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It's spring here in the Pacific Northwest (although it feels like summer) and Rodrigo has been licking his paws a lot.  It's the grass, especially wet grass, that makes his paws itchy and I've learned how to help him naturally.  His paws also bother him in the fall (more rainy weather) and the winter (the snow).

He loves being outside so I know that I have to protect his paws to avoid the misery when we come back inside.

How I Naturally Treat Itchy Paws

In the spring and fall, the itchy paws are caused by environmental allergies which I treat through diet (raw feeding improves the immune system), probiotics, and local raw honey or bee pollen.  80% of the immune system lives in the gut so it's important to help our dogs produce healthy gut biome.  I give my dogs the following:

• Fullbucket Daily Canine Powder
• In Clover OptaGest – a prebiotic for pets (use KTTW10 for a 10% discount on FullBucket)
• Raw Goat's Milk and Kefir
• Fermented Vegetables

These natural probiotics (and prebiotic) are a great first step.  The next step is adding local raw honey (or bee pollen) to Rodrigo's diet.

• Local Raw Honey
• K9 Honey (with pollen from 9 regions of America – and it's delicious)
• Bee Pollen by Wholistic Pet Organics

DIY Pet Wipes for Your Dog

While the above steps help Rodrigo, there are two more things that I do when the season starts.  I give Rodrigo CBD oil for pets (it has so many benefits).  The paw licking can become obsessive and the CBD oil calms him down and helps him relax.

The second thing is to keep his paws clean.  I'm not a fan of the baby or paw wipe products we find in the stores because of the ingredients.  If my dog's paws are irritated, treating them with chemicals isn't going to make him feel better.  So I use the following NATURAL solutions to give my dog some relief.

Please note that the following recipe is for dogs only; not cats or other pets.

What You'll Need for your DIY Pet Wipes

• An old t-shirt, old jersey sheets, or t-shirt fabric from the store, cut into squares that are about 6x the size of your dog's paws.  You can also use paper towels, cut into squares, but it just creates more garbage to be hauled away, so I think we should recycle old clothes.

• A Rubbermaid container to store wipes (3-cups is a good size).

• 12 ounces of pure aloe vera gel; make sure that it doesn't have a thickening agent.  The one I found is Aloe Vera Gel by SEVEN Minerals on Amazon.  Otherwise, look in the refrigerator section of the natural or health food section of your store.

• 10 drops of lavender oil (less if your dog is sensitive to scents).

• 2 tablespoons of liquid coconut oil; you can use regular coconut oil, however, since it returns to a solid form quickly, mix everything outside on a hot day to keep it liquid until it's absorbed into the wipes.

Making Your DIY Pet Wipes

• Mix the aloe vera gel, coconut oil, and lavender oil in a bowl.

• Pour mixture over the wipes or paper towels and seal for 10-15 minutes; flip container a few times, allowing to sit for 10 minutes to allow ingredients to completely permeate the wipes.

• If using paper towels, remove cardboard center and pull your wipes from the center.

Your DIY Pet Wipes Shopping List

• An old t-shirt, old jersey sheets, or t-shirt fabric from the store
• A Rubbermaid container
• Aloe Vera Gel by SEVEN Minerals
• 10 drops of lavender oil
• 2 tablespoons of liquid coconut oil

Quick and Easy Pet Wipes Solution for Dogs

If you don't have time for this DIY project, here is a quick and easy solution that you can whip together in a few minutes.  In a bowl, mix…

• 50% organic apple cider vinegar (I use Braggs apple cider vinegar) and
• 50% water

Use a soft hand towel to soak up the solution and wipe down your dog's paws thoroughly.  The room will smell like you dyed Easter eggs, but the smell goes away quickly.

When you're finished, if you're dog won't be going outside for an hour or so, rub your dog's paws with extra virgin coconut oil; I use Nutiva.  It's a natural antibacterial and antifungal that will take soothe your dog's paws.  I also massage Rodrigo's paws at bedtime too.  He does lick his paws, but he's licking the coconut oil, not because his paws are itchy.

Paw Wipes Recipe by Simply Earth

Simply Earth is a subscription service for essential oil lovers!  When it comes to essential oils, I'm a bit nervous when I'm introduced to new companies because this is not my specialty.  Lucky for me, I have a friend who is brilliant on this topic and she liked what this company is offering.

Essential oils are becoming a growing part of the health community for both humans and pets.  They are expensive and it's not always possible to discern the quality products from the ones we should avoid.  Simply Earth is taking that complicated step away by delivering quality oils as part of a subscription box and they were kind enough to share this recipe with me.

Ingredients:

• 1 ⅔ cups of distilled water
• 2 tbsp Aloe Vera
• 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 16 drops Geranium Oil
• 1 Tbsp Castile Soap (I prefer Dr. Bronner's unscented for babies because it's sensitive)
• 1 Tbsp Jojoba Oil
• Plastic Container with a lid you can cut a hole into or an old wipes container
• 1 roll of heavy-duty, high-quality paper towels

Directions:

• Cut the paper towels in half and set aside.
• In your plastic container blend the water and aloe vera.
• Add the castile soap and aloe vera to your mixture.
• Next, add the jojoba oil and mix well.
• Add the geranium. Ensure all ingredients are completely blended.

At this time place one half of the paper towel in the plastic container.  Pour the liquid over the halved paper towel roll and rotate the container to ensure full coverage. Allow to fully soak in for about 5-8 minutes. Feel free to rotate the paper towel roll itself to ensure full coverage as well. Use as needed to wipe your dog's paws.

Check out Simply Earth today!

Store Bought Paw Wipes I Recommend

At this time, there aren't any commercial paw wipes that I'd recommend, however, I'll update this post if I learn of any new ones with ingredients I trust.