Pads tearing
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Pads tearing
Are some dog breeds more prone to their foot pads tearing than others? I always had small dogs and never had such problems with them--my current Lab mix lives in an environment of graveled/dirt roads and winter's snow/ice--of course, her outdoor behavior chasing, etc., puts more wear and tear on the foots. I have her wearing booties most of the time. I just find it odd that a large breed dog does not have pad resilience built-in.
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Fundog
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I did look this problem up for you, remembering that I had read about it somewhere. Sure enough, there is an archived article in Gun Dog Magazine, entitled "To Boot or Not to Boot?" I also found another article on a pet care website that addressed the issue of foot pad injuries.
According to the sources I found, some dogs are simply more "tender footed" than others, and more prone to pad injury, the same way some people are more tender footed and cannot go barefoot the way others can. It is largely unpredictable-- you just never know which dogs are going to be tender footed and which ones aren't. However, a dog's "occupation" may also increase the probability of foot pad injury (as well as other scrapes and bruises). For example, a hunting dog that does a lot of running in rough cover might be more likely to get banged up than the pampered house dog that only plays on green turf. On the other hand, rough ground could also make his pads more calloused and tough. You just never know. In the end, the tender footed dog is best to be kept booted when working rough ground.
According to the sources I found, some dogs are simply more "tender footed" than others, and more prone to pad injury, the same way some people are more tender footed and cannot go barefoot the way others can. It is largely unpredictable-- you just never know which dogs are going to be tender footed and which ones aren't. However, a dog's "occupation" may also increase the probability of foot pad injury (as well as other scrapes and bruises). For example, a hunting dog that does a lot of running in rough cover might be more likely to get banged up than the pampered house dog that only plays on green turf. On the other hand, rough ground could also make his pads more calloused and tough. You just never know. In the end, the tender footed dog is best to be kept booted when working rough ground.
Re: Pads tearing
Hi, I have not experienced pads tearing but my dog's pads get really dry in the winter. I've been putting "Mushers Secret" on his pads at night and it works well to moisturize and keep his pads from cracking. If you don't want to spend much, you could always put vaseline on your dog's pads to help moisturize.
