Red paw pads

Hi, everyone! (I looked for this type of question on the forum, but didn't find one that was specific to my issue.)

So, I was petting Camber and rubbing her paws when I decided to take her to get her nails clipped. Well, when I was inspecting her paw pads, I noticed that there are 3 of them that looked red and inflamed. No bleeding and she still runs around and loves her walks. Has anyone had any experience with this? Also, I noticed that the, oh I don't know what it's called, the claw-like thing higher up on the leg? Well, on one of her legs, even that is red. Dumb question, but should I take her to the vet or is there another reason for this?

Her other pads seem fine. When we rescued her, her feet were really tender because the previous owner never trained her to walk on a leash. So, we slowly built up her tolerance to it. It's hard to tell if it's painful-she never barks or makes any other "pain" noises.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Hope you are all having a great day!

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Permalink Reply by Nicole on July 28, 2008 at 9:36pm

Ein and Tucker both chew on their feet often (allergies) and they've been known to chew them raw/red. I'm thinking you'd have noticed her chewing if that's what it was, though. Do you have fire ants in your area? Any chance she could've stepped on an ant pile? I ask because it has happened to Tucker.

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Permalink Reply by Elys on July 29, 2008 at 8:14am

I don't think that Massachusetts has fire ants. I'll research it. If it were all the pads, I would think that it was an allergic reaction to something, but it's only a few pads. They don't seem to bother her. She still runs around like crazy and loves her walks. I'll keep an eye on them and if they change, then a trip to the vet is in order.

Thanks Nicole. Hope your little ones are doing well.

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Permalink Reply by Suzanne on July 29, 2008 at 2:58pm

Keep an eye out for excessive licking on the feet. That would probably mean they itch, and believe me they can redden quickly once that started. I'd really be suspecious (okay we need a spell checker) because it included the dew claws...

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Permalink Reply by Elys on July 29, 2008 at 5:14pm

Thanks Suzanne (that's my sisters name--spelled the same way!) I'll keep an eye on her.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah C. on July 29, 2008 at 3:17pm

If it isn't allergies, and it's some surface she's walking on, you might try paw wax.

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Permalink Reply by Elys on July 29, 2008 at 5:18pm

Thanks Sarah, I will. When we got her, her paws reminded me of a pampered woman whose never done a day of work in her life. The previous owner never took her for a walk. I did and we worked on toughening her feet. She might enjoy getting her paws rubbed.