My senior dog has painful paw sores. Should I take him to the vet?

Hi there. It looks like Max may have cut or scratched his paw pad. He also could have burned it if he was walking on hot pavement. I recommend taking him to the veterinarian because it sounds like he is painful. Your veterinarian can prescribe some pain medications to help him become more comfortable. Hope this helps!

Sores on the toes are not common in old dogs, and Lady could have an infection causing the sores. What is concerning is the mass, as in older dogs that can unfortunately be malignant. It could also be a cyst, abscess, or a benign tumor. Any suspicious masses should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the mass to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have Lady seen by a vet tomorrow to have this mass examined and diagnosed, as well as the sores, so she can be treated.

Sorry to hear about Sooty's discomfort. If you could potentially post this question again with some pictures of the lesions, I or another expert might be able to give you a more informed opinion on the matter. There are many different possible problems that might be the cause of the Sooty's problems. If the discomfort is bad enough that you believe it is affecting his life, I would recommend having your local vet examine the affected regions. At the very least, he might be able to prescribe medications aimed at controlling pain and inflammation. He may also be able to help differentiate if the cause of the problem is something dermatologic, cancerous, or another process entirely. Hope this makes sense.

Sores on the paws can occurr for many reasons. If it is a chronic issue, underlying allergies or a thyroid disorder are likely the issue. These conditions weaken the skin’s natural defenses and allow bacteria and yeast to set up opportunistic infections. The photo of Sammy‘s foot shows a round, pink lesion. It almost looks like some sort of a mass from the picture. I recommend to have Sammy visit his veterinarian to check that area out. If it is a mass, it should be aspirated as skin masses that look this way are suspicious for a cancerous skin growth called a mast cell tumor. However there are benign skin masses that look very similar as well. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This looks very painful and ulcerated which can happen due to many processes including tumors and long standing infection or inflammation. A biopsy of the area may help confirm a definite diagnosis. Please have him assessed urgently so a treatment plan to help ease the discomfort and distress can be discussed

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Max. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian for a procedure known as a fine needle aspirate. The veterinarian will collect a sample of cells and evaluate them under the microscope to diagnose the mass. A histiocytoma is a common benign growth on the extremities of young dogs. Unfortunately, a mast cell tumor is an aggressive cancerous growth that has the same outward appearance. This is why the cells need to be examined. I hope this information helps!