Paw pads are a delicate and traumatic organ. Despite the fact that this is the working part of the limb, which always interacts with the surface, very often cracks, cuts, increased dryness and other unpleasant phenomena can be found on the paws.
Often, even experienced dog owners do not know how a crack on the paw pads of a dog is treated. Therefore, if you see such signs, we recommend that you contact veterinary clinic.
Why are pads needed?
People have comfortable shoes with shock absorbers that make it easier to walk on difficult surfaces. In dogs, this function is performed by special pads on the paws.
Also, only they have sweat glands, so for any problems it is necessary to treat cracks on the pads of the dog's paws, otherwise heat generation may be disturbed, which will lead to more serious diseases.
Cracks in the paw pads in dogs occur for several reasons:
1. Delicate skin - some breeds are simply susceptible to this disease, only a qualified veterinarian will help in solving the problem.
2. Chemical exposure- skin reactions to various chemicals, for example, to various anti-icing agents, as well as to various detergents... During cleaning and disinfection, thoroughly wash the surfaces with clean running water.
3. Improper nutrition - any deviation from the nutritional balance primarily affects the paws. The pads are a great indicator possible problems with health.
4. Dry skin due to a lack of zinc in the diet. The solution is to add zinc-containing preparations to food, as well as replace some food with food containing this important element.
5. Walking on hard surfaces also greatly affects the health of the paws. Choose parks for outdoor games where walking is allowed. Avoid paved areas and sports fields.
6. Cold climate. We all know that frost dries the skin a lot. The soft coating of the cushions is no exception. On winter walks, be especially careful with your pet's paws, avoid icy roads, and walk your dog in the snow. Moreover, the roads in modern cities are covered with special chemicals, which also have a bad effect on the health of the limbs.
Treatment of a crack in a dog's paw
Once you find damage to the pads, try to restrict the animal's movement on hard surfaces. Contact your veterinarian if long-term cracks appear on the paw pads in dogs. Treating damaged pads is often a lengthy and laborious process.
- If possible, make sure that the dog does not lick its paws, as high humidity can worsen the situation;
- if suddenly cracks begin to bleed, be sure to limit the flow of blood with gauze or bandage;
- wash the wounds with a cotton swab dipped in hydrogen peroxide;
- if there is noticeable dryness of the skin, use any moisturizer for animals;
- walk the dog in special socks;
- make sure that the wounds do not rot;
- if you notice swelling, severe bleeding, appeared bad smell from the crack - urgently contact the veterinary clinic;
- do not self-medicate.
The soft tissues of the paws of four-legged pets experience significant stress and the impact of aggressive environment... Constant contact with asphalt, sand, snow crust, gravel leads to coarsening of the skin. Provoke the formation of cracks and chemicals used to treat sidewalks in large cities... Damage brings inconvenience to the pet, it can become inflamed.
Treatment involves independent actions of the owner and the provision of qualified assistance in case of a serious problem.
Read in this article
The reasons for the appearance of cracks on the paws, incl. in winter
Veterinarians believe that the causes of cracks in the crumbs of the paws are complex:
- First of all, the delicate tissue is affected by negative external factors- hot asphalt pavement of roads and sidewalks, hard ice and snow, crystals of which have a sharp surface. Lead to damage to delicate skin aggressive chemical substances, which are part of anti-ice reagents. The owner often encounters such a reason when walking a pet in metropolitan areas.
- Detergents that have an irritating mechanism for the skin can also lead to a problem.
- Exposure to cold. V winter time there are more frequent cases of owners appealing about the formation of cracks on the pads of the paws of four-legged friends. This is due to the fact that cracking of delicate skin in contact with icy surfaces occurs in frost. Living in northern regions with a harsh climate often adversely affects the condition of the skin of the limbs in pets.
- Excessive weight in the dog. The paw pads function as natural shock absorbers, damping vibrations and reducing stress on the spine. In this regard, pets who are suffering are often prone to cracking the pads.
- Excessive physical exercise on hard surfaces. The reason is most typical for service dog breeds, which, due to their purpose, have to move, run, and do exercises on hard asphalt surfaces.
- Errors in diet and feeding regime. Deficiency in zinc, selenium, vitamin A and E products leads to dry skin, including paw pads. Violation of the drinking regime, dehydration also provoke the development of the problem.
Representatives of decorative and miniature breeds... Such animals have a more gentle skin than their larger counterparts, which leads to the development of an orthopedic problem.
How to smear cracks on a dog's pads
Noticing that at pet there are cracks on the pads of the paws, the owner must first of all protect the pet from walking on hard surfaces. Restrict the dog's movement on asphalt, sidewalks, highways. Walking should be shortened in time and choose an area with a soft structure for the promenade - low grass, lawns, parks with permitted walking.
The animal should not be allowed to lick sore spot... A rough tongue, the presence of bacteria, viruses, fungi on it often lead to the progression of damage, the development inflammatory response due to the ingress of pathogenic agents into microtrauma.
Having discovered cracking of the delicate skin of the dog's paws, the owner should conduct a thorough examination of the affected area. If foreign objects (sawdust, small stones, plant seeds, etc.) are found in the tissues, care must be taken to remove them.
In case of bleeding, microtrauma should be treated with antiseptic solutions. For this purpose, you should use a solution of Chlorhexidine, Miramistin, Furacilin, potassium permanganate. When processing, you should use a gauze pad or swab and avoid using cotton pads.
Do not use aggressive preparations such as alcohol solution iodine, brilliant green. These products dry out the skin and can make the problem worse.
Cosmetic petroleum jelly, any emollient cream that does not contain a large number of fragrances, for example, "Children's", "Vaseline", "Glycerin", etc. In a veterinary pharmacy for a four-legged pet, you can buy ointment "Burenka" or "Nochka", which have an excellent emollient effect.
The "Rescuer" cream is effective against dry skin and prevention of microcracks. Creams and ointments based on medicinal herbs- calendula, chamomile, and also with beeswax.
If the cracks are quite deep, a good result is given by the use of 1% Alpizarin ointment, Levomikoleva. In some cases, zinc and ichthyol ointment can help with the problem.
Veterinary experts recommend not to abuse zinc-based ointments, since it has not only anti-inflammatory, but also a drying effect, and this is undesirable in this problem. In pet stores and veterinary pharmacies, you can purchase a special high-polymer antiseptic based on iodine Monclavit, which is perfect for treating paw pads, wounds, cuts,.
Therapeutic composition in the form of an ointment or cream, apply a thin layer on the damaged skin pretreated with an antiseptic and fix it with a gauze bandage. To prevent the animal from ripping off the bandage, you can fix it with a baby sock.
Treating injured paws if the dog is limping
In the event that, in addition to the visible cracking of the paw crumb, the animal also has lameness, self-medication is unacceptable. An indication for going to the clinic is also edema, redness, tenderness on palpation, redness of the pads, bleeding from the paw.
The dog should be shown to a veterinarian to exclude more serious problems- penetration into the deep layers of the skin of a foreign object, the development of erosive dermatitis, purulent inflammation of soft tissues.
After identifying the problem, the veterinarian will prescribe treatment. Severe injuries soft tissues of the paws require surgical cleaning of wounds from foreign objects, dirt, caked blood. Antiseptic solutions are used to treat the crumbs of the paws. In case of deep damage, the wound is additionally sprinkled with streptocide and sutured.
Anti-inflammatory ointments will help soften and relieve inflammation - Tetracycline, Levomycetin, Streptomycin. In case of complication of the wound purulent infection topically applied to the animal Ichthyol ointment and Vishnevsky's liniment. In some cases, a veterinarian may prescribe a course antibacterial therapy in order to avoid the spread of purulent inflammation to healthy tissues.
Improve the condition of rough skin, reduce inflammatory processes and to accelerate tissue regeneration, multivitamin and mineral supplements for food. In order to eliminate the deficiency in the diet of zinc and selenium, the animal is prescribed their preparations. The dose of trace elements will be determined by a veterinarian. Complex vitamin formulations or adding to food pharmacy products in the dose recommended by the attending physician.
Good therapeutic effect provides enrichment of the dog's diet with bone and meat meal, the addition of Tetravit and fish oil, Biotin.
For information on how to apply wax to a dog's paws, see this video:
Problem prevention
The advice and recommendations of experienced dog breeders and veterinary specialists will help to prevent the occurrence of a problem that limits the free and painless movement of the pet:
- Walking four-legged friend should be carried out in a specially designated area, trying to avoid asphalt, concrete pavements, hard grass. Periodically, the walking area must be inspected and foreign objects removed from the site in order to avoid injury to animals.
- In winter, when anti-icing agents are widely used, special protective shoes must be worn on the dog's limbs. You should train your pet to wear shoes with early age... It is necessary to pay attention to this issue, first of all, to the owners of decorative and miniature breeds.
- Before a walk in winter, a special wax, for example, "Aida for a walk", will help to protect the crumbs of the paws from cracking. The tool will protect delicate tissue from adverse external factors.
- If the pet flatly refuses to walk in winter in protective shoes, as well as during walking in the summer, then after the street, the paws must be washed with animal shampoo. Then soft tissue pads should be treated with an emollient cream, such as "Baby" or petroleum jelly.
- When cleaning floors indoors, do not use aggressive detergents that can irritate the delicate skin of the pads.
- Timely cut the dog's claws, since with their excessive regrowth, soft tissue injuries occur more often.
- The diet of a pet prone to the problem of paw crumb cracking should be enriched with vitamins A and E, control the content of zinc and selenium in it in the recommended amounts. If necessary, add to food vitamin and mineral complexes recommended by a veterinarian.
Cracks on the paws in dogs occur under the action of a whole complex of factors - unfavorable external environment, predisposition and as a result of a deficiency in the diet of vitamins and mineral substances... Cracked skin should be treated with an antiseptic, and then lubricated with an emollient anti-inflammatory cream. If a pet is lame, the owner should not self-medicate, but seek qualified help.
Useful video
For information on how to protect your dog's paws from reagents in winter, see this video:
Many dog owners do not attach much importance to the condition of their pet's paw pads. Which is not surprising, because they do not require special care. And they pay their attention to them only when the dog begins to behave unusual, for example, limping or constantly licking its paw. From the presented article, you will learn what to do if the paw pads of a four-legged ward dry up, cracks appear on them, and how to treat a cut?
It must be remembered that decorative rocks dogs' paw pads are more sensitive and require more careful attention to themselves.
The paw pads can dry out and crack. different reasons: reagents on the roads, odd weather, (snow, slush or hot asphalt), dehydration, vitamin deficiency.
How to help the delicate paws of the dog?
Make it a habit after each walk to wash the paws of the animal under running water and wipe dry.
Deep cracks can be treated with any greasy cream and then bandaged. The cream "Zorka", sold in pet stores, helps well for these purposes. Do not be surprised, it is for cows, but even people get smeared! Or you can purchase a special medicinal ointment for dogs based beeswax that prevents damage to the pads of the paws by chemicals, salt, snow, and so on. In winter, it helps well against cracked paws, the "Ai da Walk" wax. It is also sold at pet stores.
Pets "predisposed" to problems with paw pads are well-rescued by footwear for dogs, as a rule, more often shoes have to be worn in the winter season, when reagents are scattered everywhere on the roads.
Keep track of how often your pet drinks and the quality of the water. Lack of fluid is fatal to any living organism.
Also, paw pads in dogs can dry out due to a lack of vitamins in the diet - zinc and selenium. You can try adding them to your pet's food along with vitamin E after consulting your veterinarian.
What to do if your dog cuts your paw ball?
A similar situation happens with four-legged wards quite often. And since there are many blood vessels heavy bleeding may occur. In this case, quickly and carefully treat the wound with chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide or potassium permanganate. Then apply a sterile bandage with antibacterial ointment(most often in home first-aid kits you can see levomekol or Vishnevsky ointment) and bandage. The dressing should be done 1-2 times a day, depending on the condition of the cut.
How to apply a strong bandage to prevent the dog from removing it?
Dodgy pets manage to remove even the most professionally bandaged bandage from their paws in a matter of minutes. To prevent this from happening, do the following:
First, apply a bandage soaked in medicated ointment to the crack or wound.
Then, over the bandage, put a regular children's sock over the paw.
And already on top of the toe fix with a plaster or tape, it is best to hold such a "winding" on the narrowest part of the paw. Whenever you need to change the compress, just cut the tape.
Recently, Alice and I had to go to the vet about this problem. Her paw pads are tender and between the toes like pricks. And it all bleeds from time to time. We were afraid it was some kind of infection. But the veterinarian looked up and found no fungus or infection. The Grass is to blame for everything! I don’t know what it’s called correctly, I’ll call it spikelets. So in summer time ostyuki from these spikelets, bite into the paw pads of dogs, causing such irritation. They advised to thoroughly wash and examine the paws after each walk, and if there are pricks, fill them with chlorhexidine!
All the best, see you soon friends!
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Even experienced dog breeders do not always imagine the stress that the pads on their pets' paws are experiencing. Meanwhile, they are very significant. There are cases when apartment dogs, unusual to loads, literally washed the pads on their paws to the meat, having walked on the asphalt for just a couple of hours. No less cracks on the paws of dogs are unpleasant and dangerous.
- They are natural shock absorbers reducing the load on the skeleton of the animal. This is especially important for service dogs, which, sometimes, pass or run more than a dozen kilometers per day.
- Dogs can only sweat (!) Through the pads on their paws. In other parts of their body, there are no sweat glands in principle.
- There are cases when some dogs have pads so delicate that they just physically need to wear special shoes for walks.
- Doggy paws are extremely sensitive to all kinds of "chemistry". Remember that if you regularly treat the enclosure with disinfectants, or wash the floor in an apartment using chlorine bleach, the treated surfaces must be thoroughly rinsed. clean water... Otherwise, there may be problems.
- Oddly enough, but any deviation in feeding is primarily reflected in the condition of the paws. The pads are so sensitive to changes in pH in the body that they can argue with litmus tests in this matter.
- Besides, the condition of the pads on the paws correlates perfectly with the lack of zinc in the diet. There is no it - and cracks on the paw pads of dogs become constant "companions" of animals.
Read also: Rhinotracheitis in dogs: causes and prevention of the disease
Why do dogs have cracks on their paws?
We have already spoken about some of the reasons, but one should not think that these are all existing predisposing factors. Many dog owners prefer to play with their pets by throwing a ball or a stick. Unfortunately, for this they often choose hard surface areas. When the dog, speeding up in a rapid throw, tries to stop abruptly, it is carried over. In this case, the paw pads are severely injured.
The same applies to morning jogging in the company of your pet. Alas, there are very few forest park zones in our cities, and most often dogs run along the same paved roads. Worst of all, when the owners decide to "introduce to the sport" pets, most living in "greenhouse" conditions. After jogging, their paws are covered with cracks especially quickly.
The worst is for dogs living in regions with simply cold or sharply continental climates. Winters are especially hard modern dogs who have to walk on roads covered with a frozen crust of ice, snow and chemicals. Snow and ice crystals hurt paws, chemistry penetrates into the wounds, the skin on the pads begins to dry and cracks quickly. It is also difficult for dogs, whose owners took their pets on a hike in the mountains. Mountain boots are not provided for dogs.
Most often, cracks arise from a combination of three factors: climate, hard surface of roads and lack of even elementary care on the part of the breeder. If these causes are eliminated, the paws can quickly overgrow, but this is not always the case.
Read also: Peritonitis in dogs - causes and signs of the disease
How to deal with cracks on your dog's paws?
If you spot the first cracks in time, just limit the activity of the animal, do not drive it in vain, and everything will be fine. The paw pads overgrow quickly, so there is no curative care may not be required. It is only important make sure that the dog does not constantly lick its paws, as in conditions of constant humidity, the process may deteriorate.
In more severe cases use the following treatment:
- If the paws are bleeding, it will not hurt to stop this disgrace with the help of cotton-gauze tampons and a plaster.
- Remove blood and dirt from paw pads using a cotton swab and hydrogen peroxide solution.
- When, when the paw pads dry, you can lubricate them with any cosmetic cream with a moisturizing effect. However, one should not forget about the likelihood of allergic reactions.
- In difficult situations, you can put on socks or shoe covers on the paws of the animal. They will protect the delicate paw pads from additional damage.
- Check and change your pet's leg bandages daily. The more often you do this, the better your chances of a quick and painless recovery.
- If you have any doubts appearance wounds (swelling, redness), it is better to immediately call your veterinarian.
- Do not in any way prescribe and do not use antibiotics or other powerful drugs on your own.
How else can you treat cracked paws in dogs? Baby creams (like "Chanterelles") are perfect for dogs with delicate pads. In addition, various creams of the "Dawn" type have proven themselves quite well, in " wildlife»Used to lubricate a cow's udder before milking. But there are a few things to remember ...
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