
After reading an article someone wrote about seeing someone walking their dog on the hot pavement in the summer and how the owner should take their shoes off and walk on the smoldering pavement to see how it felt, it enticed me to find some info on the whole situation.
Here is part of an article about Dog’s Paws I found from a website called dogtopics.com….
“Your dog’s footpads are the toughest part of his skin, and absorb the shock and pressure on his joints from standing, walking and running. Due to their function, paws are prone to injury and dog paw care should be a part of your regular care routine.
I briefly inspect Zoe and Fritz’s paws each evening as I outlined in an earlier post about getting your puppy used to being handled. It doesn’t take long and is as simple as ensuring nothing is stuck between their toes and their pads are clean and free from mud and dirt.
Burns and blisters: your dog’s pads can easily burn and blister as a result of walking on a hot pavement or through hot sand.
If you look at your dog’s pad there will either be a loose flap of the pad itself, or this will have become detached leaving a red, ulcerated patch.
The best thing you can do is to apply anti-bacterial wash and cover the paw with a bandage until the pad has healed. If your dog has a loose flap of pad you’ll need to wait for this to come off, which it will do on its own or you can ask your vet to trim it off.
When to go to the vet: always contact your vet if you are unsure of the cause of the injury, you are not comfortable treating the injury yourself, the wound does not appear to be healing, or if your dog’s paw becomes swollen.
Your vet will either recommend further treatment you can carry out at home or suggest you visit the clinic.
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Prevention: sometimes accidents will happen, but to reduce the risk of a footpad injury keep your home and yard clear of sharp objects, take care when you are out to avoid hazards such as broken glass and other debris on pavements, walking on graveled areas for a long period of time, hot pavements in the summer and road salt in the winter.”