hi all, Tatti has cut her paw on something. Not sure when this happened. I just noticed that she started licking it when I put her to bed so had a look and saw it was bleeding a bit. She has stopped licking now and isn't limping. It doesn't look like there is anything in there but it is quite a cut on the pad. About 60mm. As its night, I'm thinking I'll leave it to the morning. We don't have anything in the house to clean it and I'm not sure what you can use on dog paws anyway? Sudocreme? Detol? If she isn't limping do you think it's ok to walk her in the morning. I don't drive and the vet is a 10 min walk- OH is away for the day. If I wash it when back and keep an eye on her. Is this just something that happens sometimes and I just need to keep it clean? Sorry first experience of this. We have a date with her mum and sister (first time since she left- she is now 10 months) on Friday at the beach- please tell me that will be ok?? While we are on the subject of paws, I noticed they were cracking a little bit recently. I tried some paw cream but she just licked it off, any ideas? Thanks,
Ouch, it looks painful. I use either hibiscrub or betadine on paws when they get cut, to keep them clean. You could try putting a sock on it when she goes outside, but I don't find this works very well, and so I tend just to make sure it's clean when I get back home. The best stuff for keeping pads supple is Musher's Secret, which is a wax you rub into their paws. I use it in the winter to prevent cracked pads, and to protect against salt on the road. The added bonus is that it makes your hands nice and soft, too. You can buy it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mushers-Secret-Invisible-Shield-Boots/dp/B003UCKP0A
It's a bit difficult to tell - and I haven't much experience with cut paws, sorry. I hope you get it sorted without too much trouble. Yes, second vote for Hibiscrub (there are various similar alternatives) and Musher's Secret - I like to use this in London with Charlie because the pavements are so dirty. The only way I know to have it not licked off is to put it on and then distract the dog, and take him/her for a walk!
Poor girl! Foot injuries are a bit of a challenge so my sympathies to you too! Saline is good for washing wounds. The best thing to do is to put a saline solution in a syringe with a fine opening and squirt it at the wound to flush it. If you do want to add an antiseptic then it's best if it's diluted (so, if using Betadine go for a ratio of 1 (Betadine) to 10 dilution in water). Things like Betadine or hibiscrub will kill bacteria but they also damage the cells that are exposed due to the cut. Diluted versions will still kill bacteria but are much milder on tissues. Around the house I'd leave it open to the air if you can, but make sure she's not licking it (might need the dreaded cone if she is). A sock for walks might work ok if you can tape it to her leg just above a knobbly part. Incidentally there have been quite a few medical studies looking at the effectiveness of different types of wound washing solutions in humans and overall the results show that plain old tap water (as long as it's fit for consumption) is actually just fine.
Ouch, that looks sore I've had a few experiences of cut paws. We used hibiscrub - diluted - or sudocreme two/three times a day. I also brought the paw wax for when it was healed and use it every few days. For walks we kept them short as it could spilt it more with running around and we got some dog booties for her to wear to keep the dirt out on walks. At home we left her paw to air, but stopped her licking.
Thanks all, have taken advice and washed with some hibiscrub (diluted). It looks loads better already. Just looks cracked now so hopefully if we take it easy it will heal quickly. Maybe I should try the paw creams we bought again. She is a bit more sensible now but I suspect she'll still just lick it off. Maybe we can have a pamper routine and get the cone out for half an hour afterwards to let it all soak in :-/ she'll love that
You can buy rubber boots which stay on really well https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pawz-Dog-B...F8&qid=1466076559&sr=1-5&keywords=protex+pawz If it's not healed by beach time I would definitely put one of these on to keep sand out. I use dilute hibiscrub and mushers secret too