Your Morkie’s paws are pretty 
miraculous. The bone structure isn’t that different from our own hands when you see X-rays – except that dogs walk around all day on their tippy toes! In bare feet! (It’s called digitigrade, meaning that their digits — not their heels — take most of their weight) Those delicate Morkie bones, pads and nails need care too.
Top Morkie Paw Care Tips
Think of it in terms of mani-pedi 🙂 For happy, healthy dog feet:
Keep nails short
If they get too long the nail bed grows out too long too and it takes quite a while to get the nails back to a good length, without cutting through the nail bed or “the quick” — which causes a LOT of bleeding. TIP: If you’ve let your Morkie’s nails get too long, try grinding instead of cutting. Your local PetSmart or vet’s is a good place to go for nail care and they almost always offer grinding as well as cutting your Morkie’s nails.
A good rule of thumb is, dogs’ nails should be trimmed when they touch the ground, according to the ASPCA
Clean between the paws
Debris, junk and even insects can get stuck between the paws, irritating delicate little Morkie feet. A quick check after a walk is a good idea.
Trim the hair between pads
That hair between your Morkie’s pads can get matted and balled up too, sometimes causing painful blisters. With nail scissors, very carefully trim between the toes.
Moisturize, moisturize, moistuize!
Paws can’t get enough moisture, in winter and summer. BUT DON’T USE YOUR OWN HAND CREAM. There are special products for dogs that ensure their pads don’t get TOO soft, making them too sensitive for walking. That’s exactly what your adult Morkie or Morkie puppy needs. Two excellent products are:
Burts Bees – always great products, and now there’s a complete line of products for dogs too. This lotion features natural rosemary and olive oil. It smells great and it works!
Pet Head Oatmeal Natural Paw Butter – pH adjusted and do not contain parabens, petroleum derivatives, propylene glycol, sulfate or DEA
You can get them locally or order through Amazon.com
Seasonal problems
Hot pavement and sand in the summer, and icy cold (complete with salt or other de-icing chemicals) in winter are very hard on your dog’s paws. While dogs do have a thick layer of fatty tissue on their paws to insulate the inner foot tissues from extreme temperatures, they still need care…. especially our little dogs.
Wait. What? My Morkie’s feet STINK?
From Pinterest.
Yes, it’s true. Dogs have a unique bacteria on their feet that makes them smell like popcorn (to me) or even Fritos. In fact, this is sometimes referred to as “Frito Feet.” Bacteria, yeast and even fungi all thrive in the folds between pads, where it’s often moist, dark and not too clean. Basically this smell is completely natural, and nothing to worry about … although it might put you off certain snack foods for life.
Read a hilarious threat on Reddit for more about this.
Below, dog shaming for stinky feet!
This Morkie is sorry he has stinky feet