I got a 2 year old labrador/pitt 1 month ago. Since the time I got
him, his pads repeatedly tear then heal about every 4 days. I figured
that this is just a case of baby feet becoming accustomed to walks on
concrete, but today his pads tore when he was running back and forth on
grass. Some people have said that it's due to dryness and that
applying something would do the trick, but I don't think this is the
case. It seems that his pads are "delaminating", like the outermost
layer is separating from the inner layer and that it doesn't take much
to rip them. Any suggestions?

If it is a case of baby feet, how long does it take for pads to get
toughened? 1 month, 3 months, 6 months?

thanks.

wrote in message:
grass. Some people have said that it's due to dryness and that
applying something would do the trick, but I don't think this is the
case. It seems that his pads are "delaminating", like the outermost
layer is separating from the inner layer and that it doesn't take much
to rip them. Any suggestions?

A friend of mine had a dog with a similar problem. The skin on his pads
would peel off and she had to be really careful about where and how she
exercised him. Turned out to be discoid lupus. You might want to run this
by the vet to see if there is something systemic going on.

Suja

diddy wrote:
Neatsfoot Oil (from agricultural suppliers or horse tack shops)
rubbed into the paws will also soothe sore pads.

A better topical might be Bag Balm. Or maybe Boudreaux's Butt Cream?

wrote:
I got a 2 year old labrador/pitt 1 month ago. Since the time I got
him, his pads repeatedly tear then heal about every 4 days. I figured
that this is just a case of baby feet becoming accustomed to walks on
concrete, but today his pads tore when he was running back and forth on
grass. Some people have said that it's due to dryness and that
applying something would do the trick, but I don't think this is the
case. It seems that his pads are "delaminating", like the outermost
layer is separating from the inner layer and that it doesn't take much
to rip them. Any suggestions?

If it is a case of baby feet, how long does it take for pads to get
toughened? 1 month, 3 months, 6 months?

It sounds like a classic case of baby-soft feet to me. You see it a lot
in novice flyball dogs.

Actually, running back and forth on the grass is harder on the feet than
walks on concrete. Those high speed turns apply a tremendous amount of
shearing force to the pads, resulting in the delaminations you're seeing.

You need to get a layer of callous built up on his pads and to do that
you'll need mileage and plenty of it. Start off slowly and build your
distances gradually. Every time he gets a blister it costs him those
layers of callous you're working to develop. Walking him on concrete
will definitely help. And until his feet start to harden up you'll need
to control his play time on grass. Don't leave him outside where he can
run the fence with the dog next door, for instance. And don't let him
run with wet feet. Wet feet are extremely vulnerable to blistering.

If you can manage to avoid re-injuring his pads you'll see substantial
improvement in 3 months.

Kathleen