Hello - not all pain in the foot is from holes in the bottom of the foot. There is arthritis (juvenile arthritis as well as big dog arthritis); there are other reasons for painful joints. Similarly, not all dogs with pain in their feet have holes in the bottom of the foot. If your dog is resisting their feet being handled, it may be behavioural. However I would argue against assuming that to be the case and get them checked to ensure that there is no underlying evidence for pain in the feet. There is no need to apply Mushers Secret where I live but I know that if it is simply behavioural, there will be other dogs who do not accept this product on their feet also; there will be other ways of coping with the weather conditions. Not all of these will be appropriate and a chat to your vet or nurse should give you some idea as to how to proceed.
So my suggestion would be to:
- have the medical team rule out underlying pain in the leg
- ask your vet for advice about the problem of the cold
I hope that this helps.