Limping doodle/pad problems

[Jen & Ember]

Well, poor Ember has an injured paw. About a week ago I noticed she was limping (front left paw). Not super bad and she wasn't whining. She had what looked like a puncture in the bottom of her pad. Almost a month ago she had a crack in her pad that didn't seem to cause her any discomfort, no limping at all. Maybe it was the depth of the current owie. Anyway, off to the vet she went and they did lots of range of motion testing to see if it could be something other than the hole in her pad, but it seemed that that was the cause of the pain. The vet gave us a pain med and an antibiotic because she was worried about infection, especially since Ember goes to doggie daycare. (Of course the meds have upset her stomach, so now we've got that going for us). The limp is better but still not gone. The hole in her pad seems to be almost healed when I look at it. I try to encourage her to rest... but she's 10 months old and very active, so that hasn't worked too well. 

Has anyone else had experience with cracked/cut pads? Any tips on preventing it? 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I know there have been previous discussions on this. Karen and Jack have had problems. Here's one discussion:

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

F, You did not post a link! Stop watching Downton Abbey when you are responding to discussions....LOL!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Ha, I probably was watching something but not Downton Abbey. Forgetting the link is my specialty.

[Bonnie and Kona]

F I love Downton Abbey. Just discovered it and watched the first season. :-)

[F, Calla & Luca]

Great Soap Opera, no?

[Bonnie and Kona]

F I love Downton Abbey. Just discovered it and watched the first season. :-)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Murphy's pads are pretty soft too, and I have to try to keep him from running on paved surfaces.  He's had a couple of "pad injuries" and the Vet covered them with antibiotic cream and them covered them with bandages for a few days to keep the dirt/germs out.  The good news is they do seem to heal up pretty quickly....good luck.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I wonder if he would tolerate a boot on the sore foot. Jen, Here is one discussion we have had and it links some other ones in the discussion. Good luck!

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/sore-pads-on-feet

[F, Calla & Luca]

See we can rely on you Laurie : )

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

We have problems with it all the time... we just try to be careful during play time and check them after walks.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

I started using Musher's Secret cream on Monty's paws since they get pretty dry and rough. His dew claw pad used to crack open and the cream helped.

[Jen & Ember]

Roberta, I think this may be the culprit, actually! I have recently been throwing the tennis ball in the back yard. The yard is super small, but there is a concrete area off the side of the detached garage that really extends the length of the throw, so I had been throwing it back there so she could run further... today I noticed the area is not very smooth. Maybe if she is stopping suddenly, her paws are scraping across the rocks. Ouch!