Paw Damage: Heat and your dog’s paws

If you’re a dog owner the first thoughts that come to your mind when summer rolls around are long walks with your favorite companion, road trips and just exploring the great outdoors.

You want to take your four-legged friend with you everywhere you go, but did you know that some of these excursions may not be as fun for your dog as they are for you?

Being out in the summer heat can actually cause damage to not only your dog’s skin but to its paws as well.

How heat can hurt your dog’s paws

What many people don’t know, is that your dog’s paw pads are very sensitive. This means that when temperatures rise, it can become increasingly uncomfortable and damaging to your dog’s paws if they walk on surfaces like asphalt roads, sand, artificial grass and even the wood used for your deck.

According to American Kennel Club, if the temperature is 85 degrees or higher outside, the ground may be too hot for you to safely walk your dog on it. A good rule of thumb is that if the ground is too hot for you to walk barefoot on it, it’s too hot for your dog’s delicate paw pads.

How to prevent paw damage

There are a few things you can do to help prevent paw damage from the heat. The first is before you go on a walk, place your bare feet on the ground outside, if you can’t handle standing on the surface for more than 5 seconds, it’s too hot to walk your dog. Schedule your dog’s walks when you know it will be cooler outside, like in the morning or later at night to avoid your dog missing out on getting their exercise.

You can also get dog shoes or booties for your dog’s paws to prevent any damage from walking on hot surfaces.

“My dog has paw damage, what do I do now?”

The first thing that you should do if you notice your dog has been burned by walking on a hot surface is to take them to a vet immediately. Paw pads can become infected quickly after getting burned and it can become extremely painful and uncomfortable.

Once your dog’s paws have been looked after by a vet, a great option to soothe your pet’s paws after they’ve been damaged by the heat is to moisturize their paws with a dog-approved paw balm.

A great paw balm available is WashBar’s Paw Balm — Kanuka + Repair. What makes WashBar’s paw balm stand out is that it uses a special combination of 100% natural ingredients to moisturize and soothe dry, cracked and tender paw pads.

A lot of paw balms on the market are filled with cheap fillers and synthetic ingredients, but WashBar wants to show pet owners the benefits that all-natural can bring with organic beeswax, apricot oil, kanuka oil and Copaiba oil.

WashBar’s Paw Balm is great to help your dog’s paws in not only hot weather but in the winter too. All of the ingredients used help make dog paw pads feel better and heal from heat and cold damage.

Learn more about the amazing benefits that WashBar’s products can bring to your dog and get WashBar’s Paw Balm today!