Protecting Your Pooch’s Paws

Ron Miller 07/31/2013

We often give the protection of our dogs paws little thought but we should. Protecting your pooch’s paws is a good thing to do for such a faithful and loving buddy.  The pads on a dog’s feet are much thicker and well designed for the wild wolves they are descendant from, but in the modern world our dogs walk over many surfaces a wild wolf never has to contend with. Sun baked pavement and sidewalks can reach temperatures well over one hundred degrees, and this is just one surface many people walk their pooches on, so protecting your pooch’s paws should be a part of your care for all dogs you own.

Many dogs are not happy when you start messing with their paws and it can be a real struggle. Always be gentle and speak to you dog in a calm reassuring voice when touching their paws. The area between the toe nails is very sensitive and this is where most paw injuries occur so if you see your dog favoring a foot or limping, this area is where to look first.

Common injuries are cuts, burns from walking on the hot pavement, embedded glass or even small nails stuck into the paws. Protecting your pooch’s paws means never allowing your dog access to areas where there is a high probability of stepping on these items. This would include construction sites, areas around your home where you have sharp tools and nails as in a workshop, in parks where there may be broken glass bottles, and on the sharp ice during winter.

If it is obvious your dog has a problem with a paw gently look at the paw and if you see a piece of glass or a wood splinter remove this with tweezers. Apply a good antiseptic crème and wrap the paw on soft gauze. If there is a cut or bleeding use the same procedure and avoid walking the dog or allowing them to romp in the yard until the cut has healed.

The pads on your dog’s feet are prone to cracking creating a very painful foot so if this is common to your dog apply a good coating of lotion or crème and wrap.

Another thing to watch out for, especially in longer-haired dogs, is knots of fur growing between their toes. This can become quite painful. This is a problem for our Maltese-mix, but not for our Shi-poo mix even though both have long fur. You never know what dog may have the problem. If your dog starts limping or showing other signs of painful paws, don’t forget to check for this potential problem.

There is also the option of purchasing dog booties for your dog to wear, but what self-respecting pooch wants to be seen wearing pink booties! Besides, the dog usually pulls them off with his teeth and proceeds to reduce them to a pile of rubble. However, they can be good if your dog is outside a lot in snowy areas. They will keep ice balls from building up between the toes — IF you can keep them on the dog!

Protecting your pooch’s paws is not difficult when you use common sense and consider where you allow your pooch to walk and play.