Dog paw/pad

Question
Hello Patti, and thank you for reading my question. I have a dog named Vixen who is a husky mix, she's a bit of a mut. She's a semi large dog, and for the past 2 weeks or so has been favoring her rear right foot when walking and standing up from a laying position. I had her lay down and felt/squeezed/poked up and down her leg and paw but she didn't show any pain anywhere around her foot and leg. At least she didn't react like she felt pain. The only thing I noticed that seemed out of the ordinary was on her main pad, the skin seemed..."shredded". It isn't bleeding, red, or particularly swollen, it's just that the skin is fiberous and hair-like. I was wondering if there was any condition that you know of that could cause this kind of paw/pad problem. I appreciate your time and advice.

Sincerely,
Logan.

Answer
Hi Logan,

Dogs are pretty stoic about showing pain, but the fact your dog is favoring that paw shows that it's bothering her.

It sounds as though your dog has an abrasion on her foot pad. As long as it is kept reasonably clean, a minor abrasion usually heals uneventfully. If it's not bleeding or oozing, there's no need to bandage it. Being exposed to the air will help it heal.

If your dog has long hair between her pads, clip off the excess hair, to keep the abraded skin exposed to air. Wash the effected foot with a gentle antiseptic daily for a few days. It is usually not necessary to apply any antibacterial ointment unless recommended by your vet.

Your dog probably will experience some tenderness as the abrasion heals and the skin grows back. Depending on the depth of the abrasion, the healing time may take up to two or three weeks.

If the foot pad appears to get worse: it feels warm, looks red or gets weepy, then of course a trip to your vet would be called for.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti