What causes dog's paws to swell?

Dog's paws swelling can be mainly attributed to bacterial and fungal infections, parasite infections, allergies, toe fractures, foreign object scratches, burns, long nails, and tumors. When a dog's paws swell, it has difficulty walking, so it usually shows limping while walking. When the owner touches its feet, the dog has a significant amount of pain, so it is recommended that the owner takes the dog to the vet in a timely manner.

Bacterial and fungal infections

If a dog lives in a damp environment for a long time, or if its paws are not dried properly after rain or bathing, it can promote the proliferation of bacteria and fungi in the paws, causing inflammation and swelling. Therefore, owners must ensure that their dog's living environment is dry and clean. After rain or bathing, it is also necessary to dry their dog's paws or blow dry their nails.

Parasite infections

When dogs are infected with parasites such as mites and ticks, these parasites may bite the dog's paws, causing swelling. Therefore, owners must regularly deworm their dogs and disinfect their living environment once a week to prevent parasite infections.

Allergies

Allergies can also cause dog's paws to swell. In addition to swelling, the dog's paws may also show symptoms such as redness, inflammation, and itching. If this is the case, take the dog to the pet hospital as soon as possible to inject allergens, and identify the factors that cause allergies in dogs.

Toe fractures

A dog's toes can swell due to fractures, such as being stepped on by the owner, hit by a heavy object, jumping from a high place, getting stuck in a railing, or being involved in a car accident. This requires taking the dog to the pet hospital for examination and treatment as soon as possible.

Foreign object scratches

If a dog accidentally gets scratched by a foreign object, its paws may become infected, causing swelling, bleeding, and other symptoms. Therefore, once a dog shows limping while walking, carefully check if there are any foreign objects inside its paws. If so, timely removal of the foreign object and wound treatment are necessary.

Burns

In hot summer days, the temperature of the road is often much higher than the actual air temperature, which can easily burn a dog's paws, causing swelling. Therefore, it is recommended not to take dogs for walks during the summer noon hours, otherwise it is easy to burn or cause heat stroke to the dog's paws.

Long nails

When a dog's nails are too long, it seriously affects their walking, causing instability while walking. The nails may bend under the pressure of the ground, puncturing the dog's flesh, causing swelling, bleeding, or inflammation. Therefore, owners must regularly trim their dog's nails to avoid them growing too long.

Tumors

In some cases, a dog's paw swelling can also be caused by tumors. Some malignant tumors often occur between a dog's toes, such as melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Meanwhile, some breeds of dogs are more prone to melanoma, such as Chinese Shar-Pei, Dachshunds, Golden Retrievers, and Poodles. If a tumor is suspected, take the dog to the pet hospital for diagnosis to determine if surgery is needed.