Why don't animals get splinters in their feet?

[Pup]

I know, I know, they do. Just ask a vet. But hear me out. :) I'm talking about on a normal everyday basis, compared to people like me.

I walk barefoot a lot. Usually it's me barefoot, my wife with shoes, our dog on a leash and our cat tagging along, in meadows and light woods. Every few days, I'll step on something thorny, which pricks just enough to make me stop and pull it off my foot, no blood, no injury, forgotten immediately. That's the same as the dog stepping on something, shaking his foot or biting to get it loose, and going on.

But maybe once every few weeks, a tiny thorn tip will break off in my sole. There's no pain and I don't even notice it for a couple days until it starts to get infected, then I notice a tender spot, get a sterilized needle, work the splinter out, put on some antiseptic ointment, and within an hour or two it feels as good as new.

But the dog and cat have never needed that done, never seem to fuss over their feet, and they're less careful where they walk than me.

Why? They're mammals too, and their soles don't seem much different from mine. I mean, we're not talking about hooves or anything.

--Are their feet so tough that thorns can't even enter far enough to break off? If so, can human feet ever get that tough, or is it a species-specific thing?

--Or, if they get a splinter, does it not get infected and therefore never hurt until it comes out on its own, just like it doesn't hurt me the first couple days? But I thought the basic mechanism of infection was common to all mammals, to naturally isolate or force out foreign bodies.

--Or, do they get splinters which get infected and eventually come out on their own and they just ignore the pain till it's over? The pain is mild enough that that's possible (I don't limp or anything so you'd never know by watching me) but it's hard to believe they're going around ignoring a background level of pain that spurs us to action.

--Or, some other explanation?

And yes, I know I'm weird. I've had a tetanus shot, and know all about the latest research on hookworm and such, so I'm more interested in how dogs and cats avoid this minor splinter problem month after month, than being told how strange I am to walk barefoot. :D

[mhaze]

I know, I know, they do. Just ask a vet. But hear me out. :) I'm talking about on a normal everyday basis, compared to people like me.

I walk barefoot a lot. Usually it's me barefoot, my wife with shoes, our dog on a leash and our cat tagging along, in meadows and light woods. Every few days, I'll step on something thorny, which pricks just enough to make me stop and pull it off my foot, no blood, no injury, forgotten immediately. That's the same as the dog stepping on something, shaking his foot or biting to get it loose, and going on.

But maybe once every few weeks, a tiny thorn tip will break off in my sole. There's no pain and I don't even notice it for a couple days until it starts to get infected, then I notice a tender spot, get a sterilized needle, work the splinter out, put on some antiseptic ointment, and within an hour or two it feels as good as new.

But the dog and cat have never needed that done, never seem to fuss over their feet, and they're less careful where they walk than me.

Why? They're mammals too, and their soles don't seem much different from mine. I mean, we're not talking about hooves or anything.

Paws do go to vets.

[blutoski]

I wonder how you would even notice? My cats don't submit weekly medical incidence reports.

Two thoughts about why it's not as serious a problem, though:

1. they're smaller and lighter, and the weight is distributed over four paws instead of two feet

2. they have thick pads

My wife grew up without shoes, so has incredibly thick skin on her feet. Rock hard callouses on the heels, balls, and toes. I think she could literally walk on broken glass without concern.

Our neighbours when I was a kid had to put their cocker spaniel down due to an infected paw that they didn't notice until it was too late. A tiny shard of metal from a broken lawn mower blade had embedded between two toes.

[skeptigirl]

Thicker skin is often the case. Go barefoot all your life and see how thick the soles of your feet get.

I can't believe they couldn't treat the dog, though. Dogs do fine with 3 legs even if it had been so bad it needed amputation.

[bjornart]

Echoing others:
"A lot" << "every minute of every day (or night, in the case of nocturnal animals) since one was born".

[Darat]

Have a feel of how soft a puppy's pads are and then compare it to an adult dog's - you'll notice that the adult's pad's skin is very thick and very coarse.