Does pad color have anything to do with tenderfooted-ness?

Airedale56

Airedale56

Member
I know my lion hunting buddies prefer black pads as tougher; the pink padded dogs, they say, don't hold up as well.

What say you guys?
 
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Out of my main two dogs, one has pink pads and one has black. I have not seen any difference. It seems what bothers one bothers the other equal. I dont chase lions but we chase coyotes.
 
I have dogs with both black, and white,or pink pads.
I don't notice either of them being softer, but I put cinders in my kennels, so all my dogs have tough feet.
 
They have done alot of studies on this subject mostly on the color of a horses hoofs. The color has nothing to do with it. It is a old wives tell.
 
I keep my hounds on 2b stone to keep their feet tough and havent noticed any difference pertaining to color. if its hard conditions for one seems they all have problems.
 
from this beaglers standpoint on the subject-a all pink pad is a god that will be no good.i have seen many with total pink pad and they walk/very gingerly over brush.now a pink/black mix is fine but i first look at the hounds head(i like them big and boxxy)then the feet.a nice black marking on pink is great and all pink is a bust.seems alot of brace style hounds are bred to be slow and this is a trait that keeps them from breaking into a run as well as poor hunting qualities.jmo
 
I would like to know anyone's opinions on what is best on a coyote hound that spends a lot of time running in frozen open dirt.I had a dog that came in with both front pads buggered up.I've always heard the harder the pad the better.
I talked to a guy the other day that said softer more flexible pads are better.
After I thought about it for a while I thought that kinda made since to me.So what should I do,go with Bag Balm or Pad coat.
How long do most people wait before they run their dogs again?
I realize that would be determined by the amount of damage to the pads.
So,basically what I'm asking is does anyone else think that a softer more pliable pad hold up better than a hard one on frozen dirt.
 
Yes I do. Let me put it to you this way. Everyone will tell you a mules hoof is harder and tougher than a horses. I have been a farrier for more years than I want to admitt. A mules hoof is softer and alot more pliable than a horses hoof. The walls are usually thicker but I have never come across a mule that Had a harder hoof than a horse and I have done a few of each being a full time farrier. Why then is a horses hoof always broke up cracked and lame? The hoof is brittle and breaks and cracks. The mules hoof doesn't do that for the most part. It is the same with dogs. The worst footed dog I have ever owned had the blackest feet there was and I could stop him half way through a race and you could see cracks in his pads and then they would just blow out from there. I would have to use Kopertox on his feet to get any kind of millage out of him. All the Kopertox did was soften his pads up and make them more pliable.
Every horse, every dog and every person is going to be different it is their genetic make up not the color of their skin, hair,hoofs or pads.
 
Devin69,I sent my wife to Tractor Supply to pick up some Pad Heal,and they sent her home with Bag Balm,and told her everyone was using it,for torn pads.I've got some Pad Heal,what do you suggest would be the better choice for blown out pads.I'd like to get this hound back in the game asap,but I know from experience that it takes time for them to heal.I've put several dogs out too soon and did more damage then good.What do you think is the average time to take a dog to heal,and do you think Kopertox is the best remedy?
 
I had the best luck with Kopertox, and if you really need the dog you can get some good Boots from Cabelas. Takes along time to grow pad back. I have used Super glue and nylons, Wraps and everything else you can imagine nothing works, Good luck
 
I think I'll try the boot route.It's been a couple of weeks now,so they are somewhat healed now.Actually they look pretty good,but I've been down that road before.Thanks,Dave
 
bgtme
if you are willing try tea tree oil,i get mine at a drugstore but wal mart sells it where the vitamins are.
i have had a female who's pad split open every year from the snow/ice crust.if she gets hunted twice a week i garantee she wont make it a third time out in a week.
i usually just apply it with a cue tip straight from the bottle/twice a day/maybe three.
she will heal up within three/four days and can get out every weekend,but she keeps cutting it.
must be an anomaly or genetic problem,only happens to this one dog while my others have no problems and they walk on carpet year round.
also i suggest sulphur.either somethign for a rose garden mixed with water into a paste or just something like happy jacks mange medicine,place generously on the pad.this seems to cure alot of skin related problems i run into

here are a few from another site,these are good knowlegable guys,been into beagles for years.

1.Soak you some walnut hulls in a bucket of creek water till it starts to look like coffee. Then drain the water off in a tub and stand the hound in the water with it's feet covered by the water for about 10 minutes 2X a day. Pads are slow to heal but this will toughen them up with conditioning.
Epsom salt water will draw and heal cuts and sores.

2.Pad Cote , at tractor supply , my lab has the same problem once in a while , that stuff is the only thing that worked for us
3.get pink ointment.. they use it for sled hounds that get there feet cut up... ive used it it is a miracle drug...

i am sure there are hundreds more.

another thing i was told is a pad that dont heal completely has a infection,treat with antibitic.fish flex is cephalexin and no perscription is needed for it
 
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