Healthy vs Unhealthy Dog Paws: How to Identify and Treat Common Paw Problems
It’s normal for dog owners to worry about every facet of their pets’ health, including the distinction between healthy vs unhealthy dog paws. Dog feet are susceptible to harm since there is nothing to shield them from the ground. Furthermore, it is almost impossible for a dog to continue moving around painlessly when their paws are damaged or infected. Paw issues can be brought on by infections, parasites, allergies, and injuries, and many of their symptoms are similar. Here’s how to recognize the symptoms of problems and how to distinguish between an unhealthy and a healthy dog paw.
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Healthy vs unhealthy dog paws look?
Let’s start with the qualities you should search for in a healthy dog paw. Puppies’ paw pads are incredibly delicate and squishy at birth, but as they grow, the skin covering them becomes thicker and coarser. Walking on uneven terrain is less likely to cause cuts or injury thanks to this modification. Moreover, it increases your pet’s traction on smooth surfaces. Dogs have extremely clean paws, even though they wander around with nothing between their feet and the earth. They have a lot less bacteria on them than our shoe soles!
Your dog’s feet should have smooth, supple skin below and uniform, clean, and dry fur with no bald patches. The nails ought to be kept short enough to stay off the ground. Each paw should comfortably and equally support your dog’s weight as they stand and walk around.
The smell of healthy dog paws is unique and resembles popcorn or corn chips. The majority of dog owners find this odour, which is caused by benign bacteria on their skin, to be inoffensive. Sometimes, stress or hot weather can cause healthy paws to sweat as well (for example, leaving sweaty paw prints on the veterinarian’s examination table).
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What are the Reasons for Unhealthy Paws?
Let’s now compare healthy and unhealthy dog paws and see how the sick ones fare. There are seven main sorts of factors contributing to unhealthy paws:
Allergies, infections, abrasions and scrapes, nail disorders, cysts, or broken paw pads can all result in problems with a dog’s paws. Paw pads help with balance, braking, and slowing down, in addition to providing grip and insulation for a dog’s feet. Additionally, they serve as shock absorbers for the dog’s leg and foot bones and joints. They do have certain issues, even though they are strong and made to resist a lot of use and abrasion.
Allergies
Pets can experience a wide range of allergies, just like humans. Allergy-stricken pets will feel itchy, especially in their paws, and may usually bite, lick, or chew on them to try to ease the discomfort. They will also be more susceptible to long-term skin, ear, and anal gland infections. Excessive licking has the potential to irritate the paw, injure it, and increase the risk of subsequent bacterial and fungal infections. A veterinarian should assess pets that lick their paws excessively for allergies.
Bacterial and fungal infections
What leads to infections in dog paws?
On your pet’s paw pads, a wide variety of bacteria and fungi typically reside, but on occasion, these microorganisms can proliferate and lead to infection. Dogs frequently have bacterial and fungal skin infections, which frequently affect the paws.
Paw licking and chewing, as well as redness, swelling, soreness, itching, and discharge, are indicators of an infection. It usually causes redness, oily discharge, and itching in the region between the toes and other skin folds. dark discolouration of the nails occasionally.
Dog paw infections and how to treat them:
Occasionally, allergies may also be the secondary cause of these infections. The best person to identify an infection in your pets is their veterinarian, who can also provide a range of remedies, like as topical creams, wipes, and washes.
Nails Problems
Long toenails
are frequent and might cause problems for your canine companion. Your dog may find it more difficult to walk if they have long nails. Dogs may have pain in all of their toe joints as a result of their nails pressing against hard surfaces, which causes the nail to grow back up into the nail bed. Additionally, your dog is more likely to experience a fractured or ripped nail if they have long nails.
Ingrown Nails
Painful ingrown toenails can result from improperly clipped nails or from going outdoors and wearing them down naturally.
Fractures or Torn Nails
When a dog bites their toenails, it can result in ripped nails. A frequent occurrence is when a dog unexpectedly limps in from outside and occasionally bleeds. If you look closely, you can notice a cut nail. It is advisable to have a veterinarian treat torn or fractured nails because they can cause severe pain and frequently bleed.
Immunological
Vasculitis, or inflammation of the blood vessels, allergies, and atopic dermatitis, or itchy, flaky, dry, and cracked skin, are examples of immunological paw diseases. The immune system in your dog triggers an unwarranted reaction when it isn’t required, which results in both issues. Dogs with atopic dermatitis most often get lesions on their paws, and certain breeds, such as Labradors, are more likely than others to get them.
Insidious
Several parasites can be detrimental to healthy paws. Ticks are known to hide in the spaces between dogs’ toes or in the spaces between their digital and metacarpal paw pads, often known as the large pad and the toe beans. Due to their accessibility for chewing, dogs with flea bite allergies may also experience a delayed healing period from flea bites on their feet. Certain parasites can even be undetectable, like Demodex mites that reside deep within hair follicles.
Blisters and Burns
Your pets should not be allowed outside if it is too hot for you to walk barefoot. Make sure you feel the pavement with your bare hand first before allowing your dog to walk on it. It’s too hot for your dog’s paws if you can’t comfortably press your palm to the pavement for ten seconds or longer.
Regrettably, stepping on overheated surfaces can cause pets to burn on their paw pads. Paw pads with burns may appear bloated, red, or blistered. Paw burns are a dangerous medical condition that needs to be treated right away by a veterinarian.
Cracked and dry paw pads
The purpose of the somewhat rough paw pads on pets is to help them get a grip on smooth surfaces. However, dry, cracked paw pads can be caused by several things, such as hot pavement, wintery temperatures, chemicals, dry air, exposure to rough surfaces, and frequent licking. In addition to being uncomfortable, dry and cracked paws can lead to illness in your pet.
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How do you treat unhealthy dog paws?
Give Your Dog a pedicure
When your dog’s nails are long enough to brush against the ground when walking, you should clip them. The frequency of nail clipping for your dog varies greatly depending on its breed; some may require very little nail clipping.
You and your dog should enjoy a relaxed and stress-free nail trim. It may be simpler to cut your dog’s nails if you can teach him or her to tolerate having their feet touched. Dog scratch pads can also help you train your dog to trim its nails. When your dog exhibits signs of stress or panic, refrain from giving them physical restraint or trimming their nails
Consider weather conditions
It’s crucial to refrain from walking your dog on scorching sand or concrete throughout the summer. If your dog licks its paws during the winter, chemical ice melts and rock salt may cause irritation or even eat the substance. Avoid these situations as much as possible, and after walks, wash your dog’s paws with warm water to remove salt and chemicals. To help avoid dry and cracked paws, think about cleaning your dog’s paws using a paw cleaner and putting on a moisturizer. Never apply moisturizers or lotions intended for people to your dog. For a moisturizer made especially for dogs, speak with your vet.
Check your dog’s paws
Paw inspections are crucial, especially after playing outside or engaging in physically demanding activities, as those are the moments when injuries are most likely to manifest. Additionally, that’s the time of day when your dog is most likely to snag something between their toes or in their pad. Examine the area, remove any debris, and keep an eye out for any blisters or injuries.
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Give First Aid
A dog first aid kit is essential for treating minor wounds. Should you discover a little cut or blister on your dog’s foot, use a gentle washing solution and wash it off. If the bleeding is ongoing, you should think about bandaging the paw, being careful not to cover it too tightly or keep it wet for too long. To stop more harm, you might also wish to use a dog boot. Watch your dog closely, and get in touch with your veterinarian.
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