[Dailydrool] paw pad injury

[Opal-Deitering, Gaylene]

Hi Barbara,
First, determine the reason for the injury!  Could she have a splinter, sliver of glass, foxtail awn, cut, or other injury?  Is it due to overall itchiness from allergy or contact dermatitis?  This will impact the way you treat.  If it is a sliver or foxtail awn, your vet might need to remove the offending object before she will heal without pain.
When Rocky and Arthur got into one of their rare fights, Arthur left a very nasty gash in the bottom of Rocky's foot.  This healed very well because of the following treatment:

1.       Clean the wound with bactine or other wound wash.  This doesn't hurt the dog, and can get any dirt out easily.

2.       Spritz with a couple drops of Blue Kote (from tractor supply).  This is both anti-germ, and anti-fungus.  It does stain the skin (and anything else, including you, your floor, your clothes) very purple.  The stain comes off somewhat with rubbing alcohol, but the best stain removal treatment is simply time and repeated washing. *caution* do not spray any wound purple until after the vet has examined it to remove foreign objects.  They will not be able to see anything if the wound is purple.

3.       If there  is a gash and you know it is clean, you can close the wound with Crazy Glue (Vet says this is the same as suture glue)  This is also good if you have hard-to-stop bleeding ear wounds from a fight.  Make sure they are clean and dry then apply a drop of glue.  This can sting a bit for a second or two, so make sure that you have a leash on the dog and have a good grip.  It depends on the sensitivity of the injury weather the dog reacts to the glue.  *do not use glue on oozing wounds that need to seep, like abrasions and hotspots* *do not EVER glue a puncture wound closed*

4.       Apply Neosporin or other antibiotic ointment.

5.       Apply bandage like a non-stick gauze pad attached with a wrap.  I really like vet-wrap (sports wrap is the same thing)  This stuff sticks to itself and not to the wound or fur, and it is elastic so it flexes and allows the foot to move without cutting off circulation. Put on the sock, to which I have applied a layer of duct tape at the top, and then I can tape the tape directly to the duct tape rather than the dog.  Kind of like Velcro, if you fold over a tab you can open and close it onto itself more than once.  I also then apply a layer of denim over the sock to keep the sock clean and prevent dirt from going THROUGH the sock.  If going out in the rain or dew covered grass, use a plastic bread bag over the whole thing.  Remove the plastic when inside, as the wound needs to breathe. Trust me, they get used to this, so it will work...

a.       If the above taping bit wasn't clear, write me back and I can elaborate on the whole tape thing.

6.       Repeat daily until the wound stops oozing, then cut back on the layers of protection.
For an oozing wound that doesn't want to scab, like a nasty fly bite on ears or a bed sore, you can use the stuff that you spray on to dry oozing or weeping wounds.  Either Band-aid or Bactine makes a spray on over-the-counter product that says it is for oozing or weeping wounds.  I have used it to great success on Clover when she had a spider bite that the flies kept attacking.  The wound ended up to be about the size of a half dollar before I figured this out, bag balm and other stuff didn't work.  The wound started to heal within a week after I started with the spray.
*If you ever have a puncture wound (or other wound for that matter) that starts to swell up like there is a marble or ball under the skin,  go to the vet IMMEDIATELY to make sure there is no abscess.  An abscess in a leg can force an amputation if it is not treated fast enough, or it can cause blood poisoning that can kill your dog*
Good luck with Maggies pad wound!
Gaylene Opal-Deitering
My passions do not replace my relationship with God, but are instead a reflection of it!

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