The 10 Best Dog Paw Balms of 2025

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This product has long been a favorite with pet owners for its effectiveness and non-greasy texture. Plus, it dries in seconds after you massage it into your dog’s paw pads. Originally created in Canada specifically for sled dogs, it contains food-grade waxes, including white and yellow beeswax and vitamin E.

The product absorbs quickly to prevent it from spreading to floors and carpets. (Hint: If it’s greasy, you’re applying too much.) It moisturizes and soothes paw pads but also protects against ice and snowball build-up between toes and salt residue.

Another plus is that it can be used on other areas, including the snout, ears, nipples, elbows, and other hot spots. Speaking of hot, Musher’s Secret Paw helps on hot pavement, too.

The convenient screw-on lid container comes in three sizes, and the product has an indefinite shelf life. It’s safe for use on dogs and cats, as well as on the sole, heel, fetlock, base of tail, and ears of horses. For best results, apply two to three times a week.

_{Ingredients: White and yellow beeswax, carnauba, candelilla wax, vegetable oils, vitamin E | Sizes: 60-gram, 200-gram, 1-pound jar}

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This product, created by a French musher for his sled dogs, absorbs rapidly into paw pads and noses. It contains all-natural ingredients and is made without mineral oil or petroleum-based ingredients, which is appealing to some pet parents. The ingredients are certified organic and grown in Europe, and the product is made in France.

Most pet owners report there’s almost no scent, so it doesn’t seem to bother dogs, even when rubbed onto the nose. It can also be rubbed between the toes to prevent snowball buildup or used for protecting paw pads from hot asphalt or sand.

_{Ingredients: Soybean oil, essential oil of cajuput, glycine max seed oil | Sizes: 1.67-ounce jar}

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If your pup’s nose is dry and scaly, this handy stick makes it super-easy to apply to his snout. It’s made from natural ingredients, such as shea nut butter, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, and vitamin E. It’s also non-toxic and fragrance-free, so it’s less likely to be irritating to an already-sensitive snout.

It also contains no artificial ingredients or preservatives and is a favorite of vets and pet parents alike. 

_{Ingredients: Kukui nut oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, chamomile, hempseed oil, shea nut butter, jojoba oil, candelilla wax, vitamin E, rosemary extract | Sizes: 2-ounce stick; 1-ounce, 2-ounce, 4-ounce tin}

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Stick forms of paw balms can be easier for some pet parents to apply than formulas that come in a tin or jar. All you need to do is rub the stick onto their paw pads, then lightly massage in.

PetLab Co.’s Paw Balm combines carnauba wax and shea butter with coconut, sunflower, hemp, rosemary, sweet almond, and grape seed oil, providing not only skin moisturizing but a multi-factor protective layer that enables healing of your dog’s paws.

It contains no dyes and is manufactured in the United States with globally sourced ingredients.

_{Ingredients: Sweet almond oil, carnauba wax, coconut oil, sunflower oil, rosemary oil | Sizes: 2.4-ounce stick}

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This gel product works on cracked paw pads, noses, and elbows, and can be used on dogs, cats, and horses. The clear, greaseless gel consistency is easy to apply on some dogs, especially squirmy dogs, because it absorbs quickly. It doesn’t leave a residue behind (residues may stimulate your dog to lick even more, aggravating the problem).

The product not only soothes dry skin but also reduces excess keratin. It’s often recommended by vets for dogs that have hyperkeratosis.

_{Ingredients: Microencapsulated salicylic acid (6.6 percent), urea | Sizes: 1-ounce tube}

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If you need a pocket-sized paw-soothing product for when you’re on the go with your pooch, this lip balm-sized container is just right. It’s made from all-natural ingredients, including coconut oil, mango butter, calendula extract, and jojoba oil.

This plant-based product is easy to apply, but it’s only for use on paw pads.

_{Ingredients: Cajeput essential oil, calendula extract, rosemary extract, jojoba oil, hempseed oil, coconut oil, mango butter, cocoa butter, candelilla wax, vitamin E | Sizes: 0.15-, 2-ounce sticks; 1-ounce, 2-ounce, 4-ounce tins; 5-pack travel sticks}

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To hydrate and soothe a dog’s skin, Skout’s Honor Prebiotic Pet Balm is loaded with natural ingredients, including castor seed oil, coconut oil, beeswax, and manuka honey, which provides natural antimicrobial properties. The gentle formula is unlikely to irritate sensitive skin, and it can be used preventatively to keep your dog from experiencing dry skin on their paws or nose.

The alcohol and fragrance-free balm is packaged in a tin that should be sealed entirely after each use to keep it from drying out. To use, you must first break the top layer with your fingertips and then warm it with your hands before applying it to your dog.

The Prebiotic Pet Balm is non-greasy, and a little bit goes a long way. All the ingredients used are considered safe for a pet’s digestive tract, but always limit your dog’s licking of the areas of application as much as possible.

_{Ingredients: Castor seed oil, coconut oil, beeswax, olive oil, shea butter, castor wax, inulin, fructose, argan kernel oil, vitamin E, calendula flower extract, manuka honey | Sizes: 2-ounce jar}

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There’s a reason why this staple from Vermont has been around since 1899. Its simple yet effective four-ingredient formula relieves and protects dry, cracked skin with no stinging. Plus, Bag Balm is budget-friendly.

The long-lasting moisturizer works extremely well on paws and noses. No surprise, it’s highly recommended by users in numerous forums on Reddit, including subreddits for poodles, German Shepherds, and general dog advice. One user even suggests Bag Balm as a great treatment for elbow calluses.

It’s formulated with a strong scent to discourage pets from licking it off, which could also prove to be a big turn-off for pets as well as their parents. Still, if you and your dog can get over disliking the smell, Bag Balm is well worth keeping on hand.

_{Ingredients: Petrolatum, lanolin, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate, paraffin wax | Sizes: .25-ounce, .33-ounce, 2-ounce tubes; 1-ounce, 4-ounce, 8-ounce tins}

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Aquaphor Advanced Therapy Healing Ointment earns a solid reputation when it comes to healing the dry, cracked skin of humans. But did you know that it is also safe to use on pets? This petroleum jelly product is clinically proven to heal dry skin while providing a water-resistant layer of protection.

Trusted by dermatologists and veterinarians, Aquaphor can be used on paws, noses, and other chapped areas of a pet’s skin. However, since it’s made primarily of petroleum products, it is strongly advised to prevent your dog from licking it off their skin.

^{Ingredients: Petrolatum, mineral oil, ceresin, lanolin alcohol, panthenol, glycerin, bisabolol | Sizes: 7-ounce, .35-ounce (2-pack) tubes; 14-ounce jar}

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Another effective, affordable option is Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Pet Formula, designed to relieve dry, chapped skin on your dog’s paw pads and nose. Unlike Aquaphor, this cream balm contains no petroleum products, parabens, phthalates, or fragrance. It’s also plant-based and cruelty-free.

Pet parents like that it uses cocoa butter and vitamin E to help keep their dog’s paw pads and nose soft and smooth, and at a very affordable price. One Amazon reviewer reports, “…this cocoa butter balm worked very quickly to moisturize my dogs nose and his paws!! Leaving each area softer each time I used it. My dog did try to lick it off, so I am happy to report it is safe and non-toxic. The smell is also great!” Palmer’s does recommend that you distract your pup long enough to allow the balm to absorb into their skin, so they’re less likely to ingest too much cocoa butter, which can cause stomach upset.

_{Ingredients: Paraffinum liquidum (mineral oil), cera microcristallina (microcrystalline wax), butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, dimethicone, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, tocopherol, tocopheryl acetate, panthenol, prunus amygdalus Dulcis (sweet almond) oil, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, avena sativa (oat) meal extract, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, zea mays (corn) oil, isopropyl myristate, beta-carotene (Cl 40800) | Sizes: 3.5 fl ounces}