Last night my dog was chasing and retrieving a ball on a tennis court. After we got home, I noticed some of the pads on her feet were pink instead of black. She is walking fine, but she has been licking them a lot more than usual. What could have happened? Is there anything I can do?
Footpads normally have a thicker outer layer of skin than other parts of the body. This helps protect the footpad against frictional injury during weight bearing, especially during walking or running. It sounds like the superficial part of this outer layer of your dog's footpads has been abraded or worn off as a result of running on the concrete surface of the tennis court. Possibly her footpads are not used to this surface and are more sensitive as a result.
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. During this time you will need to take steps recommended by a veterinarian to prevent infection of the footpads.
To be sure that this is the only problem with your dog's footpads and that they are not infected, I recommend that you take her to your veterinarian for an examination. He or she will determine if any concurrent problems exist, such as mycetoma (a type of bacterial or fungal infection) or digital pad dermatitis. The doctor may wish to give you something to put on the footpads.
You may also have to put a cotton sock on the more severely affected feet. The cotton sock will allow your dog's feet to breathe, but it will help protect the pads while they heal. You can rub triple antibiotic ointment on her pads, then put a sock over the antibiotic to prevent her from licking until you can get her to the veterinarian.
11/02/00
