by Jenn Hughes

Created on: July 10, 2009   Last Updated: July 11, 2009

Not too long ago my whippet, Tara escaped through a tiny hole in our fenced yard and was gone for four hours. Most of this time I believe she was running free on asphalt or concrete. When we got her back, fortunately her most serious injury was torn and blistered pads.

While I say "fortunately", pad injuries are extremely painful. Your dog may be badly lame due to a pad injury. In Tara's case, several of her pads were nearly ripped completely off.

The first rule of treating a pad injury is to get the area clean. Then treat with an antibiotic ointment such as neosporin. A vet can also provide pad healing treatments. If you know that your dog will be participating in an activity that may be hard on their feet, such as lure coursing or sledding, there are some preventive products available for pads. Check with your local pet supply store, or on-line.

Generally, the best treatment is to leave the pads open to air for healing. This may mean keeping the dog quiet and indoors for a few days, to make sure the injury does not become infected. If, like Tara's, the pads are barely hanging on, go ahead and clip them off with a clipper or sharp scissors - otherwise the dog may lick at them and further irritate them, or tear them more.

With Tara, I elected to put antibiotic ointment on her cleaned pads and then wrapped them in gauze and vet-wrap for the first day or two before they were left open to the air. On a badly damaged pad, this helps with infection, and allows the dog to move around with a bit less pain. Within a week they had scabbed over and she was back to normal movement.

For more serious injuries, where a toe is involved,excessive bleeding from the pad that won't stop, or deep pad injuries that extend into the toe or foot, a trip to the veterinarian is in order. A toe may be broken and need to be set, or stitches may be required. Fortunately, these types of injuries are infrequent. For very minor pad injuries and blisters, cleaning and a bit of antibiotic is usually sufficient.

Remember that even if the injury doesn't appear to be serious, this is a very sensitive and painful part of the dog's foot. They are quite likely to be very lame, and they will not take kindly to having their paws handled, even for treatment. Make sure you're aware of this as you examine the wound and tend to it.

Fortunately, pads do heal with time and care and are usually not a serious problem.

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