Do I need to go to the vet for a cracked paw pad?

[dale1257]

Hi, I am curious if I need to take my dog to the vet for a cracked paw pad?

The paw with the cracks does not appear to be infected. There is no bleeding. He was not licking his paw or any other indicators other than a slight limp during our morning walk on concrete. His paw pad does seem very dry and there are 2 cracks.

I checked his paw after he developed a limp in the same leg during our walk. The cracks in his paw seem to be what is causing the limp. I did massage around his legs/joints to make sure nothing was broken. I basically followed everything from this video:

I did research this topic and followed the majority of the suggestions. I soaked the paw and cleaned with soapy water. I then applied a moisturizing ointment of coconut oil/camelina oil. I am in the process of finding a new, more thorough vet, which is why I dont want to take him in right now.

I am obviously going to be giving it plenty of attention. I was just curious if anyone had any experience or input they could share. How long does a cracked paw pad normally take to heal? It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[jewelpet]

@dale1257 I don't know about healing time but sounds like he just needs regular moisture treatments on his paws to keep the pads from drying out. Once you have found a vet mention it to them and what treatment you are doing, they can then recommend anything else that may help.

The regular oil treatment will certainly help to make walks much more comfortable so I say continue with those, hope that's helpful.

 

[dale1257]

@jewelpet Thanks for your input! Some sources online were saying any paw pad injury should be seen by a vet but other sources say different. I am feeling more confident now. So far I have applied 3 treatments and the cracks are definitely improving which is a relief.

I will probably updated my post in a couple of days about the injury heal time and such. Hopefully it can help someone out in the future who is also encountered the same issue. Thanks again for your response

 

[jewelpet]

@dale1257 No worries, glad to hear its healing up