YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community - View Single Post - I found out what was wrong with Ranger now i feel AWFUL because its my fault :(

alaskayorkie · 11-30-2008, 11:00 PM

Wow, that must have been some walk! Ranger must be in great shape. You should be proud of that. There's no way you could tell he was hurting his pads. Don't beat yourself up!

A couple questions and a couple suggestions:
* Are you sure it was just wear and tear on the pad, or is there salt or a chemical on the road that might have irritated it? If there's a chance it was a chemical, make foot-washing after walks part of your regular routine.

* I'm sure you've looked into it, but I Googled and one of the first things to come up was the below link. It suggests washing the feet twice daily now that they're cracked. Use an anti-bacterial soap and treat them with an antibiotic to prevent infection.

How to Help a Dog With Winter Paw Pad Injuries: Dog Paw Injuries, Cracked Dog Foot Pads are Common in Winter

Those booties you found look pretty cool. If you get them, just make sure they're not putting too much torque on his ankles. I'm always leary of heavy-duty booties on Yorkies because they can create false pivot points on tender ankles. I think you'd be better off starting with a fleece or nylon sack and no heavy duty sole.

This link shows the kind I like for the snow. They might work just to protect the pad. Unfortunately, the sizes aren't small enough for most Yorkies.

Dog Booties

11-30-2008, 11:00 PM	#21
alaskayorkie Banning Thread Dictator Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Anchorage Posts: 30,843 Blog Entries: 57	Wow, that must have been some walk! Ranger must be in great shape. You should be proud of that. There's no way you could tell he was hurting his pads. Don't beat yourself up! A couple questions and a couple suggestions: * Are you sure it was just wear and tear on the pad, or is there salt or a chemical on the road that might have irritated it? If there's a chance it was a chemical, make foot-washing after walks part of your regular routine. * I'm sure you've looked into it, but I Googled and one of the first things to come up was the below link. It suggests washing the feet twice daily now that they're cracked. Use an anti-bacterial soap and treat them with an antibiotic to prevent infection. How to Help a Dog With Winter Paw Pad Injuries: Dog Paw Injuries, Cracked Dog Foot Pads are Common in Winter Those booties you found look pretty cool. If you get them, just make sure they're not putting too much torque on his ankles. I'm always leary of heavy-duty booties on Yorkies because they can create false pivot points on tender ankles. I think you'd be better off starting with a fleece or nylon sack and no heavy duty sole. This link shows the kind I like for the snow. They might work just to protect the pad. Unfortunately, the sizes aren't small enough for most Yorkies. Dog Booties __________________ Mike ~ Doting Dad to Jillie, Harper, Molly, Cooper, Eddie (RIP), Lucy (RIP), Rusty (RIP) and Jack (RIP). Check us out on YouTube Last edited by alaskayorkie; 11-30-2008 at 11:02 PM.