Foot Care
Recently, Kodi experienced an injury to his left front foot.
While playing in the back yard, we noticed blood on his right front foot. I called him to me and gave him the ‘paws up’ command. Immediately, I could see that his dew claw on his left foot was seriously injured, there was a lot of blood. The toe nail was sticking straight out of the side of the toe.
We put him in the car and rushed him to the Veterinary Hospital. They told us dew claw injuries are common, toe nail injuries happen often.
He had partially torn off the toe nail. The Vet removed the toe nail completely, wrapped his foot and prescribed antibiotics.
It’s incredibly important to provide good foot care for your canine companion. It’s wise to give your companion’s feet a thorough once over often. It’s critical that you’re aware of debris in the areas where your dog will be walking.
We have encountered large pieces of broken glass in grassy areas and on sidewalks, as well as a fishing lure laying on the bridge we cross. (Later in the day we passed over the bridge and the lure was gone, but bloody paw prints could be seen on the concrete.)
Our canine companions’ feet are susceptible to injury from the elements. The pads on their feet can be burned/blistered from extreme heat, especially from hot pavement, as well as frozen from extreme cold from walking on ice for extensive periods of time. Rock Salt used for de-icing sidewalks can irritate, cause damage to the pads of their feet.
One of the easiest ways to avoid foot infections is to keep solid waste cleaned up in the areas where they walk and play.
There is a product available that was made for use on Husky feet. Musher’s Secret is a wax product that is natural and human grade, therefore safe if ingested.
Before walking, you simply take off the lid and slide the dog’s paw across the surface of the wax. This is a product used for years by dog mushers who sled or cart their dogs.
Keeping nails trimmed, hair trimmed away from the pads of the feet and inspecting the feet for dry-cracking or worn-raw spots will keep your companion healthy and happy.
