My 12-year-old dog has crusty, sore paws. What's the problem?

Hi there. These look a lot like lick granumlomas-if Max has been licking the areas and chewing at them a lot them the areas will become hairless and infected and eventually form granulation (which is thicker) tissue than normal. Sometimes the areas will weep clear fluid which is plasma leakage. I would still encourage you to see your veterinarian who can palpate (feel the area) and make sure there is no worry of an actual tumor. If max is 11, he is an older pet for sure, but may have several years of good quality life in front of him still. Hope this helps

Thank you for submitting your question regarding PeggySue. She will need to see her veterinarian as your at home care has not resolved the issues for her. She will likely need to skin tests to look for any evidence of mites or ringworm. If these tests come back negative, then she could have an autoimmune disease where the body attacks its own skin cells. The nose, foot pads, ear margins and eyelids are commonly affected sources. This is diagnosed through a skin biopsy. I hope this information helps!

Hello, & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I hope I can assist with your concerns today. Whatever caused this lesion on Smith's paw looks pretty quiet now. If he is not showing any lameness or discomfort, & is not licking or chewing at the lesion, then it may be OK to just monitor it for now. If any signs of pain & redness should become apparent, or the lesion appears to be enlarging or worsening, then please contact your veterinarian for evaluation. Take care.

Sores on the paws can occurr for many reasons. If it is a chronic issue, underlying allergies or a thyroid disorder are likely the issue. These conditions weaken the skin’s natural defenses and allow bacteria and yeast to set up opportunistic infections. The photo of Sammy‘s foot shows a round, pink lesion. It almost looks like some sort of a mass from the picture. I recommend to have Sammy visit his veterinarian to check that area out. If it is a mass, it should be aspirated as skin masses that look this way are suspicious for a cancerous skin growth called a mast cell tumor. However there are benign skin masses that look very similar as well. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It would be much easier for us to give you advice if we could see what you are referring to. Can you please post again with some photos? All I can advise you to do without seeing photos is to soak the feet in dilute Betadine solution (1:10 dilution) for 10 minutes twice a day. Please post again with photos so we can better help you. Thank you!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bodie, it sounds as if he has had a rough three days. Bodie's lesions on his paw could certainly be related to an underlying environmental or food allergy that resulted in the development of a severe superficial and possible deep pyoderma, which can be difficult to treat if the bacteria present are resistant to normal antibiotics. Other potential causes could include fungal infections (depending on your location), and neoplasia (cancer). For lesions that do not respond to typical therapy with antibiotics and anti-itch medications (such as corticosteroids, Apoquel, Atopica), it may be necessary to perform a culture/sensitivity of the lesions to determine what type of bacteria present (if any) and what antibiotic it is sensitive to, or even a biopsy which could help rule-out certain fungal infections or neoplasia. I would recommend having Bodie re-evaluated by a veterinarian if the sores do not resolve to determine what the appropriate next step will be.

Sores on the toes are not common in old dogs, and Lady could have an infection causing the sores. What is concerning is the mass, as in older dogs that can unfortunately be malignant. It could also be a cyst, abscess, or a benign tumor. Any suspicious masses should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the mass to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have Lady seen by a vet tomorrow to have this mass examined and diagnosed, as well as the sores, so she can be treated.