My dog is limping and has sores on his back paws. What should I do?

I'm sorry to hear that Murphy has been limping. Mild weight bearing lameness could be related to a soft tissue injury, cranial cruciate ligament rupture, degenerative joint disease/arthritis, osteosarcoma, among many other issues. I'm glad to hear that Murphy seems comfortable enough to run, but try to avoid allowing him to run until this issue resolves because he could worsen any existing injury. Any time limping is present (to any degree), this indicates a sign of pain. For this reason, I recommend taking Murphy to his vet for an exam, possible x-rays, and possible anti-inflammatory pain medication. Do not give him any over the counter pain medication since none are overly safe for dogs. Until you can get to the vet, try to restrict Murphy's activity to keep him in the kennel and only allow him out for short leash walks to eliminate. I hope that he feels better soon!

Are you in an area with a lot of snow or very cold? It could be irritation from snow being packed in between the toes. Otherwise a common cause is environmental allergies. They luck enough to cause secondary infections sometimes. I would soak in warm water and Epsom salt baths this weekend. If they look worse or are not improving then he should be evaluated by a veterinarian Monday. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

I am sorry to hear about Mario! I would recommend a trip to the vet with these symptoms as he is obviously in pain. There could be a variety of causes including an injury to a toenail, a broken toe/bone, a skin infection on the underside of the foot, a wound to the foot, a sprain/strain, and more. The vet will examine Mario's foot and may recommend an x-ray depending on their findings and can prescribe pain medication to help him be more comfortable!

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This could just be an allergic condition, but looking at the spotty nature of the pads, I would also be concerned that this might be an auto-immune condition called pemphigus, where the lesions are often first noticed on the footpads. Since this has been ongoing for several months, & now she is showing signs of pain, it is time to have your veterinarian evaluate the pads for what is going on. Hope all is well. Take care.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It could be an infection or a mass so he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause and treat. He may need an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, or the mass may need to be removed. Schedule an examination with your vet to have it evaluated. You could also soak his paw in a warm Epsom Salt solution and see if that help.

It looks like he might have chewed a hot spot onto his foot. It may have started with a minor scratch or bug bite or allergies. That itched, he chewed it, which irritated the area, which makes it itch more, and so on. I recommend getting him seen by your vet soon to have his skin checked. After an exam and possibly some lab work, your vet will have a better idea what is going on and how best to treat it.