Glossary

Kitten Reflecting On Paw

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Tarsal Pads
Limb pads located at the tarsus. Not common.
Tarsal pads of cats and dogs do not usually contact the ground, because they are elevated by the pastern.
Therefore, tarsal pads do not usually register in tracks of cats and dogs. Exceptions to this rule include tracks made in very soft substrates, or tracks made by cats or dogs that are down in pastern.
This should not be confused with the term heel pad, which is conventionally used by trackers and pet associations to refer to the metacarpal pad or the metatarsal pad, as opposed to the pad at the tarsus (which is also known as the heel).
Also known as proximal pads.   
Cf. carpal pads