How to Help Your Dog’s Paws?

Please make your pet's paws a priority. Temperatures, surfaces, conditioning are all important to keep your dog's paws in tip top shape. If they are scratchy, rough, itchy or have open sores, your dog is in pain.

Why is Paw Care Necessary?

There are a few reasons why taking care of your dog’s paws is essential.

1. A dog’s paw pads constantly come into contact with all sorts of bacteria and germs. If its paw pads are cracked or torn, germs can easily enter its body. This is why it’s important to keep them clean and healthy. Try wiping your dog's paws with aloe vera juice and paper towels after walks or playing in the yard. Aloe vera juice is a natural antibiotic, antifungal and antiseptic, however, it does need to be kept in the refrigerator.
2. Paw pads can become dry and cracked if not adequately moisturized, leading to pain and discomfort. Find a paw conditioner you like that is safe for your pet to lick, but seeps into the pads quickly to start working immediately.
3. And lastly, if your dog’s nails are not trimmed regularly, they can grow too long and begin to curl under or crack, which can cause your dog pain.

Taking care of your dog’s paws is just as important as taking care of any other part of its body!

How to Keep Your Dog’s Paws Soft and Healthy

In this section, we have listed a few essential tips for dog parents to help them understand how to protect their dog’s paws. So without further ado, let’s get into it.

1. Trim nails regularly

Your dog’s nails need to be trimmed regularly for their paw care. However, long nails can make it difficult for your dog to walk, run, and play like they usually would. Trimming your dog’s nails can help avoid all of these problems and ensure their paws stay healthy and your dog happy. Here are a few tips offered by the American Kennel Club:

Here are the steps to follow to properly trim your dog’s nails:

1. Pick up a paw and firmly place your thumb on your dog’s pad of one toe. Your forefinger should be placed on top of the toe on the skin above the nail.
2. Push your thumb up just slightly and backward on the paw pad, while at the same time, pushing your forefinger forward. This will extend the nail so you can clip it.
3. Clip the tip of the nail straight across. Make sure you also clip the dewclaws on the inner side of the paw.
4. Don’t clip past the curve of the nail. This would put you at risk of hitting what is known as the quick (the pink area of the nail that contains the blood vessels). A nick there is painful and cause bleeding. With dogs that have dark nails, look for a chalky white ring as your guideline.

2. Use balms & paw healing conditioners

Your dog’s paws need extra protection during extreme summers and winters. That’s where balms and conditioners help.

When your dog’s paw pads are healthy, they are better protected from injury, salt, snow, and ice. A good paw balm heals cracks and dryness, preventing future paw problems by keeping them moisturized and supple.

If you’re looking for an all-natural paw healing conditioner for dogs, you may want to try PawPurity Intensive Paw Conditioner. It contains organic plants and minerals, with pure high-grade tallow. It is loaded with antibacterial and antiseptic agents that keep paws free from infections, which could be picked up along outdoor walks. In addition, its softening agents work on paws and nails to keep them supple yet strong, protecting them from abrasion. Additionally, PawPurity’s Intensive Paw Conditioner promotes cell regeneration to help keep your pet’s paw pads healthy and resilient year-round. Here is a veterinarian’s pet blog on the importance of taking care of a dog’s paws. Ingredients are listed below.

Tallow – Moisturizer & antioxidant. Contains vitamins A, D, E & K

Aloe Vera Oil - Soothes, hydrates, and promotes healing of dry or cracked skin. Accelerates healing of yeast-irritated skin

Broccoli Seed Oil – Omega 9. Humectant. Protects paw pad barrier

Biotin – Humectant that nourishes the pads and nails

Grapeseed Oil – High levels of vitamin E. Antioxidant & emollient

Vegetable Glycerin – Humectant. Improves suppleness

Vitamin E – Powerful anti-inflammatory

Sunflower Oil – Rich in linoleic acid. Anti-inflammatory

Rosemay Extract – Antibacterial and antifungal

Jojoba Oil – Mimics sebum, akin to pets’ natural oils of paws and noses

Beeswax – Hydrates, conditions & calms irritated paw pads

Essential Oils

Frankincense – Heals dry/cracked skin. Supports healing of yeast-prone areas.

Lemongrass – Potent antifungal – effective against yeast

Sweet Marjoram – Mild antifungal. Calms inflammation

Paw care in winter and summers

During winter, ice, snow, and salt can take a toll on your dog’s paws. They can become cracked and sore, burned or frostbitten, which is painful for your pup. And in summer, hot pavement can burn their paw pads.

Keep them clean and dry in winter, and apply a paw balm or cream daily. Avoid walking your pooch during summer’s hottest part of the day, and put booties on its feet if necessary.

4. Regular grooming sessions

If you’re unsure how to groom your dog’s paws, don’t worry! Start by wiping down each foot with a wet towel. You can also use a cotton ball soaked in warm water to clean the paw. Once you’re finished cleansing the paw, dry it off completely. Apply a healing paw balm. Make sure to use one that is safe to lick.

“Must have” tools for paw care

Here are some paw care tools that can help during your pup’s pedicure sessions:

• A dog nail trimmer is a must-have for any dog owner. You’ll need it to keep your dog’s nails short and healthy.
• A dog paw balm can help to protect your dog’s paws from the elements and keep them looking their best.
• A dog paw brush can help remove dirt and debris from your dog’s pads.

These paw care tools can help keep your dog’s paws healthy and happy.

Check out the video released by McCann Professional Dog Trainers on YouTube for complete instructions on how to trim your pet’s nails.

Keeping your dog's paws healthy requires little work. Keep them clean and moisturized. Check them often for cuts or sores. Remember, they are always going barefoot!