Foot care is an essential part of maintaining healthy hygiene in dogs. Therefore, including a good paw pad care regimen in their daily grooming routine is a must.

Daily walks are an integral part of a dog’s routine. This means constant exposure to dirt, mud, and rough paths, germs, ticks etc. Hot pavements can also lead to injuries. This collectively can cause poor hygiene, blisters, and swelling. Hence, pet parents need to have an optimum foot care routine to clean their pet’s paws and keep them soft and healthy!

But what to include and what not? How to clean your pet’s paws? What should be used to clean their paws? Is water enough? If these questions are on your mind too, don’t worry. We have got you covered! Read on to get your answers and help your pooch live healthily and happily forever.

Paws are the most exposed part of a dog’s body. They tend to get dirty quickly because of mud, sticky substances, tar, and other materials lying on the road and pavements. To get rid of them completely, wash your puppy's paws thoroughly. 

Consider washing in the sink or a tub or simply dip their paws in a mug full of lukewarm water and gently get rid of everything. This is highly effective for smaller breed dogs to clean their paw pads thoroughly. After washing, dry their paws with a soft cotton towel.

Just like humans, nail trimming is also important for pets. So trim their nails at regular intervals to prevent dirt accumulation. It will also reduce scratching incidents on your body and furniture. 

 Additionally, wipe their toes every now and then to maintain good hygiene of your pet. Nowadays, many pet parents opt for M-pets Body & Claw cleaning wipes due to their effectiveness. 

Cleaning your pet’s paws is not enough. You need to add another step in their foot care regime and that’s moisturising it. Due to excessive exposure to a variety of things at home, during walks, playtime, your puppy's paws can get dry leading to cracks. 

To avoid this, include products like Pawsh Paw Balm - Shea Butter from Supertails to get wonderful results! It contains natural ingredients that help moisturise their paws without any side effects. You can also consider getting dog training pads and wipes to clean the paw sweat after training sessions.

If you fail to follow a healthy foot care routine, your puppy may end up triggering pododermatitis. It is the inflammation of the paws. Some common symptoms are blisters, hyperpigmentation, nodules and swelling on the skin. Footpads, nails and nail folds are some of the common areas that can be affected by pododermatitis.

But worry not, pododermatitis can be treated with the right medicines and care. If you see any of these symptoms on your puppy’s paws, please visit your vet as soon as possible. Timely intervention will help your puppy recover quickly.

Hope this blog helps you get better insights on the importance of foot care in pets and how to integrate it properly into the daily schedule.

For more such pet healthcare information, concerns, and guidance, you can always connect with vets on an easy to use platform, Supertails. From pet supplies to training and online pet consultations, we have everything to support your pet parenting journey, every step of the way.