My dog's paws bleed after playing on a tennis court. What to do?

Poor Bella! No it's not normal that her paws started bleeding, and if it's cold and snowy where you are, it could be the ice or the salt used to melt the ice that has caused her paws to bleed. It looks like the skin has come off on certain pads like a burn, and that is likely a bit painful for her. It's not an emergency, but I would recommend having her seen by a vet for it in the morning. Tonight, you can try washing the area with warm water and antiseptic soap, and bandaging the paws that the more effected. Put an Ecollar on her to keep her from licking at the paws. Tomorrow at the vet, they may want to put her on antibiotics if they feel her paws are burned. In the future, I recommend putting Musher's Secret to protect her paws before going outside (you can buy it online) or getting her booties to wear. I hope this helps! http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html

Silly Hachi for continuing to pull on his leash! I would look into some dog booties for him. These will protect his feet during walks, and will keep him from reopening the wounds. You can make him wear them on walks until the wounds are fully healed. He probably won't like them at first, but he will get used to them. You can find dog booties at a pet store or online. While he is wearing the booties and his wounds are healing, I recommend enrolling him in an obedience course. This will teach him how to walk properly on a leash, as well as other useful tricks. It would be great for him as it exercises his mind and he gets to do fun things with you, and it will help him walk better on the leash. Speak to your vet about local obedience courses. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Poor Oscar! Running around on the blacktop can cause a lot of trauma to the skin as you have unfortunately found out. You must protect the paw from licking as this will make it worse. He should wear an Elizabethan collar at all times. He should also only be allowed to walk on soft surfaces and can not have any running until the paw is healed. The concern with injuries on the foot is that they can become infected since they are constantly making contact with the ground. I recommend to have him examined by his veterinarian who may bandage there paw and give you a topical treatment or even antibiotics. I hope he starts feeling better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bentley. It is worth having him evaluated by his veterinarian to determine if his paws require treatment. If they are painful, this will make him not want you to put anything over them. He may need antibiotics and pain medications for them to heal. Otherwise, is there any place else you can take him to go potty? Could you carry him across the icy area to snowy or grassy place? You can buy protective hiking boots, but as with the socks I am not sure if he would wear them. You can go slowly and give treats while applying them. In the meantime, do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!

Hello. The only way to prevent these is to use booties on Jack's paws, but if he is not licking his feet, nor does he seem uncomfortable or limps, then I do not think he needs the booties. I would be washing his feet every day, either with a dilute Povidone Iodine or Chlorhexidine solution. Wipe his feet with the solution, then dry with a soft towel without rinsing. Continue to test or avoid hot concrete or asphalt surfaces & I think Jack should do just fine. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bella! Based on your pictures that isn't a growth but a paw pad abrasion. I see it when the dog runs too much on asphalt or tennis courts chasing balls and skidding. I have seen multiple feet and multiple pads affected and peel like blisters. They heal quickly by preventing licking with an E-collar, soaking in Epsom salts, oral antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. I wish you and Bella the best!

What a brave girl! Pads sometimes do get abrasions or blisters from running on rocky, hot, or uneven surfaces. It looks like they are doing ok right now, but you do need to keep an eye on them. Put an Collar (cone of shame) on her so that she cannot lick them, and If she becomes more bothered by them, if she's favoring them heavily ("walking on eggshells), or if she starts to seem lethargic or isn't eating, get her in. All of those could be signs of infection. In the meantime, clean them daily with dilute betadine (available at any pharmacy) -- use a small bowl (1-2 cups or so) of water, and add enough betadine so that it looks like tea. If she will tolerate keeping her foot in that for a minute or so, great. If not, just use a gauze pad or cotton ball to clean the wound off with the butadiene solution. Leave them UNBANDAGED at this time, so that you can monitor them closely, and so that moisture doesn't get trapped which could increase the likelihood of infection developing. While I do think they should not be bandaged, DO use booties if you are going to be going for a long walk, etc--ideally, though, avoid exercise on rough, rocky, uneven surfaces until its healed. Take the booties off when she comes inside. (something like this I hope thats helpful for you! Thanks for asking PetCoach!