Warnings About Dogs Burning Their Feet on Hot Pavement-Truth! & Misleading!
Summary of eRumor:
Photos of a dog’s badly burned paws with warnings about the dangers of walking dogs on hot asphalt have circulated social media sites.
The Truth:
Hot asphalt burns dog paws, but that’s not what the grizzly photos on social media sites show.
The photos show the red, blistered paws of a dog that was left on a scalding rooftop in Pennsylvania back in 2011. Bernie, a two or three year old pit bull, suffered third degree burns on his feet, but he later made a full recovery:
Bernie was placed under general anesthesia for the procedure, prior to which his feet were wrapped, and he was given antibiotics. The day after the injections, Wagner anesthetized Bernie again to check the progress. His pads were more irritated after the treatment, but Wagner says that is to be expected considering how many injections were done. Bernie’s pads were rewrapped, and the dog’s pain was appropriately managed, Wagner says.
Bernie, who is estimated to be 2 or 3 years old, is now back with the rescue league, which is trying to find him a new home, but Wagner checks his progress every Monday. As of Sept. 6, Wagner says his feet are 95 percent healed.
Dogs can burn their paws on hot asphalt, but the injuries won’t be as severe as Bernie’s unless a dog was forced to stand on the asphalt for a long time.
Milder burns can actually be hard to spot, especially if a dog’s pads are black. Many people don’t notice that their dog’s paws are burned unless they are constantly licking them or limp when they walk.
Veterinarians say that it’s best to avoid walking dogs on hot surfaces, and to be especially careful around lakes. Water softens dog pads and hot surfaces like boat docks and pavement can easily burn them.