Walking your dog can be a great source of exercise for both them and yourself, as well as a great bonding opportunity with your four-legged friend. If you have a relatively young dog that hasn’t experienced too many walks yet, though, then they most likely still have sensitive pads on their paws. Walking on certain surfaces, such as asphalt, can actually hurt your dog’s paws. However, there are many great ways to protect your dog from hot pavement or asphalt.

Walk When It’s Cool

Walking your dog when the pavement isn’t as hot seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes pet owners don’t have time to wait until it gets cooler (or get up early enough while it’s still cool). However, if you can avoid walking your dog during times of the day where the sun is high and the ground is hot, you’ll do a lot to protect their paws. In cooler temperatures, even in summer, walking on pavement won’t hurt your dog, but actually toughen up their paws so that eventually the warmer surfaces won’t bother them.

Stick to the Grass

If you’re in an urban area, it can be hard to find any grass at all, much less some to walk your dog on. However, many cities have parks that provide excellent places to go for a walk and even have areas of shade for you both to cool off in the heat.

Moisturize

While it may sound silly, moisturizing the pads of your dog’s paws will help prevent any cracks that can be susceptible to burns from hot pavement and other serious issues. Try to moisturize once a day to keep the pads healthy and well-protected against cracking. Living in usually hot places such as Arizona will require heavy moisturizing, and severe burns should be looked at by an emergency vet in Tucson, Phoenix, Sedona, or wherever you live.

Invest in Dog Shoes

Even though the internet is filled with videos of animals in shoes (and how hilariously they walk), dog shoes can actually be extremely beneficial to your pet. Most dogs will have a period of adjustment when you first introduce dog shoes. Some pups may never get used to them, but considering dog shoes for your pet can be a better option than the solutions above, especially if you can’t wait until the weather cools off. If your dog continues to struggle while walking in dog shoes, then perhaps they aren’t the best solution.

If you have noticed that your dog has burns on his or her paws, take them to an emergency animal hospital or emergency vet right away. These injuries could get worse without proper medical attention from a veterinarian. Even if your dog is old and has tough paws, vets suggest that you should still have them checked twice a year.

Looking for an emergency vet in Tucson, Arizona? Call us today, an emergency vet in Tucson available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.