dog health

The single best way to find your lost dog is to outfit her in a personalized dog collar, embroidered or engraved with your phone number, before she goes missing. The reason is simple: the person who finds her is most likely to check her collar or tags first, and call the number on them before making ‘found dog’ posters or fliers, or dropping her at the local animal shelter. That one phone call will lead a good Samaritan instead directly to you, and hopefully your pal will be back in your arms again in short order. A redundant system is better still—adding ID hang tags to your dog’s collar and having her microchipped are smart backups.

By: Orvis Staff

Cooper may not enjoy having his paws checked, but the health of the pads is important.

Photo by: Phil Monahan

Don’t underestimate the importance of dog paw care. Consider this: especially if he’s a working or a sporting breed, your dog’s feet have an important job to do—same as your own feet. His fleshy foot pads give him extra shock-absorbing cushioning to protect his bones and joints, they help insulate him against extreme weather, safeguard him against rough ground, and protect other soft tissue inside his paws. But they’re not made of cast iron: the pads and the skin between your doggie’s toes, and his toenails, are fairly susceptible to injuries. How best to prevent or treat common dog paw problems? In a nutshell, it depends on what potentially causes them. Read on to learn about the most common dog paw and paw pad injuries, and how to treat and prevent them.