Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 11/19/2008

Question
My dog cut her paw a month ago and now her skin on her pad is hard as a rock and she limps, what should I do and what has caused this? Should I take her to the vet or something I can do help with it?
Thanks,
Julie

Answer
If the pad skin is hard, it could be causing discomfort when the dog places weight on it.  Let the vet check it to see if the excess can be trimmed off to smooth out the pad. If there is something in the paw that healed over, that may need to be investigated.