29 Apr Dog’s Paw’s Pads Injuries And How to Care For Them

Paw’s pads injury and their care are a critical issue. The most rigid skin tissue in dogs is the paw’s pads. These spongy pads are located on the lower part of the dog’s paws, absorbing any pressure and injuries caused by running and standing. The dog’s paw’s pads are composed of thick skin layers and a rough surface. Also, many blood vessels pass through the paw’s pads soles that may cause a lot of bleeding when injured.

Symptoms of paw’s pads injury

Injuries to the paw’s pads generally include scratches, punctures, abrasions, burns, etc. But some of the extensive damages and injuries to the paw’s pads never heal. So always watch out for bleeding, limping, the inability of the paws to support the weight, discolouration of the paw’s pads, and excessive toes licking.

Diagnosis of paw’s pads injury

Most paw’s pad injuries are diagnosed by physical examination. Although some injuries, such as tears and abrasions, may be evident on a paw examination, the cause of the damage may not be apparent to the veterinarian. Diagnosis of plantar fasciitis requires additional tests. The veterinarian can biopsy a tissue sample by temporary or local anaesthesia and send it to a laboratory for testing. The lab will find out if the removed tissue is cancerous, infectious or swollen.

When your pet has a minor injury such as a tear, puncture, or scratch, the veterinarian will use a disinfectant to disinfect and clean the affected area and temporarily bandage the site. If necessary, the veterinarian uses Elizabeth collars to prevent licking and detachment of the bandage.

If the paw’s pads are bandaged, it’s necessary to change the bandage, regardless of the extent of the paw damage, because your dog is sweating from the toe area, and the moisture from the sweat spreads on the surface of the bandage. In addition to delaying the healing process of the paw’s pads, this moisture may also lead to infection, so it’s better to change the bandages every 2 to 3 days.

In most injuries, after washing and disinfecting the site, the veterinarian uses sutures to facilitate the healing process of paw’s pads, cuts and wounds. Sometimes, a thick bandage is placed under the suture or a special chip to reduce the injured site’s pressure. Some paw’s pads injuries are such that the veterinarian has to remove layers from the paw. Therefore, stitching isn’t possible in this case. Thus, the veterinarian has to use a bandage or splint after disinfection.

The splint reduces the walking pressure on the paws and helps heal wounds and prevent infection by keeping the wound site clean and dry. Aloe vera gel is used to treat damaged paws, which is very effective. Unfortunately, some injuries are such that there’s no choice but to remove the paw’s pads altogether, and its treatment depends on the paw’s type. Paws tolerate body weight, So in large dogs, a paw graft is necessary, but in cats and small dogs, walking with a lost middle paw won’t be a problem.

Note that at home, in case of minor injuries, thoroughly clean the affected area and immerse it in the disinfectant solution. Avoid licking the wound by the dog, as it may lead to infection. Be sure to contact your veterinarian for more profound and more severe damages and injuries.

Various diseases of dog paws

Dog paw’s pads indicate many diseases and allergies in dogs. So always check your dog’s paw’s pads for damage. If you notice any abnormalities, see a veterinarian immediately. In the following, we will explain several types of dog paw diseases.

fungal infection

If a dog lives in a dirty and humid environment, it’s very likely to get a fungal infection. In this case, if the dog licks its paws more, it will aggravate the disease. Symptoms include swelling, limping, pain, redness, and an unusual odour. Paw’s infection should be treated immediately by a veterinarian.

Bacterial infection

If your dog licks his paws too much, bites them, and generally behaves abnormally towards his paws; He may have a paw’s pads bacterial infection.

Allergies

Some dogs may be allergic to a particular substance. These dogs may start licking or biting their paws if they contact substances they’re allergic to.

Neurodermatitis disease

If dogs lick and bite their paw’s pads too much, they suffer from skin abnormality—excessive paw’s biting and licking cause a rough plaque in that area. If the dog doesn’t have the fungal disease, bacterial infection, dementia, heart trauma, joint problems and allergies, it may be due to mental illness. The psychological causes of this disease are as follows:

• Dog restriction

If you restrict a dog and don’t release him for a long time; You get the comfort feeling from him; So he may hurt his paw’s pads by biting and licking too much.

• Classic ALD disease

It affects dogs whose owners leave them alone for long hours during the day. The disease most often occurs in large dogs; Because they have to drain their energy well every day.

• Burn disease

If you take your dog for a walk in the summer and his paws will burn during the day. Hot asphalt causes severe damage to the claws.

• Frostbite

This problem occurs in winter and cold days. Frostbite causes the dog to suffer and the paws to ache just as much as the burn. To solve this problem, you can provide shoes for your dog in winter.

• Fleas

Fleas are always one of the worst annoyances for dogs. You may think you used flea collars to keep them away from your dog, But it doesn’t end. Fleas can live even in dog paws. It’s also possible that he will still lick his paws even when the flea has left; Because the fleas bite place bothers him.

• Ticks 

Ticks that live on a dog’s body may multiply and cause body and paw’s pads swelling. In this case, your veterinarian may tell you that you need to do a biopsy for your dog. The veterinarian performs tests on the dog’s skin and paws to prescribes medication.

Paw’s pads dryness 

Dog paws may dry out due to walking on surfaces such as pavement, climate change, and so on. To treat dryness, you can get dog and hand protection cream from pet shops. If you want to treat dry pads at home, you can do the following;

• Honey

First, wash the dog’s paws well, dry them thoroughly, pour honey, cover them with sterile gauze, and open it tomorrow morning. Honey softens the paw’s pads.

• coconut oil

Coconut is very high in fat, and dogs love its smell. It’s anti-inflammatory and prevents burning and itching. You can apply coconut oil to your dog’s paw’s pads twice a day. Note that coconut oil doesn’t need to be washed; Instead of coconut oil, you can also use argan oil.

Scratch

Scratches may be caused by an object sinking into the paws. When walking, you need to be careful that your dog doesn’t step on glass and dangerous things.

Wounds

If your dog has any of the following symptoms, you should treat him quickly and take him to the vet as soon as possible. These include excessive paw’s licking and biting, bleeding, paw’s discolouration, limping, inability to walk, and weight-bearing. The vet will diagnose the cause of the dog’s leg pain and then tell you what to do. If your veterinarian finds something suspicious, he or she will suggest that you have the necessary tests done for your dog in the lab. Otherwise, for example, if the dog’s paw’s pads have a hole or scratch, the veterinarian will bandage the paw.

Trimming nails

Dogs are stimulated to lick their paws more if they have very long nails. Trimming a dog’s nails, if it’s excessive and wrong, also provokes him to lick his paws.

Trimming the paw’s hair

Sometimes dogs are bothered by the hair being too long between the paws, so they start licking or biting the paws.

Peace

Some dogs lick their paws to relax and calm down, which is nothing to worry about.

Paw’s pads are an essential part of controlling and preventing dogs from slipping. Lack of regular grooming of this part make many diseases; the type of disease and its treatment method has been described in detail. You can always count on Mishka’s professional team to clean this sensitive area. Our groomers will clean your dog’s paws in the best way, with the best materials and tools.