3 Steps to Heal Chapped Dog Paw Pads

Cracked and chapped dog paws are no matter to take lightly. Usually dog owners understand the importance of keeping paws free of debris, snow and ice but what happens when your check your pup’s paws and there is nothing visibly stuck to it but they still refuse to put it down? That is your dog’s signal that they are uncomfortable, or worse, in pain.

We recently went through this with Dakota, our 4.5-year-old chocolate Labrador Retriever. We were cleaning out the garage when Dakota started to hobble around. A close inspection of her paw showed nothing wrong and no matter how many times we rubbed it or cleaned it off with cool water, she wouldn’t put it down.

Turns out that she stepped in some leftover deicer that was on the garage floor and, unknown to us at the time, her paw was badly chapped and cracked.

How could this happen? I inspect the Lab Brats every week and yet I never noticed the deep cracks on her huge paws. As it turns out, there is more to know when it comes to Labradors than just inspecting their paws.

1. Long and dense fur between the paw pads needs to be trimmed. Dogs sweat through their paws and leaving the fur untrimmed allows for moisture to build up and crack the skin. (Think of chapped lips in the winter – the more we lick our lips, the worse they get.) Also, trimming the fur helps keep snow and ice from sticking to it and getting stuck between the paw pads – which is painful to pups.
2. Walking on hot, cold or rough surfaces can damage the paw pads. Although dogs should have rough paws for walking, these surfaces damage the skin, as it has no defense against such varied conditions. Limit your dog’s time on these surfaces.
3. Paw pads should be maintained. Don’t run out and buy the most expensive dog grooming wax you can find! Instead, buy some petroleum jelly, as it is non-toxic to dogs. Just apply a very thin layer to each of the paw pads every so often to help heal any chapping or cracks you cannot see. Don’t do this too often as they are supposed to be rough naturally. And please don’t listen to anyone that tells you to put plastic bags on your Labrador’s paws after applying the petroleum jelly – can you imagine a Labrador Retriever with plastic bags on its paws? (laugh)

To help our own Dakota, we have starting to follow these steps every few weeks and then will do it every couple of months. You may have to do it more regularly in the beginning but this is something you can easily do at home and skip the expensive veterinarian visit and specialty dog products.

(Please note: If your pup’s paws are bleeding or infected, please seek veterinary medical treatment.)