What's the best at-home treatment for my dog's paw hyperkeratosis?

For some dogs, developing hyperkeratosis is a matter of genes: Labrador and Golden Retrievers, Dogues de Bordeaux, Irish and Bedlington Terriers are all known to develop this condition. When hyperkeratosis develops as a result of inheritance, it generally occurs in the first year of a dog’s life. In contrast, idiopathic hyperkeratosis develops for unknown reasons, generally occurs in older pets, over the age ten. Aside from inherited or idiopathic occurrences, hyperkeratosis can occur as a symptom of one of these following problems: Leishmaniasis: Caused by a parasite frequently carried by sandflies. Canine Distemper: This virus is relatively rare now, due to vaccinations given to puppies. When distemper strikes, it can cause all sorts of symptoms, among them hyperkeratosis, typically on the nose. Zinc Responsive Dermatosis: Hyperkeratosis can occur as a result of zinc responsive dermatosis, a skin disease that occurs when dogs do not properly absorb zinc. Pemphigus Foliaceus: One of the most common autoimmune skin diseases diagnosed in cats and dogs, it causes pustules and hyperkeratosis to form on the paws. This disease can be diagnosed with a biopsy, and is treatable with immunosuppressive drugs. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for hyperkeratosis. That said, the condition can be managed -- the treatment goal is to reduce symptoms, by softening and removing the hardened skin on paws and muzzles. The most important first step of treatment is to determine if another disease is causing hyperkeratosis as a symptom, and begin the treatment process for that disease. To treat the hyperkeratosis directly, bring pets in for frequent vet appointments, where the vet can carefully trim and cut away the excess keratin. If your vet and you both feel comfortable with the idea, it’s possible that your vet can train you on the proper process for this puppy pedicure. Other treatments involve wet wraps, soaks in propylene glycol, and other topical solutions.

I’ve had success using Kerasol ointment for hyperkeratosis. Some people also swear by Musher’s Secret. If your vet hasn’t examined Otis’s paws you may want to have them take a look - there are a few skin diseases that can look similar to hyperkeratosis.

The growth is hyperkeratosis. It isn't a problem, you can apply coconut oil and use a nail file to try to file it back a little. Try to prevent licking, you may need to have them wear an e-collar for a couple of weeks. https://www.petcarerx.com/article/hyperkeratosis-in-dogs-and-cats/2803

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From the pictures, it appears that Freya has hyperkeratosis of the paw pads. This condition does not cause any major problems and is more of a cosmetic problem. You can try and file the overgrown pad by using a dremmel (I recommend having a veterinarian or veterinary technician do this) and then try to help prevent this from occurring by using dog booties and BioBalm by Dermoscent (can be found online). I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there and thank you for using PetCoach to address your concern. If this piece of pad is hanging off from the foot, I would recommend having it trimmed back or removed using local anesthetic. Sometimes the overgrown paw pad can be cut back with no anesthetic as there are no nerves in the overgrown portion. Once this has either fallen off or has been removed, I would recommend using a product called BioBalm, which can be found online. Apply this to the feet and then I would recommend keeping Joy's paws in boots to help prevent this from developing again. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Here is a link to a website for dog boots that I highly recommend ( https://ruffwear.com/ ).

Try soaking it in some warm water with Epsom salt if he will allow it-- this is easiest to do by putting the water and epsom salt in a plastic bag and putting his paw into the plastic bag. If you can do this for about 10 minutes or so, that may help if he has any debris , sticker, grass seed, etc that is embedded in the skin. If he is licking at it, be sure to put an Ecollar (cone of shame) on him. Dry it with a towel then allow to air dry, then you can use this product on it: If it is not improving within a couple of days, take him in to your vet. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Yes you can do some treatments at home. I recommend soaking the feet in a warm betadine solution or other antibacterial soap or solution once daily until the lesions are healed. Skin and foot problems can take three to four weeks to resolve. I don’t put topical cream or ointment on the feet as this encourages licking. I recommend using a cone if Oliver does start licking the feet. If this gets worse then systemic antibiotics are indicated. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Oliver.