My dog has to have laser surgery on his paws in February to remove large cysts/growths that he's had for about 3years. They have grown in-between his large back paw pad and the front ones on both front feet.
He is having this done at Dick vet animal hospital in Edinburgh (we are in the new forest!!) no other place closer to home and whilst my vet will do conventional surgery, the healing won't be as quick or may cause lots of problems.

He already wears Pawz rubber slipper/boots when out on walks which give some protection and he can carry on with these over the dressings when he goes for walks but what I'm after is some DIY ideas of quick waterproofing when he just needs to go in the garden for a pee, especially in the morning when's he's desperate. The rubber boots are good but aren't quick to get on as are very tight and take a bit of effort . I cant leave on all the time as he feet won't have chance to breath.
I have bought many style boots over the years, velcro ones etc but they don't really stay on and he has big splayed feet so even the largest don't fit in the makes I have bought.
Thought about using plastic bags but it's keeping them on, unless I try and tie round his legs but they may slip off.
Hoping someone on here may have a grand idea of what to try for quickness.
thank you

I was thinking about those loop handle poop bags.  You can firmly tie round the leg very quickly and rip off when finished.  Might be worth a try without you buying anything special.

Mushers Secret!  Available from Amazon and shipped from the States fairly quickly.  Its also great for stopping snow collecting between the paws.  Have used it for years.

Was about to suggest the same golden frenzy.mine came very quickly

thank you,have just tried the poop bag idea(has a bandage on his paw as the lump/growth is sore) and was easy on and stayed on, the only thing he scuffed and made tiny holes, they are thicker bags I use too. Would be ok for brief time out though.

will look at the other recommendation now.

musher secret - wish I had seen this before buying bio balm which is what the vet recommended to help with his feet. The bio beam contains soya which he allergic to

The only thing with mushers secret is that this gets rubbed into feet I need  quick waterproof cover for the bandage paws.

rubber gloves ? I've used them for a dog who had a toe amputated with some success. you will need something to keep them on. what about hair scrunchys ? the small stretchy type they slip on easily and are really cheap. Clare's accessories , the chemist https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whaline-Scrunchies-Elastics-Scrunchy-Bobbles/dp/B075M76F8L/ref=lp_2867997031_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1548696348&sr=1-1

Bit of a long suggestion ......
Supermarket bag for life with the faric threads running thru the heavyish plastic, cut a fairly large circle  - big enough to reach part up his leg, make holes roung the top (preferably fold the top over 1st to make it a bit stronger) run some elastic cord - like you get in anoraks/jackets and fit with one of those toggle things also from jacket hems/waists.
foot goes in middle of circle and you pull the rest up over his 'ankle' and tighten.
Hope you can picture what I mean. wouldn't last for a walk but may work for a quick pee-break/potter in the garden

What about cut down empty Ringer Solution bags ? Quite thick plastic & used by putting holes or slits in the cut down top. Vets usually chuck them out so should be free. My vet usually has a few hanging around.

> The rubber boots are good but aren't quick to get on as are very tight and take a bit of effort

One of mine wears Pawz boots when he goes out in wet weather - you're right, they are quite tight especially if the lower leg is well endowed with bone and/or fur (mine has both!).  To make it easier to get the boots on, and to avoid problems from a too-tight boot, I make a small (about half to one centimetre) snip in the top of the neck of the boot. Over time the snip elongates slightly, but I usually get a couple of weeks' wear out of them before they get too loose. I hope this might help.

How about the suggestion of Tatty-ead, but using waterproof neoprene fabric. Can be bought by the metre & perhaps strong enough to punch holes for something like a shoelace or velcro to do up? Best wishes & good luck.

I am liking the idea of using a bag for life and adapting, I've got a couple of weeks to get making so might have a go
My friend works in a vets and she also suggested empty IV saline bags as the vets save them especially for dogs with poorly paws, she's going to see if she get me a couple, plus I will ask my vet.

MERRYPAWS how do you get them to last a couple of weeks?? my dog will usually go through one about every 4th day, making holes in them so they become less effective as let water and grit in. We do forest walks, mixture of gravel paths and tracks and softer grass terrain. He has dreadful feet though and puts a lot of pressure on the due to bad hips and knees on back legs.

Ask Vet for blood bags, very strong and slip on easily and have ready holes to put ribbon etc to tie on

> how do you get them to last a couple of weeks??

This boy doesn't need his feet kept totally dry; his problem is that in wet weather he picks up tiny pieces of grit which work up deep in between his pads and cause abrasions. The boots keep the grit out, and he can cope with damp toes (dried and paws inspected when we get home!).  After each wearing I wash the boots and inspect them for holes or tears, turn them inside out to dry, and sprinkle a tiny bit of talcum powder inside when I turn them right way about.  He is not the most active of dogs, he usually goes at the pace his nose will allow (loves sniffing!) but we walk on a variety of terrain including gravel and tarmac. I do try to avoid small sharp gravel though, as that does wear them out quicker, but he wears them on water-worn gravel such as a beach and is fine. His legs are sound though, and he is really quite light on his paws.

Incidentally, the first sort of Pawz I bought were the ones with a different colour for each size and we used them happily until last year when I found some less expensive, same brand but all sizes black.  Oh my! they turned out to be much thinner and less robust. They are now relegated to the "emergency kit" box just in case and we went back to his nice smart coloured ones.

Yes its the grit and wet that cause abrasions on the non paw pad lumps, he could do with a thicker more protective boot but I've tried all sorts and none stay on like the Pawz. I was told the black ones were thicker so I got some, they are Pawz though. I think they're about the same in robustness but if pushed the purple could be slightly better.

cant wait for the laser surgery and hopefully this will be an end to ever problematic paws, the constant soreness for him and forever trying to find new ways of keeping them clean.

The dermatology vet at Dick Vet animal hospital  has told me to get Renasan to clean his feet with everyday after surgery before redressing. Hadn't heard of it before but on reading up about its seems pretty good stuff to use on most things, so I have bought it. It doesn't sting which is a bonus.

I'm interested about the lumps on your dog's paws - did the growths actually follow abrasions, or did they grow spontaneously and then get abraded? My boy grew some lumps which sound similar to the ones you describe, but they are not cysts but firm tissue; they seem a bit like fleshy buttresses.  They occurred after he had got tiny slivers of grit deep inside the paws right between and behind the pads.  Apart from being "odd" and a bit tender, since they've never grown normal black paw skin, they don't trouble him. I let his paw hair grow a bit long to give some protection and he wears his boots in the wet and in very hot or very cold weather.

Best wishes for your boy.  I hope his surgery goes well and solves his problems.

Thanks for telling us about the Renasan. It looks like really useful stuff.

Hi merrypaws
the first one grew at about 14 weeks and initially the vet thought something in it but it didn't go and when they biopsied not sure much showed up. It was tiny but didnt take long to grow and then the other foot developed the same. They are quite fleshy and don't have the protection of a normal paw pad so as soon as on rough ground and running about they graze, the skin comes off and so are very sore.

We've tried everything which has included dermo referral to specialist who because of Normans endless allergies put him on cyclosporine which is atopica. this made no difference either. I have managed to eliminate all food stuffs he is allergic to but the environmental stuff is impossible. He has to wear the rubber boot/slipper out to help stop the lumps getting sore. there have been times when he can go a few days without them and they are ok but that doesn't last long. I think the more protection they get the softer and more susceptible to getting sore they become.
he also gets cyctopoint injection every few months to stop him scratching. Apoquel didnt agree with him.

We think they formed because he has bad conformation in is back end, hips are dreadful and has had two knee ops (same side) for luxating patellas (both sides but one was worse) he's also had both elbows operated on. A lot of weight has gone on his front feet and his paws are quite splayed now. Its been very difficult with him and trying to manage all his issues and a few times we have been close to putting to sleep but its hard and we keep going but this is the last op we are putting him through. He is 4 yrs old.

I can send you pictures if you would like? or attach on here if I knew how!

Hi Lorripop
They sound similar, but your boy's ones seem much more tender than my lad's.  When I showed them to our vet, she didn't seem too concerned about them and didn't suggest any treatment other than keeping him off hard and sharp ground, and protection. When they were "new" - this was in 2013 and he was already 7 years old - they were fairly tender, although they didn't graze and I kept him as far as possible on soft surfaces and limited walks.  We tried various sorts of boots, which either fell off, twisted round, or otherwise had to be refixed several times during a walk, so I was very glad to find the Pawz. (He still manages to twist them back-to-front, but they don't fall off, and the twisting doesn't matter.)

It's become so much a matter of course now that he wears his boots if the conditions are adverse - in normal dry weather or slightly damp he goes out bare-paw - that I almost don't think of it.  When I trim his paws I have a quick check, but the lumps seem stable; hair is growing from them and I can touch them without him reacting.

Co-incidentally, he shortly afterwards had hydrotherapy for an unrelated problem (spondylosis) and after the course was ended he continued with "fun swims" because a) he enjoyed swimming so much, and b) it provided good quality exercise to replace what he lost because of his paws.  The action of swimming caused him to open and close his paws, which may have helped to tighten his paws.  Writing this, I wonder if Norman has had hydrotherapy and if it would be helpful for his poor hips and legs?

I've looked to see if I've got any photos of them in their earlier stages but don't seem to. 

I do hope this op will be the solution, it must be so hard to see the dog you love suffering so. All best wishes.

Hi Lorripop, I've PM'd you.