How to Care for Your Dog’s Worn Down Pads

Are the pads on your dog’s feet worn down or cracked? Does your dog frequently bite or chew on its feet?

Your dog’s pads can become worn down due to age, injury, or numerous other reasons.

When this happens, it is essential that you take the time to properly care for their pads. This will prevent both pain and potentially long-term damage.

Keep the Paws Bandaged

A dog’s pads are covered in a thick outer layer that helps to keep them protected.

When this layer gets worn down or damaged, it can expose the much more sensitive inner layer.

Although the outer layer will usually grow back naturally over time, walking will still be painful until this happens.

The best way to overcome this issue is to keep the paws bandaged or wrapped until they have healed.

Doing so will help to minimize the pain they experience when walking.

It will also help prevent further damage and speed up the healing process.

Treat Any Wounds Immediately

Worn-out pads tend to be much more susceptible to injury.

For this reason, it is imperative that you frequently check your dog’s pads to ensure they aren’t injured or damaged.

If you notice any cuts, raw spots, blisters, or other injuries, you need to immediately treat them with an over-the-counter pet wound care product.

This is vital to both ensure the wound heals and also to prevent infections.

Avoid Walking Your Dog on Hot Pavement

Worn-out pads are much more sensitive, which can make walking on hot pavement especially painful.

It also increases the risk of the pads getting burned or blistered.

For this reason, it is a good idea to avoid situations where your dog would have to walk on hot concrete or asphalt.

The easiest way to do this is to walk your dog during the mornings or evenings when the ground is cooler instead of walking them during the hottest parts of the day.

Use Booties or Bandages to Protect Their Paws from the Cold

Snow, ice, and excessively cold temperatures can also cause the same issues as walking on hot pavement.

This makes it important that you also take steps to protect your dog’s worn-out pads from the cold.

If your dog will allow it, using booties or wrapping your dog’s paws is an easy way to shield them from the cold.

Alternatively, you can also just minimize the amount of time they spend outside when the weather is exceptionally cold to help prevent further damage to their pads.

Any injuries or damage to your dog’s pads can make it extremely painful for them to walk and hinder them from living a normal life.

Therefore, it is vital that you pay attention to the condition of their pads and take the appropriate steps to minimize their pain and hopefully prevent further damage.