When it comes to your pooch, you must have always talked about their skin, coat, nose, eyes, ears and body health. Least you have talked about his paws, and no wonder you never know how helpful they are for your Fido. Come let’s find some major facts about dog paws and how amazing and crucial they are for your pooch.
On an average, dogs’ skeleton has 319 bones out of which handful of them are secured for paws. Apart from bones, skin, tendons, ligaments, connective tissue and blood vessels are also the essential part of dog feet.
Dog paw is made of the following components:
- Digital pads
- Claws
- Dewclaw
- Metacarpal pad
- Carpal pad
- The main pads – digital and metacarpal pads work as shock absorbers and help protect the bones and joints in the foot. On the other hand, carpal pad has special role to work as brakes and help the dog navigate slippery or steep slopes.
- During extreme temperatures, paw pads are at rescue for dogs. Made up of a thick layer of fatty tissue, they protect the tender inner foot through process of insulation, and the same applies true during cold conditions. The more interesting fact is, as the paw gets cold when it hits the cold ground, the arteries inside the feet transfer the chilled blood back to the body where it warms up again. (This phenomenon makes scientist believe that dogs must have evolved first in cold climatic regions before moving to other climatic zones.)
- When walking on rough surfaces or terrain, dog paw pads offer protection and cushion like effect. Service dogs, police dogs or dogs that stay mostly outdoors have hard, rough and thicker paw skin. Contrarily, indoor dogs or dogs mostly trotting on smoother surfaces have softer pads.
- The role heels play in human body; digits do the same job for dogs. They are digitigrade animals, and hence their digits take most of their bodyweight when they walk. Because of this structure, dog toe bones are very important. Dog toes are like our fingers and toes; the only difference is that they are not as flexible as ours are.
- In dogs, though dewclaws are compared to human thumbs, they are considered vestige organ. Dewclaws do not provide much function but are only used for digging, traction, and have a better grip on bones and other things.
- When it comes for breeds from cold climatic regions like Newfoundlands and St. Bernards, amazingly they have wide paws with greater surface areas. This is naturally evolved according to the habituate they reside to help them walk on snow and ice.
- Some breeds have cat like feet known as “cat feet.” They have short digital bone, which help to use less energy to lift thus increasing dog’s endurance. Species such as Akita, Doberman pinscher, giant schnauzer, kuvasz, Newfoundland, Airedale terrier, bull terrier, keeshond, Finnish spitz, and old English sheepdog all have cat feet when you check their foot print.
- According to different habituate and climatic zones, dog paws are evolved in such manner. Some have ‘cat feet’, while other species have ‘webbed feet’ and some breeds enjoy ‘hare feet’ while others have ‘Frito feet’
- As you love a good massage on your hands and legs, so does your Fido. He loves to have a pampered paw massage. This helps them to relax and promote blood circulation. The best way to massage is rubbing between the pads on the bottom of the paw, and then rubbing between each toe.
Your pooch paws are the most crucial part and help your furry pal to move around easily apart from playing and walking with. Though their paw can take better care of themselves, during extreme weather conditions ensure that you provide the best care to their paws. If required, provide paw boots and paw cream to protect and keep their tiny pads healthy.