Blisters on Dog Paws: Causes, Treatment and Prevention

For information only. This article supports, and never replaces, an examination by a veterinarian.

Your dog comes home from a walk, starts limping and won't stop licking one paw. There's a raised, raw or swollen spot on a pad or between the toes. What matters first is what kind of lesion it is: a pavement burn, an infected boil, or a pad disease the vet has to test for. Each is treated differently, so this article covers the causes, the warning signs and what your veterinarian does, not a home treatment protocol.

Can Dogs Get Blisters On Their Paws?

Yes. Veterinarians call fluid-filled skin lesions vesicles (small) or bullae (larger). Bullae break easily, so by the time you notice one it may look like a raw, peeling patch rather than a bubble.

Where the lesion sits is a useful clue. A blister-like spot on the weight-bearing pad points toward a burn or other pad injury. A tender lump in the webbing between the toes is more often a boil (a furuncle). And some pads that look "blistered" are really crusting, thickening or cracking from skin disease.

Five things a paw blister can be: pavement burn, boil between the toes, ice melt or chemicals, allergy, pemphigus foliaceus — Infographic by I Love Veterinary

What Causes Blisters on Dog Paw Pads?

Heat burns from pavement

Hot pavement is a common summer cause. Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine (WSU) describes burned pads as looking like the top layer of skin is blistering and wanting to peel off, or is already gone. Burned dogs typically limp or refuse to walk, and constant licking makes the injury worse.

According to WSU, the lesions take time to develop, so a dog can seem fine after the walk and show damaged pads later. For judging surface heat, see how hot is too hot for a dog's paws.

Two burned front paws of a light-colored dog, with the surface layer of several pads sloughed off to raw red tissue — Pads burned on hot pavement: the top layer has sloughed off, leaving raw red tissue. Sent by a follower on our Facebook page.

Ice melt and other chemicals

Rock salt and other de-icers can be harsh on paws and cause irritation, the ASPCA says. Household and garden products can also inflame the underside of the paw (contact dermatitis). The irritant form is a direct reaction to things like strong acids and alkalis, detergents, insecticides or fertilizers. The allergic form is an immune reaction in a dog already sensitized to a substance, so even small amounts trigger it. Either way, it usually looks like red, itchy skin rather than classic blisters.

Boils between the toes (interdigital furuncles)

These are the lesions most likely to look like a blister between the toes. The Merck Veterinary Manual describes interdigital furuncles as painful, pus-filled blisters in the webbing, typically 0.4 to 0.8 inches (1 to 2 cm) across. They can rupture and leak bloody fluid, and affected dogs often limp and lick at the foot.

The most common cause is a deep bacterial infection. Short, bristly hairs pushed back into the skin, mites (demodicosis) and allergies can set it off, and boils that keep coming back usually mean an underlying trigger. If the skin is red but there's no lump, see red paws between the toes.

Allergies

Red, inflamed skin with hair loss on the underside of a dog's paw and lower leg — An allergic paw: red, inflamed skin and hair loss. Allergy makes paws itchy but rarely raises blisters itself.

The paws are among the areas most often affected in dogs with atopic dermatitis (environmental allergy). Allergy doesn't usually raise blisters itself. It makes paws itchy, the dog licks and chews, and that damage invites infection; Merck lists atopic dermatitis as a common cause of recurring furuncles.

Pemphigus foliaceus and other immune diseases

Pemphigus foliaceus is an uncommon autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the dog's own skin. Footpads are often involved, but the lesions are usually not true blisters. The University of Minnesota dermatology handbook, written by veterinary dermatologists, describes thickened pads, pustules, crusts and redness. In a 1985 review of 37 dogs, blisters were uncommon, while swelling at the pad margins and cracking were typical. The nose and ears are often crusted too, though in rare cases only the pads are affected.

Two rarer immune diseases, pemphigus vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid, can cause true blisters, mostly in and around the mouth and groin rather than on the feet.

Internal disease showing on the pads

In older dogs, liver disease and diabetes can cause necrolytic dermatitis, with redness, crusting, oozing and hair loss on the footpads, face, genitals and lower legs. An older dog with crusting pads and other signs of illness needs a full workup.

Signs of Blisters on Canine Paws

A raised, swollen or fluid-filled bump on a pad or between the toes
A pad that looks raw, peeling, or as if the top layer is missing
Limping, holding the paw up, or refusing to walk
Constant licking or chewing at one foot
Crusting, thickened or cracked pads, especially with crusts on the nose or ears

After a hot walk, keep checking: burn lesions can show up later.

When to Call the Vet

WSU advises that any suspected pad burn be seen by your veterinarian as soon as possible. More broadly, call the clinic the same day if:

Your dog won't put weight on the foot
The pad is raw, white, peeling or missing its surface layer
Several pads or several feet are affected
You suspect a burn or contact with a chemical
There is pus, bloody discharge, a bad smell, or swelling spreading up the toe or foot
There are crusts on the nose or ears as well as the paws
Your dog seems unwell, or is older and already has an illness such as liver disease or diabetes

Book soon, rather than waiting, for lumps between the toes that keep coming back or a paw your dog won't stop licking.

When to call the vet about a paw blister: signs that need a same-day call versus a visit booked soon — Infographic by I Love Veterinary

What You Can Do Before the Vet Visit

Stop the walk. Carry your dog or keep them off hot, rough or treated ground.
Keep the paw clean and dry, and stop your dog from licking it.
Note what your dog walked on and when you first saw the problem. It helps your vet narrow the cause.
Call your veterinarian. If your dog may have licked or swallowed ice melt or another chemical, you can also contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

Don't pop, drain or trim a blister, and don't apply creams, ointments or bandages unless your veterinarian tells you to.

Five steps before the vet visit for a paw blister: stop the walk, keep it clean and dry, note what happened, call your vet, leave the blister alone — Infographic by I Love Veterinary

How Vets Diagnose and Treat Paw Blisters

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian takes a history and checks all four feet plus the face, ears and skin. Tests may include:

Cytology: cells collected from the lesion and examined under a microscope for bacteria, yeast or the cells typical of pemphigus.
Skin scrapings: to look for mites.
Bacterial culture: to identify the bacteria in a deep infection and choose a drug that works.
Biopsy: a small piece of tissue sent to a pathologist, used to confirm pemphigus and to check abnormal growths between the toes.

Treatment by cause

Treatment follows the diagnosis, and your veterinarian chooses every product and dose.

Burns: usually supportive care, including pain medication, cleaning and dressing the wounds, and an Elizabethan collar (cone) to stop licking.
Interdigital furuncles: antimicrobials chosen by your vet, often guided by a culture, plus treatment of the trigger such as allergies or mites. Chronic cases with cysts may need a biopsy and procedures such as laser therapy.
Contact dermatitis: identifying and avoiding the irritant or allergen; your vet decides whether the skin also needs medication.
Pemphigus foliaceus: medication that suppresses the immune system (such as corticosteroids), chosen and monitored by your vet.

How to Keep Your Dog's Paws Blister-Free

You can't prevent every cause, but you can prevent the most avoidable ones:

Test the pavement. WSU's Dr. Raelynn Farnsworth suggests pressing the back of your hand against the surface. If you can't hold it there for a full seven seconds, it's too hot for your dog's paws.
In summer, walk early or late, on grass or soil where possible.
Booties protect on hot or treated surfaces, though some dogs won't tolerate them.
Wipe paws with a damp cloth after walking on salted or de-iced sidewalks.
Paw wax on the bottom of the paw acts as a winter barrier against ice melt. Some dogs find it tasty and lick it off.
Check feet regularly. Problems between the toes are easier to sort out early.

Yellow Labrador wearing protective dog boots on red sandstone rock — Booties protect pads on hot, rough or treated surfaces, though some dogs won't tolerate them.

FAQs

What causes blisters on my dog's paws?

Common causes are hot pavement, ice melt or other chemicals, and boils between the toes, often linked to allergies. Less often, immune disease or internal illness in older dogs is behind it.

Can I treat my dog's blister at home?

Not safely, because a burn, an infected boil and pemphigus need very different treatment. Until your vet sees it, keep the paw clean and dry, stop the licking, and don't pop it or apply creams.

When should I take my dog to the vet for a blister?

The same day for a suspected burn or chemical contact, a raw pad, a dog that won't bear weight, or pus. See the list above for the rest.

How can I prevent blisters on my dog's paws?

Test the pavement with your hand, walk at cooler times, use booties, and wipe paws after winter walks.

Are some dog breeds more prone to paw blisters?

Any dog can burn its pads on hot pavement. For boils between the toes, Merck notes that Chinese Shar-Peis, Labrador Retrievers and English Bulldogs are predisposed, partly because of short, bristly hair and prominent webbing. For pemphigus foliaceus, the 1985 review found higher risk in Bearded Collies, Akitas, Newfoundlands and Schipperkes.

Final Words

A "blister" on a dog's paw is a description, not a diagnosis. Burns, boils and immune pad disease can look alike and need very different care, so keep your dog off the paw and let your veterinarian work out which it is.

Sources

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.