Content
- clip the dog's nails
- Cut the dog's paw hair
- Dog Paw Cushions - Cleaning the Cushions
- Hydrate the dog's paws
- Paw Massage
- tick on the dog's paw
- Dog Paw Care in Summer
- Are dog shoes bad?
- How to avoid hurting the dog's paws
There are different breeds of dogs that were thought and bred to be from companion animals, to more resistant animals for running, hunting and heavier exercises. And, because dogs are animals that love to run, jump and play, it is necessary to reinforce some care that we have to take on a day-to-day basis and that often end up going unnoticed among the tutors.
The paws are essential for the dog to support itself and move between the most diverse types of places and terrain. However, sometimes, these regions do not receive due attention from the tutors and a small problem can end up becoming a bigger problem, bringing a lot of discomfort to the dogs.
Are you curious? So, keep reading on PeritoAnimal to find out which ones are due care that must be taken with the dog's paws and follow our tips.
clip the dog's nails
The basic tip is that your dog's nails should always be the proper size to avoid too many accidents. The rule is that the length must be such that the nail touches its tip to the ground, so if they are too big they can bring a lot of discomfort to the dog.
You can even trim the ends of your dog's nails with the use of pliers suitable for dogs, which vary according to the size of each breed. However, you need to be careful with this procedure, as there is a blood vessel inside the nail, and if cut, it can bleed a lot. Follow these tips to cut a dog's nails at PeritoAnimal's house.
If you are unsure about performing this procedure yourself, when taking your dog to the Pet Shop, ask the professional to keep your dog's nails always trimmed.
Cut the dog's paw hair
The professional, when trimming the nails, must also cut off excess hair between the paw pads, called cushions. If they are not trimmed, the excess hair between the fingers facilitates the appearance of bacteria, fungi, and can even form knots, if they get caught in the nails, which will pull the skin and hurt the pads.
Dog Paw Cushions - Cleaning the Cushions
Daily and especially after going to parks or other walks, check the cushions and between your fingers if there is nothing the dog may have stepped on and ended up getting stuck, such as small pieces of twig, thorns, pebbles, broken glass, etc. If you find something remove with tweezers.
Hydrate the dog's paws
Especially in winter, cushions can get very dry and crack, just like our feet. In addition to providing a gateway to bacterial infections, as dogs are in direct contact with the ground, it is quite uncomfortable and painful to step on the ground with cracked paws, so check with your veterinarian for a good one. suitable moisturizer for dogs.
Paw Massage
When using the moisturizer on your dog's paws, take the opportunity to massage them. This improves local circulation, stimulates nerve connections, and can prevent future problems.
tick on the dog's paw
Ticks are ectoparasites that can transmit various diseases, and they seek safe, warm places to lodge with their hosts. Often, when we find a tick on the dog, we forget that between the toes they are one of the tick's favorite places to stay.
If you find a tick, do not crush it, as this can release thousands of eggs that are invisible to the naked eye into the environment, making decontamination of the environment more difficult. Use special tweezers to remove the tick and throw it into a pot of alcohol.
Dog Paw Care in Summer
Cushions may seem tough to some, but they are quite fragile if exposed to high temperatures. So when walking your dog on very hot days, avoid times between 11am and 4pm in the afternoon, which are times when the sun is high in the sky and the streets and sidewalks are too hot.
Prefer schedules before 10am or more at dusk, after 4pm.
A tip to know if the floor is too hot is to take off your shoes yourself and feel the temperature of the floor with your bare foot, or touch the palm of your hand to the floor. That way, if the temperature is right for you, it will certainly suit your dog without the risk of burning his paws.
Are dog shoes bad?
Wearing shoes can be useful on walks where the terrain is very rough or where the dog's paws can be injured, however not all animals adapt to the accessory.
Pay attention to the use of shoes, as dogs, unlike humans, do not sweat, so their sweat glands, responsible for thermoregulation, in dogs focus on cushions. On very hot days, if the dog remains in the shoes too long, the paws can become too hot, and wet, contributing to the proliferation of fungi.
How to avoid hurting the dog's paws
By following all these care tips that you should have with your dog's paws, you will certainly be contributing to the improvement of his quality of life.
Finally, think of your dog's paws as your feet, take good care of the floor of your house and your yard, avoiding rough terrain, rudimentary and with stones, wires or anything else that could hurt your dog's paws.
For any care with the dog's paws, teaching the dog to paw is very useful! Read our article that explains how to do it step by step.
