My dog's paws are red and cracked. What's wrong and how to help?

This presentation could be due to a trauma (possibly presence of a small foreign body) 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.

Depigmentation can be normal, but if the skin is also thick or crusty or there are other skin lesions it might also be a sign of an autoimmune skin disease. If Iker has scabs or crusts on his paw pads that aren't obvious in the picture, if he seems itchy or if he has other skin problems I'd recommend having your vet take a look.

Hello. This is a very typical presentation of a dog with Atopy, an inhalant or contact skin allergy. Your veterinarian can recommend several different manners in which to address this problem, including medicated shampoos or oral/injectable antiallergy treatments. It is curious that we commonly only see this in 1 foot, but the irritation can develop anywhere on the body. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Ray. Poor boy. They are a bit red, and it may be he has allergies or an infection causing the redness. I would have this checked out by a vet, and while there, you can get him vaccines. It doesn't look like he need his nails cut at the moment. I hope this helps!

There is a disease call "plasma cell pododermatitis" that affects the footpads of cats, making them swell and sometimes crack. It's poorly understood, but believed to be an autoimmune disease. Treatment usually consists of a specific antibiotic (doxycycline) which somehow regulates the immune system (again, we don't understand why) and drugs to suppress the immune system (prednisolone or cyclosporine). Sometimes we have to bandage the feet temporarily to help with the pain and to aid healing. Soldier may also need pain medication for a time until he is more comfortable. Your vet should be able to diagnose this condition and start treatment. Good luck.

This is likely to be due to an infective pododermatitis. It is possible that the generalized infection is actually due to an underlying predisposing allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). The following products can be found online and can be tried as a first line approach: Douxo PS Calm shampoo, Essential 6 spot on by dermoscent, Krillex Krill oil chews. 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!

Flaky paws can be normal and related to dry skin or irritation of the paws from rough surfaces. In your picture it looks like the crusting might be a little more severe - if this is the case then there are some autoimmune diseases that would be a concern. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Theo's feet and determine if autoimmune disease might be a concern. If so they may recommend checking blood work or taking a biopsy.