What Causes Cracked Dog Paws?
What Causes Cracked Dog Paws? The best work you like most in the world is going for a walk with your dog, no matter where you go, he always follows you … but sometimes we do not realize that his pads may not support our daily rhythm: the pollution of cities, temperature changes, the heat of the asphalt, the salt, or the snow can cause injuries to his pads, realize that for him your shoes are like for you, they protect you from the external aggressions of the day to day He too.
In this post, we explain what the factors that cause cracks in the pads and their prevention are
1. What are the factors that cause damages to your dog’s pads?
There are different factors, some are genetic, and others are due to disease …
- Depending on the breed, some breeds are more prone than others to suffer from cracked pads. By the morphology of its legs, French Bulldog, English bulldog …
- Due to excessive exercise: if your dog does not stop still for a second and does not stop jumping and walking, his pads may suffer from so much activity. Ensure that if he plays a lot, it is on soft ground and not on pavement.
- Great Puppy Training – Puppy dog pads are more sensitive to erosion or ulceration
- Long nails: low nail clipping and hygiene makes the fingers poise abnormally and generate in the pads.
- Chronic diseases: Leishmania, fungal infections, immune-mediated diseases.
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2. Periodic checks of your dog’s pads
When you check your dog’s pads, check that they are not cracked. The places of a healthy dog should be challenging, rough, and at the same time elastic. They should not be dry, raised, or broken. If your dog’s pads are thick, they are healthy, and there is nothing to worry about. They are healthy. The problem is cracks and excessive dryness.
Cracks in dog pads are very painful and mainly happen from walking on rough terrain, running on asphalt, or uneven surfaces. It can also happen from long walks on rough terrain or to which your dog is not used. Keep in mind that having thick and strong pads is useless if they are dehydrated, as they tend to crack and even form wounds.
3. When should we check the feet and pads:
It is good to do it periodically, but more frequently after a trip to the field, or if we see him licking his paws insistently (it can also be an allergy symptom), limping, or walking strangely. See if it has any foreign body (spikes, pebbles, thorns, or even gum that may get stuck) or if it has cuts or any broken or chipped nails, and we will see if they are dry, raised, or cracked. We must trim the hair that grows between the pads.
When you discover that the dog’s pads are cracked, be sure to clean the area well with serum and chlorhexidine and apply a moisturizing ointment or balm. We recommend the Paw Care by Lila Loves It, which you can find in our Cosmetics section.
What Causes Cracked Dog Paws
Important: If the nails grow excessively and the pads are always dry or rise despite taking care of them, talk to your veterinarian to analyze leishmania since they are the characteristic factors disease.
4. Care of the pads:
The dog’s pads are essential for his balance, functioning as soft support that cushions the impact of his weight and protects him from possible fractures and other bone damage.
You have to pay special attention to them, because they can crack and dry out quickly, even bleeding.
To make our dog’s walk in the city pleasant, we must have a series of precautions:
- Combine asphalt areas with green areas. The cement can crack the pads significantly and even more so in summer when the pavement is hot, and therefore it is more abrasive, literally burning them, causing sores and burns.
- Inspect the ground that your dog is treading, make sure there are no sharp objects such as glass, bottle caps, sharp edges, etc.
- Try not to take long walks when the dog is very puppy, as it has to gradually harden its pads, alternating different terrains, hard, soft, with grass, with earth, wet …
- In winter, you have to be careful since the snow, and the cold can damage your dog’s pads.
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When you discover that your dog’s pads are cracked, be sure to clean the area well and apply a moisturizing ointment or balm. Its right use is essential for its elasticity and good health. We have a line of German cosmetics, Lila Loves It, organic and natural, which cares for the skin and hair of dogs with natural ingredients, helps prevent the pads from cracking and protects them from dirt, germs, snow, or asphalt … Lila Loves It Paw Care balm protects and cares for your pads.
Its special patented formula created with natural ingredients repairs, protects, hydrates, elastifies, and prevents your dog’s pads from possible damage. If you have cracks, a gentle massage a couple of times a day soothes the wounds until they are fully repaired.
Being totally organic and natural, it is perfect for our dogs since if they lick their paws, they do not get intoxicated; it is composed of beeswax, calendula, coconut oil …
Improves the regeneration process and keeps the pads soft, elastic, and protected against inclement weather. This prevents cracks and that your dog suffers from changes in temperature on his walks.
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There may be cases in which your dog needs boots for damaged pads specially designed for them, made with neoprene, adjusted with velcro, and purchased in specialized stores. Nowadays, boots are even made thinking about the surfaces the dog will walk on: asphalt, stones, snow, sand, etc.
You know that you should go immediately to the vet whenever you see a strange symptom, and it will be the specialist who will tell you what happens to your dog better than anyone else. Only he is the one who should evaluate these problems and indicate the appropriate treatment for their recovery.