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My dog's paw pad is white and cracked. Why doesn't it bother her?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Maltipoo | Female | 6 lbs

Recently I found part of my dogs paw to be white and cracked, it doesn't seem to bother her at all. Is there any reason for part of her paw to turn white?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 19th, 2020

This rough, white spot could be due to exposure to the elements outside, or it could be due to running and walking on rough surfaces such as concrete. I'd get Musher's Secret to put on Macey's paws to protect them.

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3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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My small dog has cracked pads,she’s only 1 and a half and has no health problems,she’s a mixed breed of rat terrier and chiuauwa,what might have caused the cracks?
Dry skin, hot ground and genetic disposition all can cause cracked and dry pads. You can help her by getting some Musher's Secret Paw Wax or bag balm and put it on her paws. This should eliminate the cracks and help her heal.
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My dogs pads are cracking. They do not appear to be saw or raw but I want to prevent any problems. What may cause this and what can I do to avoid any problems with the cracking pads.
This is from the pads getting dry and walking on rough surfaces over time. You can try to keep them moist and put Vaseline to soften them without letting him lick it. They typically callus and get hard and cracked over time from wear and tear though. If you can limit hot surfaces and limit hard, rough environmental factors it will help
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He has cracked paw pads. When we got him he was an outside dog and now he is inside dog unless we are running errands he is in the dog run. He goes for walks. Lately we have been putting Mushers Secret once a week he finally trusts us not to hurt his
Thanks for using PetCaoch! I can’t tell for certain without looking in person, but Timber’s paw pads actually don’t look serious to me. Shallow cracks are not a concern. If they are deeper, bleed, or seem to hurt him, do the Mushers secret every 2-3 days. If he’ll tolerate it you can also try a dog bootie for protection during walks (many dogs hate these). You can also skip walks for a day or two (if he won’t go crazy) to give the paws a rest. Best of luck to you and Timber!
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I am dog sitting my friend's husky for a couple of days. I've noticed that she has extremely rough and scaly paw pads. They are so tough that they hurt me sometimes if she touches me or stops on me. I was wondering if this is normal? I've attached a
Hello, they do appear fairly normal on that picture. Like us, dogs can develop calluses and thick paw pads depending on the substrate they walk on. Cement and gravel contributes to thicker pads, and Chloe being a Husky I assume she lives outdoors a great deal of time. Im not surprised that her paw pads are tougher than other dogs. You can get her boots to protect her feet and this may make her pads less tough over time. The boots may also help to protect you from her pads as well. You can also put socks on her as protection to you, but make sure she does not chew them off or swallow them. Hope this helps and best of luck.
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Hi I noticed today that my puppy has odd looking spots on his paw pads. I have attached some pictures to help show what it looks like I washed his paws in warm oatmeal soap and it appeared that some of the spots came off and left white looking spots
Hello, thank you for using Boop by Petco. I am not sure what those lesions could be from just based on the photo. Dog foot pads can become cracked and dry from exposure to the elements and an develop white rough spots on their paws from running or walking on rough surfaces such as concrete, rocks or sand. I don't think I would be concerned necessarily but I do think you should take him to your vet and have them check these lesions out in person. I definitely don't think it is an emergency but try to get him seen in the next few days. In the meantime, I would do nothing so the vet can see what they look like without any intervention. Hope this helps. Best wishes.
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His paws are getting very rough and hard. Rougher than usual. It seems as if his feet are getting calluses. What I do to soften them?
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My puppy's paws are very dry and rough/cracked. What can I do to soothe them? He keeps walking on snowy patches and tries to avoid the cleaner sidewalks, even if there is no salt on them. He did step into salt once and it made him cry so I guess he m
It is likely that the cold conditions, low humidity, and salt on the ground has caused his paws to dry out and become cracked/sore. Consider looking into getting winter booties for Kiba. Ruffwear makes wonderful dog boots for the cold weather. You can also try a paw protectant like Musher's Secret to help prevent injury to his paws.
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What are the spots on my dog’s paws?
Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. The spots you are seeing on the bottom of the feet could be secondary to callus formation or previous blister formation from friction or heat when running or coming in contact with hot surfaces. If she goes hiking a lot and walks through gravel, sometimes callus formation can cause these spots to show up. There are pad diseases that will cause discoloration of the pad, however this does not look concerning to me at this point in time. If the feet become swollen or you notice any wounds in between the toes that I would bring this to the attention of a veterinarian and have it examined. Further testing can be performed on this such as obtaining a biopsy of the paw pad. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I'm also available via consultation if needed
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I have been running and biking wth my dog and only just noticed this on her paws is there anything at home i can do as it stresses her to take her to the vets
Poor Sabre! An emollient cream such as e45 or vaseline can help to soften and reduce such cracks, you should lase rest her for at least 5-7days to allow the feet to heal and consider putting boots (such as used for security dogs for broken glass etc) on her if she must cross rough terrain or tarmac for extended lengths of time in the future
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My almost 11 month old puppy has really rough paw pads. Is it normal for them to look like that? They don't bleed and they certainly don't seem to bother him, and I have used a dog safe, dog formula pad moisturizer but that seemed to make it worse.
Phoenix's paw pads may benefit from a change in diet. Royal Canin diets are fortified with Omega 3 fatty acids which are good for the coat and skin. They make a diet for sensitive skin (you may need to look online for the product) and this one would be a good option. It will take about 4 weeks to see if they improve with a new diet. You could also try a product such as Baely's Paw Shield. This balm may help to heal the cracked skin. Lastly, avoid rough surfaces and dry the paws well when they get wet. If the skin starts looking red, bleeding, scabbing or if he seems bothered, have hime seen by his vet. I hope this helps and thank you for using Boop by Petco!
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