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my foster dog’s paw pads
We really enjoy watching you on Ask the Pet Vet. I have a question regarding the paw pads of my foster dog, a Shih Tzu named Panda. (We’re fostering him for a Chicago-area open shelter.)
Most of Panda’s paw pads (except for a couple) are a very light pink and have very thin skin, so thin that the other day when he was outside I noticed that two of his paw pads were bleeding. I’m assuming that his paw pads wore down to the pink when he was out on the streets as a stray in Chicago.
My question is, will the paw pads be restored to the firmer black skin eventually? What can I do for him to encourage healing of the pads? Is there anything that I should apply to the pads?
I do not think it is the case that he just naturally has pink pads, because the skin is so thin and sensitive (and was bleeding). I am having him take it easy and am trying to keep him off pavement as much as I can. Please let me know what I can do for him to help them to be restored. Thank you in advance for your advice.
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Given that the skin is very thin in these areas it may well be that they have recently been abraded. The pads do heal, but it takes a long time to regain their thickness. Think of the pads as a callus. They will toughen slowly with use. In severe cases we will wrap the feet with antibiotics to heal the wounds. Less severe cases can be treated with booties, available on line, to protect the pads as they heal. While using the booties there are topical medications you can apply to hasten healing. We use either Dermagel or Carrasyn. Use care to not over do walks
Thank you so much for your reply! This was very helpful.