Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
Hello! Where do those paws have to go? What sort of surfaces? For how long? What temperatures? A rough diary may help you to keep tabs on this. Repeated wet and drying, hard surfaces, (concrete pens!) etc can cause cracks. You don't say how old your pup is or how long you've been together, but if they've had a very soft protective environment and then started going out abruptly onto a variety of surfaces, perhaps that could do it (although it might be the right thing to do and tremendous fun for the pup at the same time!)
In rare cases it's not the environment but the foot; there do exist some inherited abnormalities of the keratin layer, particularly amongst certain breeds, but these are relatively rare.
So what to do? I think it depends whether we're looking at superficial cracks or whether they're getting deeper / causing pain / licked / irritation etc . In the more serious event, see a vet as soon as possible. If they're just 'cracks' at this stage, it may be worth chatting to your vet or nurse to see whether they feel it's bad enough to merit any creams, protective bootees or other measures, or whether they're just likely to grow out.
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