The cold weather is hard for human to tackle, imagine how hard it is for your pups?
In this blog, we are going to update you with the reasons and solutions for what you can do to help sustain the health and wear of your dogs paws.
Firstly, nail clippings. We know, it can be hard for you to cut their nails but the importance behind doing so can be a lot more than just stopping them from scratching you. The main purpose of dogs nails is to help sustain grip when walking. With that purpose in mind, it is important to keep them to a comfortable length for the dog.
FUN FACT: The reasoning behind the dew claw is, for when dogs are in the wild, the dew claw is used to help dig into meat and to help with digging.
Nail Clipping:
The issues that can arise when dogs nails are too short include, the loss of grip. This can affect the way that the dog walks along pavements. It can also cause intense discomfort for the dog, causing increased licking around the area. This can then stain their fur in the long term.
The issue that can arise when dogs nails are too long include, pain and discomfort. This is because the nails begin to curl round when they are too long. They can sometimes curl into the pad on the bottom of their paw and cause pain when walking. This can then strain onto the issues with lethargy and it can become hard for them to become active again. This can link into a long term list of deformities with bone structure in paws and legs. Plus, with the issue of long nails it can become easy for the dog to snap their nails when they are playing outside. In some circumstances, it is known for the pressure of the nail to become too much and snap out of the paw. This causing pain and sensitivity for the paw.
Fur between their pads:
The main purpose of the hair between a dogs pads is to pick up the temperature of the ground. Besides their tongue, it is known that dogs can distinguish the temperature through the fine hair molecules that are in-between their paws. Due to this, the hair between their pads needs to be kept short, as close to the pad as possible. Their pads are a sensory tissue and they are used to distinguish the temperature and they are shock absorbers. This is because the pads helps protect their bones and nerves. The pads work as breaks as such, helps dogs differentiate between surfaces allowing them to make the correct decision upon walking and treading onto the surface.
The issues with long fur between pads is that, when left too long it can become matted and it can affect the pads working sensory. This is because it stops the pads from working correctly, making it hard for the dog to differentiate the surface temperature, structure or feeling. This can become uncomfortable as it pushes the pads away from each other making it a constant pressure on the paw.
Cracked Paws:
Paws suffer in extreme weathers. When the paths you walk on throughout the summer & winter are affected, so are your dogs pads. This can lead to them becoming sore and cracked, and in the summer even potentially burnt. This can be caused by too much direct contact with concrete. Think of the pot holes in the floor, with constant heat or cold the floor becomes weak, the same principle happens with paws. To prevent this, it is worth walking the dogs on as much grass as possible during the summer. In the cold months, we recommend that constant walking is essential. This is because when standing still, it makes it 10x more possible for cracking. Constant walking should also occur during the hotter months.
At Huggles Pamper Lounge, we offer a paw treatment service for just £5-£7 (depending on nail length). Within this pawdicure treatment, we clip nails, trim fur between pads and apply a balm like cream that helps the cracked paws with natural ingredients. The Nose and Paw balm is recommended to all pups as it quick absorbing so it soaks into the pads helping create a barrier between the cold and their pads. For more information, call us on 01902 494860 and we can book your pup in for a soothing pawdicure!
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