Why does my dog have crusty nose sores and painful paw pads?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Murphy. A common condition known as hyperkeratosis can cause a crusty nose. This is more of a cosmetic probelm and may be what his veterinarian was referring to at your last appointment. If the nose cracks, bleeds or the pigment changes to white or pink though, this is concerning. It can indicate an autoimmune disease. This would need to be diagnosed with a biopsy. In the first scenario, I usually will treat with a topical ointment to dissolve the extra skin or keratin. You need to wear gloves when applying it though as it can dissolve the skin on your finger tips. His veterinarian will be able to prescribe this ointment. I hope this information helps!

Sorry to hear about Sooty's discomfort. If you could potentially post this question again with some pictures of the lesions, I or another expert might be able to give you a more informed opinion on the matter. There are many different possible problems that might be the cause of the Sooty's problems. If the discomfort is bad enough that you believe it is affecting his life, I would recommend having your local vet examine the affected regions. At the very least, he might be able to prescribe medications aimed at controlling pain and inflammation. He may also be able to help differentiate if the cause of the problem is something dermatologic, cancerous, or another process entirely. Hope this makes sense.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Sasha. I would advise taking Sasha to your veterinarian for an evaluation. These are odd lesions and one concern I would have is an immune-mediated skin disease. It is possible it is something else but problems affecting mucocutaneous junctions are oftentimes immune-mediated in nature. Other possibilities include bacterial infection, nutritional problem, etc. Your veterinarian is likely to advise some tests if this condition persists. A skin biopsy might be necessary to diagnose this. Once a diagnosis is made a sound treatment plan can be implemented. Good luck with Sasha.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Tawket. I worry that she could have an autoimmune skin disease. This is where the dog's body attacks its own skin cells resulting in an ulcerated and cracked nose. A common type of this disease is known as discoid lupus. There are other types as well though. It is typically diagnosed by a skin biopsy. I would ask her veterinarian if this is a possibility. I hope this information helps!

Oh wow that does look painful. Lesions on the foot/footpad are most commonly either from chronic irritation, immune mediated, a symptom of disease elsewhere (such as hepatocutaneous syndrome from liver disease), allergy (although this looks quite severe for that), vasculitis, or cancer. I would recommend that your girl be seen for bloodwork, needle sampling of the lesions on her head, and likely skin biopsies of her feet. This is th best way to get to the bottom of this painful process for her and get the correct treatment prescribed. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It looks like you are concerned about several problems with Roxie, and they are probably not all related to each other. The nose could just be dry, or it could be an autoimmune disease called lupus, or it could be cancerous. I would recommend that you have your vet check this out to see what will be the best treatment. If it gets worse it could crack and bleed and be very painful. I am not sure what is coming from her whisker area, it could be a skin tag. There are several masses that can occur on the edges of the eyelid. Often they are benign, but they can get bigger and start to rub on the cornea and cause ulceration and chronic irritation. Many times a vet can remove these easily with either surgery or cryotherapy. Dry or thickened skin on the elbows is common in short-haired dogs as they age. There is nothing that needs to be done. Make sure that Roxie has a soft place to lay down, which will help prevent excess pressure over her bony areas.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Ariel. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. She may need to have biopsies taken from the affected skin on her nose. I am concerned that she has developed an autoimmune skin disease where the body attacks it's own skin cells. In this case, an accurate diagnosis is necessary to prescribe medications to manage the disease. I recommend having her seems soon as the cracking skin on the nose can result in terrible bleeding if it gets deep enough. I hope this information helps!