My dog has a pink spot on her paw pad. Is it serious? Vet or wait?

It looks like she may have a small abrasion or had an insect bite and licked it. Keep an eye on it and make sure it stays clean and dry. If it does not improve over the net day or two or if it gets worse, get her in to see your vet.

Hello, and thanks for your question about Olivia. I suspect this small white spot is likely related to the hyperkeratosis and the resulting changes in the foot pad. It's also possible that Olivia may have a small mass just starting to grow in that foot pad, that's still small enough as to be nearly invisible unless you're compressing the tissue around it. I'm impressed you found that spot at all! I would definitely point this spot out to your vet. If it's big enough to aspirate (get a small needle sample of cells), they can get an idea of whether the cells in that spot appear normal or concerning. It looks pretty darn small in the picture - so your vet may simply tell you to monitor for now, but it's good to get it seen and documented so they can help monitor if it changes. I hope this helps. You're doing a great job caring for Olivia! As an aside, here's my favorite hyperkeratosis topical treatment if you're interested :-) https://naturaldogcompany.com/product/snout-soother-tin/

This spot looks quite small, and it doesn't appear infected from your picture. If it isn't bothering your dog, isn't getting bigger, and doesn't get infected (red, swollen, warm to touch, pus), then it can wait until her check up in a few weeks. Should any of the things I mentioned above happen, then I would take her into a vet sooner. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Callie. She appears to have a small growth on her pad. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. She could have a mass, a poorly healing wound or an area of irritation from licking. Her veterinarian will examine her and determine how best to treat the issue. In the meantime, do not allow her to lick the paw. She should wear an E-collar if necessary. I hope this information helps!

It's hard to see with all the hair, I assume I'm looking at the top of her paw and it's between two toes. This may not be a traumatic injury, it could be a place that she has licked and scratched because she had a small wound or an insect bite or other irritation between the toes. I recommend keeping it clean with a warm damp washcloth and mild soap, make sure to rinse it completely and apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to keep the skin moist and avoid cracking. I would get it seen by your vet as soon as you can but, as long as she seems otherwise fine, I don't feel this is an emergency.

This is a pad irritation, probably from walking on pavement on concrete. She may get a callus there over time. Since it's not bothering her I would try to keep her from walking on hard surfaces until this is no longer red. Keep an eye on it and if it becomes bigger, more inflammed or painful then bring Roxy in for an exam. At this point it's nothing to be overly concerned about. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Roxy.

Since I can't palpate the area, it's hard top tell but this looks most suspicious for an injury or perhaps an infection. Healthy pets should be able to heal without intervention. Make sure to keep Quincy from licking the area, as this can lead to infection, by having her wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Look at it every day. If it is not getting significantly better within 7 days or if it starts getting worse, I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps.