From late September, Port Coquitlam dogs are wet more often than they are dry. Constant damp between the toes softens the skin surface, and softened skin lets ordinary yeast and bacteria multiply. That is the autumn wave of licked paws, itchy bellies and sore patches we see every year, and most of it is preventable with a towel.
Why damp alone causes problems
Healthy skin is a barrier and a dry barrier works. Keep it wet long enough and it stops working properly.
The surface softens and becomes more permeable. The yeast and bacteria that live there quite harmlessly find better conditions and multiply. The skin becomes inflamed, which makes it itchier, which makes the dog lick, which keeps the area wet. That loop is the whole problem, and it is why a paw a dog has been licking rarely settles on its own.
The Tri-Cities make it worse than most places. It is not the volume of rain so much as the persistence: mild, wet, and rarely dry enough for a coat to recover between walks. Trail mud adds grit that abrades, and the puddles along the dyke and river paths add everything that has washed into them.
Feet get it worst
Between the toes is warm, enclosed and slow to dry. It is the first place to go wrong.
- Licking or chewing at a paw, often one in particular
- Rust-brown staining on white fur, which is saliva and means it has been going on a while
- Redness between the toes, or skin that looks shiny and damp
- A yeasty or sour smell from the feet
- Swelling between the toes, or a firm painful lump
- Limping, or reluctance to walk on wet ground
- Cracked or unusually soft pads
- Nails that have gone soft or are splitting
A single swollen, painful spot between the toes deserves a same-day look rather than watching. It can be an interdigital cyst, but it can also be a grass seed or foreign body that has worked in and is being walled off, and those do not resolve without help.
Where else it shows up
- The belly and groin, which take the spray from wet grass and stay damp under a dog that lies down
- Skin folds, in bulldogs, pugs and any wrinkled breed, where moisture cannot escape
- Under the collar or harness, where wet webbing sits against skin for hours
- The ears, which is the same process in a canal that cannot dry out
- Hot spots, the sudden angry weeping patches that appear overnight in thick-coated dogs where a wet coat stayed wet
The routine that prevents most of it
- Dry the feet after every wet walk. Not a wipe over the top. Get a towel between each toe and under the pad. Thirty seconds per dog
- Rinse first if the walk was muddy, then dry. Grit left between the toes abrades all evening
- Dry the belly and legs too, not just the paws
- Trim the hair between the pads. Long tufts hold water against the skin. Ask your groomer to keep it short through winter
- Take the harness off indoors and let it and the coat underneath dry
- Wash and fully dry bedding regularly. A damp bed undoes the rest
- Check the feet weekly with the dog lying down, spreading the toes and looking properly
- Keep nails short. Long nails change how a dog loads its feet and make splitting more likely
For thick-coated, long-haired or feathered dogs, keeping the coat manageable through the wet months makes all of this easier, and our medical grooming service handles the feet, the sanitary areas and the coats that mat once they are permanently damp.
What not to do
Please do not put anything on a sore paw or an inflamed patch before it has been looked at.
Products intended for people are a common home experiment and frequently unsuitable. Antiseptics that are fine on human skin can be irritating or harmful to a dog that will immediately lick the area. Tea tree preparations and essential oils are worth specifically avoiding, and are genuinely dangerous to cats. Leftovers from a previous problem may be wrong for this one.
Bandaging a wet paw at home is another common way to make things considerably worse. A bandage that is even slightly too tight, or that gets wet and stays on, causes damage quickly.
Let the veterinary team look and decide what is appropriate. Our medical services team will examine the skin, take samples where they change the answer, and work out whether this is simple damp-related irritation or something underneath it.
When it is not just the weather
Damp is often the trigger rather than the cause. A dog that gets sore feet every autumn and is fine in between is one thing. A dog that is itchy much of the year, with autumn making it worse, usually has an underlying allergic skin condition, and chasing each flare without identifying the driver is how dogs end up with permanently thickened, uncomfortable skin.
Come in rather than managing at home if you see the same paw affected repeatedly, itching that never fully settles between episodes, ear problems and paw problems together, skin that has darkened or thickened, hair loss, scabs or an unusual smell, a dog that has become restless at night, or any lameness, swelling or discharge.
Wet ground brings more than one hazard at once, and our guide to hazards for dogs and cats in Port Coquitlam and the Tri-Cities covers the wider set of warning signs.
Frequently asked questions
My dog licks his paws constantly in the autumn. Is that just habit?
Rarely. Persistent licking is usually irritation, discomfort or itch, and the licking then keeps the area wet and makes it worse. Boredom licking exists but is much less common than owners assume. Have the feet looked at rather than assuming it is behavioural.
Should I wash his feet after every walk?
Rinse when muddy, and dry every time regardless. Drying matters more than washing. Over-washing with shampoo strips the skin and can cause the exact problem you are trying to prevent, so plain water and a thorough towel is the right default.
Do dog boots help?
They can, for dogs with recurring problems or sore pads, provided they fit and come off promptly afterward. A boot left on a wet foot creates a warm damp enclosure, which is the opposite of what you want.
Is a swollen lump between the toes urgent?
Worth a same-day call. Interdigital swellings are painful and some contain a foreign body working its way in. They rarely resolve without help and the longer they are left the more involved they become.
Can cats get this too?
Less often, because most cats avoid getting wet and groom themselves dry. Outdoor cats in a wet autumn do get damp-related skin problems, and cats that have stopped grooming properly get them more. A cat with a sore paw, a scabby patch or a changed coat should be examined.
Why does this happen every single autumn?
Either the environment alone is enough for your dog, in which case the drying routine is your main tool, or there is an underlying sensitivity that the wet season tips over. If it is every year without fail, it is worth investigating properly once rather than managing it four autumns running.
Speak to the team at PoCo West Animal Hospital
If your dog has been licking a paw or the skin has changed since the rain started, book an examination. Call us on (604) 554-1255.
Published by the team at PoCo West Animal Hospital.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for an in-person veterinary examination or advice about your individual pet. If you have an urgent concern about your pet, contact PoCo West Animal Hospital or your nearest emergency veterinary hospital right away.
PoCo West Animal Hospital
108 – 2748 Lougheed Hwy, Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 6P2
Phone: (604) 554-1255
Email: info@pocowestvets.ca
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM; Saturday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM; Sunday 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM