Looking after your dog's paw pads
Paw pads take the heat of the ground, winter road salt and summer grass seeds. Check them after every walk, rinse the paws when you get home, trim any stray hair close if needed, and keep them supple. A pad that blisters, bleeds or makes your dog limp means a trip to the vet.
What paw pads are for
They are your dog's only contact with the ground: shock absorbers, highly sensitive sensors packed with nerve endings, and one of the few places where he sweats a little, since he cools himself mainly by panting. This weight-bearing zone takes everything: scorching tarmac, road salt, grass seeds and the small everyday cuts.
The daily habit: check, clean, maintain
A few seconds after every walk are enough to avoid most paw pad trouble.
Check after every outing
Look under the pads and between the toes: a cut, a splinter, road salt, or a grass seed simply caught in the hair (peak season May to September).
Rinse and dry the paws when you get home
In winter, road salt irritates and your dog swallows it when he licks himself; in summer, you rinse off sea salt and sand. Plain water is enough.
Trim stray hair close
On a dog with hairy feet, lay round-tipped scissors flat against the sole of the paw, never in the webbing between the toes. If his coat is short and does not bother him, there is nothing to cut.
Keep the pad supple
If it is dry or cracked, apply a balm made for dogs; never a cream meant for humans, which he would lick off.
Get him used to giving you his paw
Open hand, paw resting on it, you mark with a "yes" and reward. Do it little by little, always the same way: after a few sessions, your dog will offer his paw on his own, with no need to force him.
Paw pads do not face the same hazards from one season to the next.
Summer
Winter
All year round
A cut on a paw pad
The pad is packed with blood vessels: even a small cut bleeds a lot, and the bleeding starts again as soon as your dog puts his paw down. Press firmly for a good ten minutes with a clean gauze pad, without peeking every thirty seconds: lifting it is what restarts the bleeding. If it has not stopped after ten to fifteen minutes, head to the vet.
A paw pad heals slowly, because your dog walks on it again. A shallow cut takes a good week, a deep one far longer, and it reopens with every walk if you do not cut the outings back. Go to the vet if the cut is deep or gapes when he puts weight on it, if you can see yellow fat or a white tendon at the bottom, if he refuses to put the paw down, or if an object is embedded in it. A dressing that is too tight cuts off the circulation and damages the foot: putting one on properly is a vet's job.
From simple discomfort to the sign that should send you straight to the vet.
Keep an eye on it
- Pad slightly dry or rough
- Your dog briefly licks a paw after the walk
- Small stray hairs that catch on things
Book an appointment
- Pad red, swollen, cracked or bleeding
- A limp that lasts, your dog refuses to walk on
- Persistent licking or nibbling at the same gap between the toes
- A lump or a small oozing hole between the toes (possible grass seed)
Straight away
- Blisters or a raw pad (burn)
- Bleeding that does not stop under pressure
- Deep wound or embedded foreign body
- Hot, painful swelling that is spreading
- Hot weather, hot pavement and paw safety, American Kennel Club
- Cold weather pet safety: de-icing salt and paw care, ASPCA
- Preventing grass seed injuries: grooming the at-risk areas, AniCura France
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Frequently asked questions
Should you trim the hair between a dog's paw pads?
Sometimes, and only close to the skin: it is not a must for every dog. It helps on dogs with hairy feet, where long hair mats into knots, traps snow and ice, makes them slip on smooth floors and catches grass seeds. Trim flat against the sole of the paw with round-tipped scissors, never in the webbing between the toes. If his coat is short and does not bother him, there is nothing to cut.
How do I moisturise my dog's paw pads?
A healthy pad does not need daily moisturising. If it becomes dry or cracked (cold, winter road salt), you can apply a balm made for dogs, never a cream meant for humans that he would lick off. The most effective thing is still to rinse off salt and sand, and to avoid scorching tarmac. If it still cracks or bleeds despite that, have the vet take a look.
How do I treat my dog's paw pads?
On the surface only: cool a burnt pad with cool water, rinse a shallow cut with saline solution, then keep the paw clean. A deep wound, bleeding that will not stop, blisters, a limp or an embedded grass seed are all for the vet: pads get infected quickly and heal badly. Do not dig into the wound to pull out a foreign body.
Is tarmac too hot for my dog's paws?
Often, yes, in hot weather. Place the back of your hand on the ground for 5 to 7 seconds: if you cannot hold it there, it is too hot for his pads. In the sun, asphalt can exceed 50 °C as soon as the air reaches 25 °C, and burn a pad in under a minute. Choose grass and shade, or go out early in the morning and in the evening.
How do I protect my dog's paw pads in winter?
Rinse and dry the paws when you get back from a walk: road salt irritates, chaps the pad, and your dog swallows it when he licks himself. If a pad dries out, a suitable balm keeps it supple, and remove any snowballs stuck between the toes. In hard frost, keep the outings short.
Why does my dog lick his paw pads?
A brief lick after the walk is just grooming, nothing to worry about. Persistent licking or nibbling at the same gap between the toes, though, with redness, swelling or a limp, is a sign: a grass seed, a cut, salt irritation or an allergy. Look without digging between the toes, and have the vet take a look if it carries on.
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