844-436-7691
See a vet the same day if a pad is bleeding and won't stop, the crack is deep enough to see pink tissue, your dog won't put weight on the foot, a pad has peeled or blistered after walking on a hot surface, or there is swelling, pus or a bad smell. For a fresh burn, cool the paw under slow-running cool (not ice-cold) water and cover it with a clean sock on the way.
The short answer: most dry, rough or cracked paw pads come from the surfaces your dog walks on — hot pavement in summer, ice, salt and de-icers in winter, dry indoor air, and rough ground — plus licking, which dries pads out. A simple routine fixes most of it: rinse and dry the feet after walks, rub in a small amount of a dog-safe paw balm, trim the fur between the pads, and use booties or change the route when the ground is too hot or salty. Pads that are thick and crusty with horn-like growths, crusting on all four feet at once, or crusts on the nose too point to hyperkeratosis or an immune condition, which need a vet. This page covers all of it, including our own coconut-based jars and what they are actually good for.
Written by Marc Brannigan, Co-Founder & CEO of HempMy Pet. Last updated 11 November 2026.
What Are You Looking At?
Turn a paw over in good light and compare with the pictures in your head.
The most common picture, especially in winter or after lots of pavement walking. Surface only, no bleeding, dog is comfortable. Home care usually fixes it in a week or two.
Deeper cracks, peeling edges or a flap of pad. Often from a hot surface, rough terrain or a chemical. Shallow ones heal with care; deep, bleeding or sore ones need a vet.
Excess keratin building up — hyperkeratosis. Common in senior dogs and some breeds, and sometimes a sign of a zinc, immune or viral problem. Needs a vet diagnosis, then softening care.
Free download · from a Colorado hemp farm
Free: The Dog Owner’s Guide to CBD & Hemp
34 pages. The dog studies (including the one that found nothing), dosing by weight, and a 14-day tracker.
Instant download, plus 25% off your first bottle.
Get the free dog guide →Written by Marc Brannigan and Natalie Mondine, co-founders of HempMy Pet.
What Causes It
| Cause | When you see it | The tell |
|---|---|---|
| Hot surfaces | Summer, midday, asphalt, sand, artificial turf | Red, blistered or peeling pads after a walk; licking the feet. Asphalt can reach about 125°F on a 77°F day. |
| Ice, salt and de-icers | Winter sidewalks and driveways | Dry, cracked pads, sore between the toes, licking after walks. De-icers can also be toxic if licked off. |
| Dry indoor air | Heating season | Rough, matte pads on a dog who doesn't walk much on pavement; nose often dry too. |
| Rough or new terrain | Hiking, a new running routine, gravel | Worn, thin, sometimes split pads after a big outing. Improves with rest and builds up with gradual increases. |
| Licking | Allergies, anxiety, boredom | Wet, rust-stained fur between the toes; red skin. Constant moisture then drying cracks pads. See paw licking. |
| Hyperkeratosis | Senior dogs; Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Boxers, Bulldogs and others | Thick, hard, crusty pads with feathery or horn-like edges, often with a crusty nose. |
| Zinc-responsive skin disease | Huskies, Malamutes, Samoyeds; some puppies | Crusting on pads plus around the eyes, mouth and ears. |
| Immune disease (pemphigus foliaceus and others) | Usually middle age | Crusting on all four feet at once, often with crusts on the nose, ears or face; dog may be off-colour. |
Canine distemper, the old hard pad disease, also thickens pads — one more reason to keep vaccinations up to date. Kinship's veterinary overview of hyperkeratosis covers the medical causes in more depth.
The Seven-Second Pavement Test
The simplest way to prevent the worst summer pad injuries.
Put the back of your hand flat on the pavement and count to seven. If you can't keep it there comfortably, it is too hot for your dog. The ground is far hotter than the air: FOUR PAWS lists asphalt at about 125°F when the air is 77°F, and about 143°F at 87°F. Asphalt also holds its heat into the evening, and artificial turf can be even hotter. Walk early or late, stay on grass and shade, and keep booties for unavoidable hot stretches.
If you can't hold your hand there for seven seconds, your dog can't stand there for seven minutes.
The After-Walk Routine
Two minutes at the door does more than any product.
- Rinse. Lukewarm water or a damp cloth over the pads and between the toes, especially after salted sidewalks. It removes de-icer and grit before your dog licks it off.
- Dry thoroughly, including between the toes. Damp fur between the pads is where yeast and cracking start.
- Check. Spread the toes and look for cuts, splinters, grass seeds or red skin.
- Moisturise, lightly. A thin layer of dog-safe paw balm, rubbed in, ideally before a nap so it soaks in rather than tracks across the floor.
- Trim the fur between the pads level with the pad, and keep nails short so your dog walks on the pad properly.
What to Put on Dry, Cracked Paw Pads
- A balm made for dogs, usually wax- and plant-oil-based. Lick-safe matters, because your dog will lick it.
- Plain, small-amount oils such as coconut oil can work as a simple occlusive moisturiser for pads — one of the few uses where coconut oil makes sense. Veterinary evidence for coconut oil on dogs is limited, and a lab study raised concerns about undiluted virgin coconut oil on canine skin cells, so use a thin layer and patch-test first. Our dog dry skin guide covers that in detail.
- Booties or paw wax as a barrier before walks on salt, ice or hot ground.
Don't use: human hand creams or lotions (fragrances, zinc oxide and some preservatives are harmful if licked), tea tree or other essential oils, or anything medicated without your vet. Our guide to using Vaseline on a dog explains where petroleum jelly helps and where it harms.
Where Hemp Fits — and Where It Doesn't
We make hemp in a coconut oil base. For paws, here is exactly what that is.
Our 100mg and 500mg jars are full-spectrum hemp in coconut oil. On a pad, the coconut base is doing the work as a thin moisturiser. When your dog licks a little off — and they will — they get a little hemp, not a mouthful of fragrance or zinc.
If cracked pads come from constant licking driven by itch, the itch is the real target. In a placebo-controlled trial of 32 allergic dogs, a CBD/CBDA oil given by mouth reduced owner-rated itch as an add-on to usual treatment — though not the skin lesions. A vet diagnosis comes first.
A burned or split pad needs cleaning, protection and often a vet. Hyperkeratosis, zinc-responsive disease and pemphigus need a diagnosis and specific treatment. Nothing on our shelf treats those.
For dry pads and noses, this is where owners start
100mg Hemp Coconut Oil5 fl oz jar · spot care$39
500mg Hemp Coconut Oil5 fl oz jar · larger dogs$89
1,000mg Hemp Seed OilBy mouth · 25 lbs and up$99
Grown on our own Colorado farm and third-party tested every batch. Serving by weight →
Shop Hemp Coconut OilDry Dog Nose: What Helps
When to See the Vet
- Bleeding, deep cracks, flaps of pad, or blisters
- Limping or not wanting to walk on the foot
- Swelling, heat, pus or a bad smell
- Thick, horn-like or feathered pad edges
- Crusting on all four feet, or crusting on the pads and the nose or face
- No improvement after two weeks of the routine above
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I put on my dog's dry, cracked paw pads?
A lick-safe paw balm made for dogs, rubbed in thinly after rinsing and drying the feet, is the best everyday option. A small amount of a plain oil such as coconut oil can also work as a simple moisturiser on pads. Avoid human lotions, essential oils, zinc oxide and medicated creams unless your vet prescribes them. For deep cracks, cover the paw and see your vet.
Will a dog's cracked paw pad heal on its own?
Shallow, dry cracks usually improve on their own within a week or two once you remove the cause — hot pavement, salt, constant licking — and moisturise lightly. Deep cracks, bleeding, flaps of pad, burns or any sign of infection heal poorly on their own, because the foot is always under load and in contact with dirt, and need a vet.
Why are my dog's paw pads so dry and cracked?
The most common reasons are hot surfaces in summer, ice and de-icers in winter, dry indoor air, rough terrain and constant licking. Less often it is hyperkeratosis (thick, crusty pads, common in older dogs and some breeds), a zinc-responsive skin problem in northern breeds, or an immune condition such as pemphigus, which tends to crust all four feet and the face.
How do you treat a dog's cracked paw pad?
Clean it gently with lukewarm water, dry it well, check for anything embedded, apply a thin layer of dog-safe balm, and protect it with a clean sock or bootie for walks while it heals. Keep walks short and on soft ground. If the crack is deep, bleeding, sore or not improving within a few days, see your vet, who may clean it properly, bandage it and prescribe treatment.
Why are my dog's paws red?
Red paws usually mean irritation or inflammation: allergies (often with licking and rust-brown fur stains), a yeast or bacterial infection between the toes, a contact irritant such as de-icer or lawn chemicals, a burn from hot ground, or something stuck between the pads. Red paws that your dog keeps licking deserve a vet visit, because the licking keeps the problem going.
Why are my dog's paw pads peeling?
Peeling pads most often follow a burn from hot pavement or sand, friction from a long hike or run on rough ground, or a chemical irritant. If several pads peel or crust at once without an obvious cause, or the nose is crusty too, ask your vet to check for an immune skin condition.
Can I use coconut oil on my dog's paws?
Yes, as a thin spot moisturiser — it is one of the more sensible uses for coconut oil. Use a small amount, rub it in so it doesn't make floors slippery, and patch-test first, because veterinary evidence for coconut oil on dogs is limited. It will not fix a burn, deep crack or crusting disease.
Should my dog wear boots?
Boots are worth it for walks on salted sidewalks, ice, hot pavement or rough trails, and for dogs with sore or healing pads. Introduce them slowly with treats indoors first, and make sure they fit snugly without rubbing. Paw wax is a lighter alternative for dogs who won't tolerate boots.
The Short Version
Most dry, cracked pads come from the ground: heat, salt, ice, dry air and rough terrain, plus licking. Do the seven-second test in summer, rinse and dry after winter walks, trim the fur, and rub in a thin lick-safe balm. Thick, horn-like pads, crusting on all four feet, or crusts on the nose too need a vet.
Our coconut-based jars are a light spot balm for pads and noses. Hemp's evidence by mouth is for the itch that drives constant licking, as an add-on to your vet's plan.
Shop Hemp Coconut OilDog Dry Skin: The Flake Test
Dry Dog Nose · Dog Dry Skin · Paw Licking · Why Is My Dog Limping? · Serving by Weight
Marc co-founded HempMy Pet in 2016 with his business partner Natalie Mondine, the company's COO. HempMy Pet breeds its own hemp genetics, grows them on its own Colorado farm, and formulates every batch in-house under human-grade standards — seed to sale, nothing sourced overseas. Every batch is third-party tested and the certificates of analysis are published. More about us.
HempMy Pet ran its own 90-day study of 37 dogs with chronic joint discomfort. Of the 32 that completed it, 30 (93%) showed a benefit, and 94% of owners reported their dog's quality of life had improved. It was overseen by Dr. Robin Downing, DVM, MS of the Downing Center for Animal Pain Management, with Lori Kogan, Ph.D. and Peter W. Hellyer, DVM of Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, and published in the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. Read the methodology.
Why Dr. Downing: in 2005 she became only the third veterinarian in the world credentialed as a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management. She founded the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, is a Diplomate of the ACVSMR, a Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner and a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, and was the AVMA's 2020 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year. Read the published paper (PDF).
This article is general information for dog owners, not veterinary advice. It is reviewed and updated as new peer-reviewed evidence is published, and where the evidence is thin or negative we say so.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is general information, not veterinary advice. If your dog is unwell, contact your veterinarian.
