Dog Paws Red Between Toes Home Remedies
Home remedies for dog paws that are red between the paws can include antiseptic wipes or sprays as well as soothing paw balms or butter.
Alternatively, you might also be able to use chamomile, apple cider vinegar, or coconut oil but shouldn’t count on them as primary treatment.
Clean your dog’s paws properly in the meantime.
This will help with avoiding paw problems in the future too.
That being said, if your dog has something resembling a pimple (abscess or cyst), you should consult your vet asap.
While these home remedies are benign most of the time, it’s not ideal to smear something on your dog’s paw without knowing the exact cause.
If you consult your vet and can rule out any serious issues, you might try discussing home remedies and what you can do to alleviate your dog’s swollen or itchy paw.
To treat a small wound after a cut or after you’ve removed a foreign object, these at-home solutions can really support getting rid of the redness between your dog’s paws.
A vet will determine whether or not the sore paw is caused by bacteria, parasites, or fungi and prescribe the appropriate treatment which is antibiotics in many cases.
Never try playing doc by giving your dog leftover prescription meds or whatnot and consult your vet if you’re unsure of the cause.
Since there are plenty of possible issues, it’s hard to pin down what exactly your vet will do.
Dogs whose red paws are caused by allergies can often be helped with the right diet and/or supplements alongside conventional allergy management.
However, if the cause is a cyst or cancer, your vet will prescribe a totally different treatment and the red paw might only be one symptom of many.
Raw dog pads should be treated and given time to heal because they can roughen up even more and eventually crack or split open which might be painful and an open invitation to bacteria.
Trust me, I’ve experienced this with my Rottweiler (I’ve just bandaged her front paws, more on this below).
While some dogs have quite soft paw pads, I was pretty surprised by how rough my Rottie’s paw pads can get over time.
The terrain your dog is walking on and how you care for the paw pads will determine whether your dog’s paws are raw or soft.
Don’t get me wrong, dogs’ paws are not exactly heavenly soft but they can get to an acceptable level where they’re not only healthier and less prone to injuries, but also better for you.
You don’t want your 100-pound dog to slap you in the face with a paw that seemingly peels off your skin. Or maybe that’s just me.
Well, during the day she almost exclusively walks on softer dirt terrain found in forests or grassy fields.
However, in the evening we go for a stroll in the neighborhood on asphalt.
As you can imagine, classic sidewalks, asphalt and all that jazz will roughen up your dog’s paw pads far more than softer ground.
So one thing is for sure, dog owners in the city will have a harder time taking care of their dog’s paws (easier for nails though since they’re naturally trimmed on asphalt) compared to people in the countryside.
Where your dog walks isn’t the sole contributor to your dog’s paw pads though.
It’s also how much your pup runs and how far you’re generally walking on which ground.
I’ve found that my dog is the most prone to paw injuries if I let her run on asphalt since she often chases a ball just to quickly turn around when she was zooming by the toy and this is incredibly straining for the paw pads.
Hanging skin on your dog’s paw pads can seem frightening but usually heals well. You should still care properly for the paws and check for visible injuries or infections and, if there are none, you might bandage the paw pad.
I’ve had this happen to my pup and even though you might be tempted to pull on it like a loose thread, don’t do it.
There’s a chance you’ll only make it worse with the skin peeling off too soon in which case bacteria might cause an infection.
If the paw pad has a lot of skin hanging and you’re afraid it might be pretty deep already, consult your vet.
Look out for signs that your dog is in pain which include but are not limited to:
When this happened to my dog, there was no vet available and it wasn’t an emergency.
My dog’s behavior was not off at all and she showed none of these signs, so I decided to wrap the front paws the DIY way as seen above. It was a last-minute solution because she needed to go outside.
Probably not but until I could go to the vet the next day, it was the best I came up with back then.
Sometimes your dog’s paws have roughened up over time during walks already and the paw pad finally started to peel off.
If it’s bleeding, causing pain, or any other serious sign, don’t hesitate to go to the emergency vet.
External factors like sliding on asphalt, thorns stuck in the paw from the forest, or other foreign objects or injuries can also cause loose skin on the paw pad.
Allergies and irritants:
Depending on where you live, your dog may be exposed to dozens of various pollens, mites, spores and other allergens which can trigger environmental allergies. Since your dog’s paws are constantly in contact with surfaces where these allergens can land, itchy paws are a common indicator of environmental sensitivities. Food allergies can also cause itchy allergic reactions in the skin and paws.
Winter ground hazards such as salt and de-icing chemicals can further irritate a dog’s sensitive paws, leading to excessive licking as they attempt to clean their painful paws. On warm summer days, hot pavement can burn a dog’s paw pads, causing pain and potentially a bacterial infection if not treated promptly. Also, some household cleaning products can cause your pets paw irritation, so take note if you’ve recently used anything new on your floors or laundry.
Pain and arthritis:
Dogs have a strong instinct to lick and clean their wounds, even if there isn’t an actual wound to clean. A dog with painful paws may lick them to try and soothe the pain. If you notice that your dog is also stiff, reluctant to play, losing weight, or generally more grumpy than normal, take a trip to the vet to determine the underlying cause.