Roxy cut her paw yesterday charging round a field which had some flints on it. I took her to the vests who have dressed the wound - it's not too bad and didn't need stitches. My queries are: 1. How can I stop her chewing the dressing? I've put Vicks on the bandage which seems to have deterred her a bit but smells the place out. 2. Have you used the cone of shame? I was given one by the vet but she absolutely hates it and she can't lie down comfortably with it on, so I've taken it off. I've got her an inflatable collar which she doesn't like much either, but I'm wondering if I should persist. 3. For going out in the garden I was given a rather silly stiff plastic bag to keep the dressing dry. Are there better options? 4. Do you do your own first aid for minor injuries such as cut paws? I'm sure she's going to get more. Any advice on the best bandages, etc.? Many thanks for any help. She's looking very sorry for herself. She's going through her first (and last!) season to boot. Mark
Sorry to hear that Roxy has been in the wars - cut paws can be so sore. The cones the vet provides are horrible. I use the big padded ones - you can get them on Amazon. They look massive and unwieldy but the dog is a lot more comfortable, plus it hurts less when they smack into your legs! You can try a child's long sock over the bandage, but it they can get at it, they'll chew pretty much anything off, so it is worth persisting with some kind of cone if she is getting to the injury. Otherwise it will take ages to heal.
Thanks, Pippa. I did get a big padded collar but she could still easily get to her paw! In the end I spread Vick on her bandage which did deter her to a certain extent until she developed a taste for it! Also the weather was so bad on Sunday that the bandage was inevitably going to get damp. So I cut it off on Monday and it looked fine. I took her back to the vet today for a check up and they say it's healing nicely. But she still has lead walking for the next week (She and I are not sure about that!). In the meantime I have got stuff off Amazon including: antiseptic spray - works well directly on the wound and will help wash dirt off Sterile pads paw protector bootees - great for protecting her paw on walks once I managed to get it on Soffban cast padding, soft bandages which help protect wounds Ultra sticky cohesive bandage, very good for going over the soft bandage/sterile dressing as it sticks together well and can be unwound easily. Also good as first aid. So in the future I would be inclined to treat wounds which don't require stitches myself and save a lot of time hanging around the surgery!
Just a PostScript, I did lead walk her for a week. She did get used to the extendable lead and it wasn't too much of a problem. It was quite a deep cut bit it healed up fine and she was soon back to charging round with her best friend Sky.
