dog will not let you hold a paw in a cup
Tuff Pupper Quick Dry Dog Towel, 35 x 15 in
A 35 by 15 inch microfiber chenille towel with a hand pocket at each end for legs and paws.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Size | 35 x 15 in, 1 in thick |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Microfiber chenille |
| Grip | 2 hand pockets |
Owners find it absorbent and good for the final dry, with the chenille getting down into the coat. Some find it smaller than expected for big dogs, and durability draws mixed reports.
The Bone Dry towel is the larger alternative, 4.5 across 11,177, though its size also divides owners.
Buy it if
- You want the drying step to take a minute at the door
Don't buy it if
- You have a giant breed and want one towel for the whole dog
Burt’s Bees balm repairs what the walk cracked
A balm is for after the walk, on clean, dry pads that are already rough. Burt’s Bees for Pets sells a 0.45 oz beeswax and cocoa butter balm for pads and noses, and states that it is not for deep cuts or bleeding.
Burt's Bees for Pets Nose and Paw Balm
A 0.45 oz beeswax and cocoa butter balm for dry pads and noses, unscented, made in the USA.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Size | 0.45 oz |
|---|---|
| Base | Beeswax, cocoa butter |
| Use | After cleaning, on dry pads |
Owners report it working on dry bulldog noses and on rough pads in larger breeds, and like that it goes on easily with no scent. The tin is small at 0.45 oz, so a large dog goes through it quickly.
The Natural Dog Company Paw Soother stick, 4.5 across 10,532, is the better-known balm, and some of its owners find it pricey for its size.
Buy it if
- Pads are already dry or rough after a week of salted walks
Don't buy it if
- You want a barrier to put on before the walk
Any crack that bleeds, a limp, or redness that spreads is a question for a vet, not a balm.
Pet-safe ice melt covers the steps you control
Your own steps and path are the one surface you choose the de-icer for. Safe Paw is salt- and chloride-free, and its listing states it works down to -2°F and holds off refreezing for up to 72 hours.
Safe Paw Pet-Safe Ice Melt, 8 lb
A salt- and chloride-free melter rated to -2°F, for the steps and path your dog uses every day.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Works to | -2°F, stated |
|---|---|
| Formula | Salt- and chloride-free |
| Size | 8 lb jug |
Owners find it gentle on paws, which is the reason to buy it. The melting itself divides them: some report ice gone within half an hour, and others say it did little. Several also find it expensive against rock salt.
It does nothing about the sidewalk beyond your gate, so wax and washing still matter.
Buy it if
- Your dog walks your own steps and driveway several times a day
Don't buy it if
- You need the fastest melt at the lowest temperatures
Short-coated and small dogs feel the cold before the salt matters; when a dog needs a coat covers that, and dog coats, compared lists the coats. For the driveway itself, ice melt types compares rock salt, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride and salt-free melts.
Prices, savings and deal badges are Amazon's own, read from Amazon within the last hour. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Keep reading
Compared
Cat Litters Compared: Clay, Silica, Pine and TofuThe litter owners rate highest is not the one most cats prefer. Clay, crystals, pine and tofu, compared.
Explainer
How Many Litter Boxes Per Cat, and Where to Put ThemTwo cats need three litter boxes, not two. Where they go matters as much as how many.
Head to head
Bissell Little Green vs Hoover CleanSlate for Pet StainsBoth lift a puppy accident out of carpet. Which hose fails, and why does hot water make urine worse?