Veterinary Hospital Warns Dog Owners After Golden Retriever's Paw Pads Burn Off During Walk

Jun 26, 2019 by apost team

A patient dog takes a walk with his owners on a hot summer's day. A good thing, right?

Not necessarily. The result of one such recent event is actually heartbreaking and a wake-up call for any dog lover.

Olaf, a golden retriever, went for a walk with his owners one day. By the time they arrived home, the heat from the concrete had nearly burnt the pads off his paws.

The owners claimed not to have noticed a thing before they got home. Olaf didn't make any noises or display a noticeable limp. The trail of bloody paw prints that went on for a mile didn't get their attention.

Thankfully, many pet owners tend to avoid walking their dog in very hot weather because they're aware of the risk of overheating. But it turns out that burnt paw pads are just as serious an issue.

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The toughened layers of skin that make up the pad help protect the dog's feet from injury. However, they are not made to take the intense heat of man-made surfaces like concrete or asphalt. The pads get physically burnt when the surface is too hot.

The burns cause raised blisters on the surface of the pads. These blisters rupture in the days following the injury. 

Olaf didn't express any pain at all. He never even stopped walking. Still, he ended up leaving a path of bloody paw prints and had to pay a heartbreaking visit to the vet. Thankfully, the vet was able to clean around the wounds without him flinching at all. Olaf has become an office favorite for his tenacity and sweet personality.

How do you know if a pavement is too hot for your dog to walk on? The Medical Lake Veterinary Hospital put a useful guideline on their Facebook page: 

“A good rule of thumb is if the pavement is too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for your dogs’ pads.”

Olaf is going to have a long path on his way to recovery ahead. Paw pads don't recover quickly. But antibiotics and pain killers will help him get along and the vet thinks he will make a full recovery in time.

Give Olaf a round of applause for being such a brave, hearty canine. Let others experience his sweet personality by passing this video along and make sure they don't make the mistake of taking their dog for a walk on a blistering hot pavement!