The seven-second rule: if the pavement is too hot for the back of your hand for seven seconds, it's too hot for paws. Pads are tough, but they're not armor — and a few seasonal habits prevent most of the cracks, burns, and limps we see owners write in about.
Emily Tran · Staff Writer, Senior Dogs
Held to the clinical standards Dr. Joseph set · Educational only — not a substitute for your veterinarian's advice
Summer: the pavement test
Asphalt in the sun runs 40–60 degrees hotter than the air — a 90-degree day can put pavement past 140°F, which burns pads in under a minute. Back of your hand, seven seconds. If you can't, walk at dawn, stick to grass and shade, or make it a sniffy park day instead.
Winter: salt is the enemy
Road salt and de-icers crack pads chemically, and dogs lick the burn afterward — adding ingestion to injury. The routine: a quick paw rinse or wipe at the door, a towel dry between the toes, and balm on the pads a few nights a week. Booted dogs skip most of this, if your dog tolerates the boots (many need a treat-heavy introduction — and the internet's funniest videos prove it).
Year-round: the monthly toe check
Once a month, spread each paw gently: look for redness between toes, burrs or grass awns (they migrate inward — a vet issue once embedded), torn dewclaws, and overgrown nails. Long nails change gait mechanics, which stiff or senior dogs can't afford.
When a paw problem isn't a paw problem
Persistent paw licking with no visible cause is more often allergy than injury — see our seasonal allergy playbook. And deep cracks, bleeding, limping, or a pad that's changed color are vet territory, not balm territory.
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