Ripped Paw Pads

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

Everyone, after coming home from a doggie date at a friends house... we noticed Remington limping extremely bad!  My first thought was that he hurt his leg or something was wrong with his hips, but after closer inspection we discovered every one of his paw pads were ripped.  They are each their own giant blister.  I did not think about this happening since we were in a grassed back yard.  We cleaned them up and put anitbotic cream on them and wrapped them in his doggie footies.  However, he is really hurting.  I have never had to deal with a situation like this so I'm very upset!!  Any advice on how we can help the healing process of his feet!  Am I a bad mother for not expecting something like this to happen????  Please help!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't think you could have anticipated this given the situation. Karen knows a lo about ripped paw pads so she'll have some advice, I think. You could give he vet a call in the AM. I think what you've done for now is good first aide.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This has happened to Jack three times in the past. We always take him to the emergency room for it. Remington needs antibiotics and maybe even pain meds, so I would strongly suggest you take him in, even though you are going to have a big bill.
His paws should not be wrapped or bandaged. They need to be exposed to the air to help them granulate and heal. No antibiotic cream, either, because obviously it will cause dust & dirt to stick to the wounds. This is why he needs oral antibiotics.
The pads need to be kept perfectly clean and dry until they heal, so I used Old Navy thick baby socks with non-skids on the bottoms, and plastic bags over the feet if it was damp outside. His activity needs to be restricted to short potty walks and no running. They will heal very quickly if you do this, in just a few days, but he really does need to see the vet.
Good luck, and I hope he heals quickly!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

PS: Kendra, I was shocked when it happened to Jack the first time, and I'm an experienced dog owner. I just never had a retriever before, lol!
Here's how we avoid this happening now:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum2/topics/muttluks-allweather-dog-b...

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Can I ask how this happens. I have seen it posted before but never really read into it much. Seems to me it happens a lot.
So: Is this common in dogs? ( I've never had one with this problem). Is it an allergy--like grass? Too much exercise?
Different reasons?

I have no idea

Kendra: I'm so sorry this is how a fun day ended for you and your dog. Hoping you all are okay soon

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nothing to do with allergies, but dry skin/pads can contribute. Jack's specialist recommended boosting his protein and B7 intake. With Jack, it happens the first time out at the dog park in the spring, when he hasn't been full-out running for months. It seems like as his feet get toughened up over the summer, the risk is less, but I don't take chances any more. He wears the boots. Also with Jack, he has what are called "open feet"- instead of having really thick, tight pads and nice arched feet, his feet are flat and his pads are thin and spread out...when he walks on gravel, he gets huge stones stuck up between his pads, sometimes. When he runs hard, the force of his landing and subsesequent skids forces the pads apart and the edges of the pads take the full impact. He does not have nice, thick Lab or poodle feet. I can't say if this is the reason for Remington's injury, but I have heard from other doodle owners whose dogs have had this happen.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Thanks Karen

[F, Calla & Luca]

Still, to me it's surprising that this can happen on grass.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack hasn't has it happen on thick grass. The "grassy" areas where it has happened have been big fields at dog parks that are really more weeds and dirt than grass.

[F, Calla & Luca]

That makes sense.

[Lindsey, Lee, Whopper and Simba]

This happened to Whopper after a doodle romp where she went from water onto mulch. We never thought of this happening and when she got out of the car she was limping right from the start. I agree that if the pads are torn open, you should get it cleaned out by the vet as needed and have him started on antibiotics.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri's neighbor the wheaten has a torn pad right now. His owner took him to the vet, he is on antibiotics and soaks his paw for 15 minutes daily in a solution.
I hope Remmy gets better very very very soon :)

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

Thank you for all the responses... we are taking Remi to the vet tonight to see what they have to say. It is wonderful to have a community such as this that I can get quick and thoughtful responses. Thanks again everyone!