Hot Pavement in July: Paw Pads, Paw Hair and What to Watch
Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
Most of the summer paw problems we see are not dramatic. They are a dog who came back from a midday walk licking one foot, or a set of pads that feel dry and papery instead of supple. The dramatic ones — blisters, peeled pads, a dog who will not put weight on a foot — are a vet visit, not a grooming appointment. Knowing which one you are looking at is the whole skill.
Test the ground with the back of your hand before you walk. Check all four paws when you get home. If a pad is blistered, raw, red, or your dog is limping, call your vet the same day. A pad trim and paw tidy help with traction and debris — they do not treat an injury.
The back-of-the-hand test
Paws are tougher than skin, but they are not heatproof, and a dog cannot step off the sidewalk the way you can. The test is simple and takes a moment.
Press the back of your hand flat on the surface
Not a fingertip. The back of the hand is thin-skinned and honest. Do it on the exact surface you are about to walk on, in the sun, not in the shade beside it.
Hold it there and listen to your hand
Do not bother timing it. Use the plainest signal there is: if any part of you wants to lift your hand off that surface, your dog should not be standing on it, never mind walking a mile on it.
Retest on the way back
Asphalt keeps absorbing heat through the afternoon and lets it go slowly. A surface that was fine at ten in the morning can be the problem on the return leg.
Move the walk, not the dog
Early morning and after the sun is off the pavement are the easy answers. Grass and shaded dirt run far cooler than blacktop, and a shorter walk on a hot day is not a failure.
Dark asphalt is the worst offender, but sun-baked concrete, brick, metal grates, truck beds and artificial turf all get hot enough to matter. Sand does too.
Around here a lot of everyday walking is paved walking. Larkfield Road is the hamlet's main commercial spine and historic core, so if your route runs along the shops, put your hand down before you set off rather than assuming it is fine. Northport Village's Main Street sidewalks are dog-friendly and pleasant, but they are still sidewalks in July. Town of Huntington rules keep dogs off town beaches except the paved areas and boardwalks — which is to say, the two surfaces on a beach that hold the most heat. If you want cooler footing, shaded woodland walking beats a paved path: the Dix Hills Park Woodland Trail is a wooded town trail, while the upper path at Sunshine Acres Park in Commack is paved and will read hotter under your hand. Leashes have to be six feet or shorter on town land.
The off-leash run at the Town of Huntington Animal Shelter, 106 Deposit Road, is right here in 11731 and opens at 8am on weekdays and 9am on weekends. That early window is the cool part of the day. It needs a Town permit, a licensed dog and current rabies vaccination, so sort that out before you drive over.
What a healthy pad looks and feels like
Check paws the way a groomer does: one foot at a time, dog lying down or sitting, good light. Spread the toes apart and look between them, not just at the bottom of the pad. Most owners never look at the webbing, and that is where things hide.
Normal
- Slightly rough, pliable, a bit like a firm pencil eraser
- Even color for that dog, whatever color that is
- Cool to the touch a few minutes after coming inside
- Clean webbing between the toes, no packed grit
- Dog lets you hold and flex the foot without pulling away
Worth a closer look
- Dry, chalky or flaking pad surface
- Persistent licking or chewing at one foot
- Hair between the pads matted into a hard plug
- Sticky residue, tar, or sand ground into the webbing
- A dog who suddenly hates having a paw handled
Dry pads are usually a comfort and traction issue rather than an emergency. Cracked, raw, weeping or blistered pads are a different category entirely, and so is a limp.
Blisters, a pad that looks peeled or missing a layer, red or dark patches, bleeding, swelling, limping, or a dog who will not stand on a foot. Same for anything embedded in a pad. Do not bathe it, do not pick at it, do not apply anything you have not been told to apply. Call your veterinarian. We are groomers — we spot things and send you on, and we will not groom over an injury.
Paw hair in summer
On dogs with hair that keeps growing — doodles, poodles, shih tzu, maltipoo, and plenty of mixes — the hair between and under the pads grows too. In summer it does two annoying things.
A pad trim is a small piece of work: clipper the hair flush with the bottom of the pads, tidy the hair around the foot so it sits neatly, trim nails to a sensible length. It takes minutes and it is one of the more genuinely useful things grooming does in July. It is not a shave-down, it does not change the coat, and it will not make a dog cooler in any meaningful way — that part is a myth. It just gives the foot grip and lets you see what you are looking at.
Trim the paws so you can inspect them. Then inspect them.
When you do not need to book
Plenty of dogs do not need this. Short-coated dogs — labs, beagles, most terriers, pit mixes — grow no meaningful hair between the pads and need nothing beyond nails. If your dog's feet are already tight and clean and the nails are short, skip it and go for a walk instead. If you are comfortable with clippers and your dog is comfortable with you, this is also a very reasonable thing to do at home. Nobody needs to sell you an appointment for it.
Adding it to a summer appointment
If you are already booked in, say so when you book: ask for a pad trim and a paw tidy and mention if your dog has been favoring a foot. It gets done as part of the appointment rather than tacked on as a surprise. If you have a doodle or another coat that mats, that is the visit to mention feet at, because the webbing is usually further along than the rest of the coat.
Prices are banded by your dog's weight, smallest to largest, and they are published — you can see the range before you commit, which is not something most salons around here do. The East Northport shop at 16 Laurel Rd is grooming only, Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Morning slots are the cooler part of the day for the walk in and out.
Questions people actually ask
How hot is too hot for a dog's paws?
Skip the numbers and use your hand. Press the back of it flat against the surface in full sun. If your instinct is to pull it away, it is too hot for a dog to stand on, never mind walk a mile on. Air temperature is a poor guide, because a mild day with strong sun still bakes blacktop.
Do dog boots or paw wax fix this?
Boots work if your dog will genuinely tolerate them and they fit, which is a real if. Wax and balms help with dryness and grip but do not insulate against a hot surface. Neither is a substitute for changing when you walk. Ask your vet before putting any product on a pad that is already damaged.
My dog's pads look dry and cracked. Is that a burn?
Not usually. Dryness is common and tends to be a comfort issue. A burn typically shows as redness, a blister, a pad that looks like a layer has come off, or a dog who is limping and licking. If you are unsure, that uncertainty is the answer: call your vet.
Should I shave my dog to keep them cool?
Not on a double coat. That coat insulates against heat as well as cold and protects skin from sun. A pad trim, a good deshedding bath and brush-out, and shorter walks in the cool hours do far more than a shave. For hair coats that keep growing, a shorter summer length is a fair conversation to have with your groomer.
Can you groom a dog with an injured paw?
No. If a pad is cut, blistered, raw or swollen, we will ask you to see your vet first and rebook afterward. Bathing and clipping an open injury is not something a groomer should be doing, and we would rather tell you that than take the appointment.
How often should paws be trimmed in summer?
It depends entirely on the coat. Dogs with continuously growing hair usually need it at every appointment. Short-coated dogs may never need it. Look at the bottom of the foot: if hair is growing past the pads, it is time.
Book a summer groom and ask for a pad trim.
Pick your time online, tell us about the feet, and we will take a proper look while your dog is on the table.
See pricing & book ›16 Laurel Rd, East Northport, NY 11731 · Tue–Sat 9–5
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