How to Make Whipped Tallow Paw Balm for Dogs
If your dog has dry or cracked paws, a natural moisturizer can help make them more comfortable. Try this DIY whipped tallow paw balm recipe made with just two non-irritating and lick-safe ingredients. Your furry friend will love it!
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Last winter, I noticed some irritation on my dog’s paws, so I rubbed some unscented tallow balm that I had made for myself on them. It worked wonders!
If your dog has dry or cracked paws, a natural moisturizer can help make them more comfortable.
Here is my recipe for whipped tallow paw balm with just two non-irritating and lick-safe ingredients.
Paw Balm Ingredients
Anything that goes on your dog’s paws should be safe to ingest because they will likely lick some of the moisturizer! I formulated my paw balm with tallow and olive oil which are both natural, edible ingredients that are safe for dogs to consume.
Things to avoid are alcohol and fragrances (even essential oils) because they can be irritating or toxic to animals. To be safe, you should consult with your veterinarian before applying a paw balm.
Materials Needed for Making Whipped Tallow Paw Balm
- Stove
- Saucepan
- Rubber spatula
- Kitchen scale
- Stand mixer with bowl
- Flex edge beater attachment
- Jars to store the balm
I prefer to melt my tallow on the stovetop in a saucepan so that I can heat it slowly while stirring with a rubber spatula. You could use a microwave, but it is easy to overheat. You don’t want to cook the tallow, just warm it until it changes from a solid to a liquid.
Use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and a stand mixer to whip the tallow balm (I love my KitchenAid). The flex edge beater attachment works well and ensures that the tallow from the sides of the bowl gets incorporated. If you don’t have a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer works too.
Tallow balm is shelf-stable and stores well in glass or plastic containers. The recipe below will make about 20 ounces of balm, I put it into five 4-ounce jars.
Ingredients for Making Whipped Tallow Paw Balm
Tallow is the main ingredient in the paw balm; olive oil is added to make the balm softer and easier to rub in. You can adjust the recipe to your liking, but the ratio that I recommend is three parts tallow to one part olive oil.
If you want to learn how to render your own tallow from suet, click here to read my other article.
Directions for Making Whipped Tallow Paw Balm
- Using a kitchen scale, weigh out 300 grams of rendered tallow and place it into a saucepan
- Adjust the burner to the lowest setting and warm the tallow on your stovetop, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula
- Once the tallow has liquified, transfer it to your stand mixer bowl
- Place the mixing bowl with the melted tallow on your kitchen scale, tare it out, and add 100 grams of olive oil
- Stir until combined
- Allow the mixture to cool until it is hardening, but not completely firm. I put my bowl into the refrigerator for about a half hour to speed up the process. It should be soft enough for you to dent it with your finger when it is ready to whip
- Put the flex edge beater attachment on your stand mixer and affix the mixing bowl.
- Begin whipping the tallow balm on the lowest speed. In a minute or two, you can speed it up to medium.
- Whip the tallow balm until it is white, light, and fluffy
- Transfer the whipped tallow balm into storage jars with a small rubber spatula
- Affix lids and label
- Rub on your pup’s paws as needed!
Directions for Using Whipped Tallow Paw Balm
First wipe your dog’s paws to dry them and remove any dirt, then apply a small amount of tallow balm and rub it in until it is absorbed (a little bit goes a long way). Distract your dog with a toy or treat if necessary. Apply as needed to moisturize and protect foot pads from harsh conditions.
