Salt, ice and granite: winter paw care on Cape Ann

Road salt and the liquid de-icers sprayed on Gloucester's Main Street, the Rockport line platform and every Cape Ann shopping lot dry the pad's surface until it cracks, and the AVMA's cold weather guidance adds the second problem: a dog that licks the residue off its feet swallows it, and some de-icers are toxic in small amounts. The AVMA tells owners to check paws often in winter for cracked pads or bleeding, and to wipe down feet, legs and belly after a walk on treated ground.

Ice is a different injury. Long hair between the toes collects slush that freezes into balls, which spread the toes and rub the webbing raw; the AVMA notes that sudden lameness on a winter walk is often ice packed between the toes rather than a sprain. Granite is Cape Ann's own problem. The ledges and slabs on Dogtown Common, the quarry rim at Halibut Point and the stone steps of half the town hold cold longer than asphalt and ice first in a freeze, so a paw that grips fine on the road slips and scrapes on the rock. Small, thin-coated, old and very young dogs, the AVMA adds, lose heat fastest and need the shortest outings.

The AVMA says to check paws often in winter for cracked pads or bleeding, and a pad that is bleeding, a toe that stays swollen, or a dog that will not bear weight on a foot after the ice is cleared needs your vet's eye. We do not suggest home remedies for an open pad. Between the two extremes, a dry, rough pad that is not cracked is normal winter wear; ask your vet or our groomers whether a balm is worth it for your dog.

Two winter emergencies sit alongside the paws. Antifreeze in a driveway puddle is sweet-tasting and deadly, and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is the number to call, at any hour, if you think your dog has licked it. A dog that has broken through the ice on Niles Pond or a Rockport quarry needs a vet quickly. If your own clinic is closed, Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn is open 24 hours.

The winter dog walks page is the companion to this one: where the footing holds, and why the off-season beach beats the trail in January. The nor'easter page covers the storm itself and the week of salt that follows. Two how-tos go deeper on the hands: washing salt off paws after a winter walk, and cooperative care for nail trims, which is the same skill you need to handle a sore foot. The Halibut Point and Dogtown Common pages both warn about the granite.

For the beach alternative, Gloucester's public beaches take dogs October 1 to April 30 at the time of writing, Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd, and Rockport's beaches are open to dogs outside the June 1 to September 15 ban. Packed sand at low tide is soft, flat and free of road salt, which makes a February walk at Wingaersheek the kindest winter exercise on Cape Ann for a dog with tender feet.