Why is it important to take care of your dog's paws?
There's a lot of balms, creams & paw protection products out there, but why should we take care of our doggo's paws? Well let's dive into your dog's anatomy a lil bit (don't worry, we are not scientists so this will be brief)
Dog paws are very much alike human hands and feet -- made of bones, muscles, keratin, collagen, tendons, ligaments & tissue.
For this blog's purposes we're concentrating in the digital pads or better known as "toe beans" This is the part that gets direct contact to the ground and has a very thick skin to protect from hard surfaces when your doggo runs, walks, stand and jump. Think about the pads as their shock-absorbers, not only helping your doggo to do all the cool tricks but also helping regulate their body temperature.
Why do dogs’ paws smell like corn chips?
OK, now for the big question: why do dog’s feet smell like a certain kind of crisp snack treat? While we may think it’s super cute and catch ourselves sniffing our pup’s paws to get a whiff of that chip scent (guilty!), this smell is actually caused by microorganisms that your pup picks up in their daily travels. “This delicious yet nasty smell is a byproduct of yeast and bacteria, specifically the Pseudomonas and proteus species, which make their way from soil or water into the crevices of the paw. It’s the former that gives your pet that tasty snack-food smell,” says Dr. Austin. Dogs also often lick their feet, keeping them wet, which is the best environment for fungal growth, notes Dr. Ochoa.
While the smell is normal, overgrowths can happen. If your pooch is licking their feet excessively, if their paws are greasy or there is inflammation in the webbed part between his toes, you should consult your vet. “It’s normal behavior for dogs to lick their paws,” Dr. Austin says. “It’s how they self-clean and remember where they’ve been throughout the day. Excessive is the key word.”
-The Farmer's dog
To keep your dog paws healthy you'll need to keep them clean, trim their nails and hydrate those paws to keep a happy doggo.
The best thing you can do to take care of your dog’s paws is to check them frequently. While carefully looking over each paw pad, check for blisters, cuts, cracks, parasites and other foreign objects that can cause problems.
The goal here is not to have super smooth puppy toe beans, but to keep your dog's paws healthy. Like human feet, every paw is different and developing causes is normal for some dogs, specially if they like to venture outdoors regularly. Calluses are there to make your doggo's toe beans stronger and protect the skin from breaking.
Things you can do to minimize trauma on your dog's paws
- Go out for walks at low temperature times of the day, meaning if you live in a hot climate like me -Puerto Rico, then it's a good idea to walk your dog in the early mornings or late evenings when the pavement is cool so it doesn't burn your fur baby's paws.
- Clean your dog's paws frequently -- specially if you go on outdoor adventures. Going out in the woods can be fun but also your dog can be bringing some new bacteria from those trips. It's good practice to either wash your dog's paws frequently or wipe them to eliminate any bacteria that wants to grow in their lil' paws.
- Hydration is key. Specially during Summer, here in Puerto Rico can get very hot and so leads to not only keeping fresh water available to your pup, but also taking care of skin dehydration. Paw balms, waxes or creams are a great and cheap solution to apply before bed time and pamper your doggo.
