I agree with Nemo - as long as a dog's immune system isn't compromised they are unlikely to pick up diseases easily. They can eat the most disgusting things and aren't affected. I know mine eat all sorts of objectionable things whenever they can and are perfectly healthy.
Sloughing paw pads?
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Oakleys paw pads have been peeling lately but today after much running back and forth by the pool on the bricks I noticed a problem. One of his paw pads was bloody and the top layer was hanging off…plus on both front feet the largest paw pads had small bloody patches where the dead skin sloughed itself.. I'm assuming he is wearing off the dead skin but I'm wondering- should I be sloughing his pads with a pumice stone? I cleaned with hydrogen peroxide and put a little triple antibiotic ointment on the open one but of course his pads still have spots of dead skin that haven't come off..
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I'm no expert, but I have heard that pads are slow and difficult to heal. I wouldn't think pumice would be helpful as they need those pads to be tough and calloused to handle the rough terrain. If it were my dog, I would think about talking to my vet to find out how best to treat raw pads. Good luck!
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There are products on the market to help with sore pads, they work to toughen up the pad skin. I know that my girls when coursing on dry hard ground can and do get pad burns… Franie more then C-Me, but C-Me has very, very thick pads. Both run lots in the yard chasing critters so they are pretty tough already. Keep in mind that if they are wet (as in really soaked) and they are running on concrete/bricks/hard dirt, etc, they can get a bit raw....
I would not use a pumice stone, it will come off in due time. Is he fussy with them? Licking them?
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He licked them after I cleaned them, mainy because he wanted to bite off the skin on the one that was still hanging…but he isn't fussing with them too much but some...I just never noticed with past dogs that they "shed" the skin on their pads...I can literally peel ( on the good ones) pieces of the skin bubbles off. I wouldn't say he has particularly rough and tough pads since we don't have a yard...he's mostly on leash and not getting a chance to get them built up ( hoping in the next 1-2 years to have a house with a yard)
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I know you said that you noticed this while he was running on the bricks by a pool - are the bricks in the sun? If so, is it possible that he is burning his pads because of a hot surface and that is why the skin is coming off - almost like a blister? Just a thought. I don't know if something like musher's secret (which I use in winter) might help soothe his paws - might be worth a try.
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I think it's a combination of both the roughness of the bricks and the heat…in the winter I use a product called muttluks pawstick...they also make a similar product to help heal paw pads called pawmagik lotion...perhaps I should look into it, it has tea tree oil which I'm sure will help keep his licking at bay
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I just checked out the mushers secret product and I like that. They advertise it for more than just winter which is what my products are for, it's worth ordering to try since he has such soft pink tootsies. Plus it's nice it ony requires a 1x week application
I've also heard bag balm works..anyone have any experience with using this???
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Mine just lick off the bag balm
