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 Posted - 03/07/2010 : 12:05:33 PM
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With the icy conditions we have been having, thought this was an appropriate subject! The foot pad is a thickened area of skin with a poor blood supply, tough and durable, just what you would expect for cushioning the feet of a running dog. If traumatized after running too long on harsh surfaces, cut after stepping on lawn edging, injured in the ice chunks, or burned on hot summer asphalt, the pads heal slowly, often leading to a dry foot pad that may even crack open.
If your dog has a foot pad problem, check to make sure the cause is not allergies, autoimmune diseases, systemic infections or cancer, which can all target or affect the foot pad. If the condition is seasonal it may suggest an allergy. The autoimmune process systemic lupus erythematosis typically can cause a chronic non-healing ulcerated foot pad. If your dog does not respond to medications and topicals, it is reasonable to recommend a skin biopsy. Often a full-thickness skin biopsy of the affected pad may be helpful in establishing an underlying cause. A biopsy of this type, sent to a boarded pathologist or dermatohistopathologist, would be reltively inexpensive and could provide a wealth of useful information. Some foot pad conditions may not be curable, but it may be that it can be more successfully managed.
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Injured Foot Pad 
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