Pad Repair and Reconstruction

Key Points  Loss or injury of pad tissue, despite an otherwise normal limb, can result in complete loss of limb function, so preserving pad function is critical for most small animals.  Skin around the pad may in some cases be able to adapt to function similar to pad tissue but it is generally accepted that adjacent skin is not a suitable replacement for lost pad tissue, particularly in active larger dogs.  Most superficial pad lacerations heal without complications regardless whether they are repaired or not, if bandaged appropriately. Full thickness pad lacerations should be repaired with a two-layer technique and bandaged to relieve motion and pressure on the repair.  Pad loss can be managed successfully using a variety of techniques from digital pad transfer, pad repositioning, microvascular pad transposition, or pad grafting.