[Dailydrool] paw pad injury

[Opal-Deitering, Gaylene]

Hi Randee....Last year my boys got into a fight and Rocky ended up with a deep, long gash in the pad of his front paw.  Yes, this takes a very long time to heal, and is quite uncomfortable for the dog. This is what we did to help Rocky along with the healing process. It was wet and muddy out when the injury occurred, so Rocky became a house dog around the clock for about two weeks.
Before you all get your panties in a twist, understand that I am away from the house up to 12 hours a day, all my dogs sleep indoors at night, and they are not left outside past 10:00pm.  As I only have one who is trustworthy in the house, and she is 12yrs old, I only have one full time house dog. The other 5 have good insulated dog houses that are packed with straw, are in  securely fenced yards so that they don't have to hold it  for extended periods of time (unlike house crated dogs) and they all have another dog playmate to keep them happy and warm.  It is kind of funny to see 3 come out of one dog house.  It looks like a clown car with them getting jammed in the door.
So Rocky was temporarily a house dog.  DH would come home in the middle of the day to uncrate and let him potty.  Every day, before and after work, I would clean and treat his wound and re-cover it.  It was washed with a Bactine type wound wash, then spritzed with "Blue Kote", which is a livestock spray that contains gentian violet.  Blue Kote is great stuff, both antibacterial and antifungal. Every hound owner should have a bottle of Blue Kote!  Then I applied a smear of neosporin.  I then applied a sterile gauze pad under a white cotton sock, then that was covered with a heavier fabric and wrapped with duct tape to keep it on.  When he went out to potty, we slipped the whole contraption into a piece of plastic that was then taped on, and removed when he came in so the wound could breathe.  My vet did tell me that I could use Crazy Glue to close wounds, because it is equivalent to suture glue, but from experience that hurts a lot and should only be used if you have a badly bleeding ear or something.  Not a deep cut or open oozing wound.  As I wanted his wound to heal from the inside out to prevent trapping infection, we left the wound to close naturally.
I would suggest that you follow similar wound care techniques, preventing him from licking it by covering it, and when it has closed but is still tender, you might apply some special crème designed for chapped paws.  If this seems to be a recurring problem, you might purchase muttlucks doggie boots, which I think another drooler had used with good results.  Rocky loved all the special attention, and after treating the wound once or twice while giving treats and lovin's, he would prance up to me and flip over so that I could play with his feet.  His foot looked beautiful after a couple of weeks.

Good luck with your poor furkid.

Condolences to the families of PW. Jacques, we will all miss him, to Gus' family, and any other I might have missed in skimming the posts.  May the example of the love you shared with your hound be the ripple in the great pond of life that causes other to change their direction and become better people.

Gaylene Opal-Deitering
My passions do not replace my relationship with God, but are instead a reflection of it!

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