Sorry back to the original question. Have you ever tried Utter Balm (wow is that going to start up a whole other set of comments
) You can get it at the pet store, feed store, even the CVS or other pharmacy. It was originally for cows utters, but people started using it on pets, now people use it. I've used it on the dogs in the winter (also makes a great barrier for the wet and cold) and last yr I had really bad dry skin and used it w/ footies, smells a bit but at night under the covers who care, plus it worked GREAT. It softens it w/o making it too delicate, the skin/pads stay strong. We used it a lot in the vets office and the one nurse started using it on her hands then I bought some. It's a big can and a little goes a long way.