When talking about working dogs, I don’t mean just dog breeds from the AKC’s Working Group. I mean all dogs who work outdoors, whether they are herding, livestock guardian, hunting, or any other working dog. While every dog can get injured, these dogs have a higher chance because of their way of life. And one of the most common injuries is the paw-pad injury. Luckily, most of them are easy to solve and are not dangerous. However, sometimes we need to act quickly in order to save our dogs. And even if they are not dangerous, we want to make sure our dogs feel comfortable, and that means healthy paw pads too. Just think about it: would you like to walk around all day long with hurting feet, especially the soles?
Common Paw Pad Injuries in Working Dogs
A lot of things can happen when you work out in the field. And actually, most paw-pad injuries happen in urban areas, not in nature. Why? Because dogs are animals used to ground, grass, rocks, and snow (especially one of the Northern Breeds). However, asphalt and all the chemicals people use to keep it safe for people can hurt dogs.
1. Abrasions
The abrasions are essentially scrapes, and they can be the result of coming into contact with rough surfaces, including things like asphalt and gravel. Of course, it can happen because of ice or rocky ground.
Symptoms:
Red, raw paw pads
Limping
A dog frequently licks the injured paw
These types of paw-pad injuries can be seen after long tracking sessions or any other type of intense training.
What To Do?
- If you’ve got sterile saline solution (0.9%) at home, use it to clean the wound. If you don’t have any saline solution, use lukewarm water.
- Do not put any disinfectants of ointments on the wound, especially not if you have nothing recommended by the vet at home. Just rinse the wound with the above mentioned saline solution or lukewarm water.
- If the dog keeps on licking the wound, you can apply some pet-friendly bandages. If the dog doesn’t lick the wound, leave it as such.
- Avoid hard surfaces until the wound heals. Use dog shoes if the dog has to go outside and cannot avoid the hard surfaces.
2. Thermal Injuries
A dog can hurt its paw pads when the pavement or other surfaces are too hot or too cold. Pavement and asphalt are the most common ways a dog gets thermal injuries, but metal surfaces and sand in summer can be equally dangerous.
Symptoms:
The skin on pads starts to peel
Blisters appear
Dogs try to avoid stepping on an injured paw, which appears as lameness
What To Do?
- If you see your dog in a lot of pain or you see blisters and open wounds, take your dog to the vet right away.
- If the wound is superficial, either caused by hot or cold temperature, use lukewarm water to cool/warm up the pads.
- Do not remove loose pad skin on your own! You can do it only if you see the loose skin appears dead and is superficial.
- Put some pet-safe bandages over the wound.
3. Lacerations
These injuries are actually cuts from any sharp object a dog can come into contact with. It can be a sharp rock, broken glass, thorns, and so on. Depending on how deep the wound is, the treatment can differ.
If the wound is too deep and the bleeding is profuse, apply pressure on the wound to help stop the bleeding and take your dog to the vet right away. The best option is sterile gauze but in emergency, use a cloth, shirt, or anything else you have around you.
What To Do?
- Clean the wound with lukewarm water or saline solution (0.9%).
- Remove any foreign objects stuck in wound
- If the wound is bleeding, apply pressure with sterile gauze
- Put on bandage (first-aid kit)
4. Pad Skin Peeling
This can happen for various reasons. When it comes to working dogs, the most common issue is heat or chemical irritation. But, pad skin peeling can happen as a combination of more than one issue.
Symptoms:
Dog is in a lot of pain
Lameness
What To Do?
This injury is painful and requires professional help. So, take your dog to the vet and let them do their job. The vet will also recommend proper at-home treatment.
5. Torn or Split Pads
These kinds of injuries often happen in dogs who “take sudden turns” while running at high speed or when they do a lot of sliding, sprinting, and so on. This can often be seen in herding dogs, racing dogs (Greyhounds), or police dogs.
These types of injuries look like lacerations (cuts). The symptoms and the treatment are the same as for the cuts. Use lukewarm water or saline solution to rinse and clean the wound. Apply some Hydrogel if you have some at home, and cover the wound with bandage if the dog keeps on licking it.
The dog with split pads has to rest. The wound will just keep on reopening, no matter if you put some dog shoes or bandages on the paw.
6. Foreign Objects Penetration
Anything that is sharp and small can not only cut your dog’s paw, but it can get stuck in it as well. These foreign objects are usually wood splinters, pieces of broken glass, and thorns.
Symptoms:
Lameness
Dog is in pain
Licks the paw often
What To Do?
- Find the stuck object and pull it out with tweezers or your fingers.
- Because the process can be painful, it’s best if someone helps you and keeps your dog calm
- After removing the foreign object, clean the wound
- Put on bandages if needed
- If you cannot remove the object, or it’s too stuck, take your dog to the vet
- If you see any changes in the wound, such as redness, swelling, or an abscess (a pocket of pus), take your dog to the vet right away
7. Chemical Irritation
The road salt used to help melt the ice, cleaning chemicals we have at home, and pesticides used in agriculture are all chemical irritants that can cause paw-pad injury in working dogs.
Symptoms:
Redness of the paw skin
Paw pad skin becomes cracked
In serious situations, blisters can appear
Lameness
What To Do?
- Clean the wound thoroughly with lukewarm water for around 5 minutes
- If your dog is too restless to keep still for 5 minutes, do it for a minute, then take a quick break to calm your dog, give him a treat as a reward, and rinse again.
- After you finish rinsing, gently dry the pads (by tapping)
- Apply paw pad moisturizers designed for dogs (e.g. Musher’s Secret Pet Paw Protection Wax)
Don’t use moisturizers for people! They are harmful to dogs!
8. Micro-tears
These kinds of injuries can happen to any working dogs, but they are most often seen in young working dogs who suddenly have long working days on all kinds of harsh surfaces. Think about it like suddenly putting your young Border Collie to work on asphalt all day long.
Symptoms:
The paw pads appear shiny and too thin
These injuries are painful, so a dog shows signs of lameness
What To Do?
- We need to keep the paw pads clean, dry, and protected from further damage. That’s why it’s best to put some dog shoes on your dog’s paws.
- Let the dog rest for a few days and gradually increase working hours until the paws heal and the paw pads start building protective, thicker paw-pad tissue.
Is Hydrogel Safe For Dogs?
In short, yes, it is. According to this study (Toxicity associated with ingestion of a polyacrylic acid hydrogel dog pad; Jun 2018; North Carolina State University), researchers reported that the hydrogel did not cause local or systemic toxicity in the dogs during the treatment period. There were no clinical signs such as irritation, inflammation beyond normal healing, or systemic illness.
One hydrogel you can buy on Amazon is Vetericyn Plus for all animals, not just dogs. It’s non-toxic, pH-balanced, and as such can be used for dog and cat wounds.
When To Take Your Dog To The Vet?
In the case of paw-pad injuries, you have to be the judge and decide whether or not a wound is too serious. However, there are some guidelines we can follow:
- The cuts are too deep, or there is heavy bleeding
- You can see pus, sense a foul smell
- You notice the wound is rapidly swelling
- There are many blisters
- The wound is big and gaping, showing the tissue below
- Dog becomes lethargic, doesn’t eat or drink
Cover photo by Engin Akyurt
