[krispifsu]

Today Lily injured her paw. She was playing normal but when we went to leave she acted almost like something had bit her on her paw. I saw her start licking her paw so I checked it out and it appears that she tore the inside of her paw open. She is walking on it but you can tell it is sore.

Should I take her to the vet? or is this an injury that I can treat at home? If treatable at home, what is the best method?

Pictures of the cut... It is on her back right foot

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/krispifsu/Lily/Lily003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/krispifsu/Lily/Lily009.jpg


Thanks!

 

[GSDgirlAL]

Sorry, to hear about Lily getting hurt :-(

I personally, would take her in to the Vet. You don't want that to get infected and it's better to be safe than sorry.

 

[kbigge]

I'd put Neosporin on it and take her to the vet. JMO.

 

[JenM66]

I vote for vet visit. She's going to lick it as it heals because it will start to itch. You want to keep it from getting infected. The vet may put her on an antibiotic. Do you know what she cut it on?

 

[Lixx]

It's hard to tell from the pictures how large a wound it is. The main thing is to keep her from licking it. A Ecollar does wonders for when you are not there to supervise. If it is small, I'd clean it once then keep an eye on it. Watch out for any swelling, warmness, discolouration/discharge, but it'll likely just dry out. If it's larger then it may warrant a suture (which should be done asap) or a course of antibiotics if it's already looking inflamed.

 

[middleofnowhere]

I'd just stuff some triple antibiotic lotion in there and watch it. Only go to the vet if it becomes a problem. They aren't going to be able to do anything with it in that location.

 

[krispifsu]

She lets me mess with it and walks on it perfectly normal. The wound is about the size of a pencil eraser head and does not appear to be inflammed at all. I do not know what she cut it on because she was swimming and playing fetch for about 2 1/2 hours today. I never say her stumble or yelp at all. But just as we were leaving she started licking her back leg so that's when I took a peek and noticed the cut.

I washed it out, put some neo+ on it, and wrapped it up so she can't mess with it. She doesn't even seem to notice the wrap on it and hasn't attempted to lick it or mess with it at all. The entire time I was messing with it (taking pictures, cleaning, applying neo, etc.) she just laid there like she was getting special attention and did not seem to notice the wound.

I'm not going to rush her into an e-vet tonight unless things change for the worse, but I'll give my vet a call first thing in the morning and keep a close eye on her throughout the night. As we speak she is sound asleep from a long day of playing

Thanks for the advice!

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Quote: I'd just stuff some triple antibiotic lotion in there and watch it. Only go to the vet if it becomes a problem. They aren't going to be able to do anything with it in that location.

I agree with middleofnowhere, seems like my dogs are constantly cutting up their feet and pads and heal up without a vet visit. As long as the bleeding has stopped, stitches aren't needed (in my opinion).

What I WOULD do, is smash all that Neosporin in the wound to help prevent infection. And then try to keep it wrapped up for the next few days to prevent the licking and keep it dry. I just use that cling wrap stuff to wrap around the foot/paw and then up the leg just above the paw (where it narrows). Then I use the white waterproof medical tape to wrap around the top edge of the cling (at the top?) so it won't unwrap and stays secure.

I'm QUITE the expert and bandaging my dogs feet at this point. Always have the cling, guaze pads, and white waterproof medical tape at hand for this. Cutting it off every 24 hours will allow you to look at it, smash more Neosporin into the wound, and see if it's healing (yeah!) or getting worse and you should get into the vet after all.

 

[krispifsu]

Originally Posted By: MaggieRoseLee What I WOULD do, is smash all that Neosporin in the wound to help prevent infection. And then try to keep it wrapped up for the next few days to prevent the licking and keep it dry. I just use that cling wrap stuff to wrap around the foot/paw and then up the leg just above the paw (where it narrows). Then I use the white waterproof medical tape to wrap around the top edge of the cling (at the top?) so it won't unwrap and stays secure.

This is basically what I did. I don't have any of the medical tape to wrap on the top of the wrapping, but she doesn't mess with it so it has stayed on pretty well. I have been using Neosporin Plus (has the triple antibiotics plus a pain reliever).

I took the wrapping off from last night and the wound looks ok. It is just pink looking. There is no oozing or swelling and Lily is not favoring the leg at all. So I put some more Neo+ on there and wrapped it back up. I called my vet and he said to just keep doing what I am doing but if I notice any change in appearance or she starts favoring it to bring her in.

Here's Lily with her little foot all wrapped up. She almost seems proud of it!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/krispifsu/Lily/Lily012.jpg

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Hey, it looks good to me! Welcome to the 'my dog cut her foot (AGAIN)' club!

 

[BrennasMom]

Wait...there's a club for this?

In all seriousness, if it's just a small cut I try to treat and monitor as it heals. The way I look at it is, you don't go running to the Dr. for a blister on your foot, you slap a bandaid on it and complain for a few days. (or at least that's what I do)

 

[AbbyK9]

It's really hard to tell the size and depth of the cut from the photos.

I can tell you this. My girl has cut and torn her pads at various points and on various surfaces. Cut paw pads is also something that comes up frequently on the trail dog hiking group I belong to.

What I usually do depends on how deep and large a cut / tear it is and how much it's bleeding. If there's very little blood, I usually rinse it with some warm water to get any dirt and debris out of it. Then dry it off, hit it with some Neosporin (or similar creme), and cover it up to keep it from getting dirty again.

If we're out hiking, I always have a set of dog boots along, just in case something happens to her paws. If she cuts or tears a pad, I can doctor it up and cover it with a dog boot, so it stays clean (and comfortable) until we get back to the car.

 

[krispifsu]

Lily's paw seems to be doing just fine. Just checked it a few minutes ago. Still no signs of infection. It is a light pink color. Lily is running around like normal (other than being frustrated that she can't play at the park for hours like she is used to). So all in all I think it is healing quite well.

I'll just have to tell Lily to be more careful when she plays from now on...

Originally Posted By: Historian If we're out hiking, I always have a set of dog boots along, just in case something happens to her paws. If she cuts or tears a pad, I can doctor it up and cover it with a dog boot, so it stays clean (and comfortable) until we get back to the car.

I am definately going to go out and find some paw protectors for just-in-case circumstances. We usually go trail walking about 5 days a week for 1/2 hour to an hour so it would probably be a good idea to carry something with us. Lily is going to need a backpack to carry her stuff with her pretty soon! Between tennis balls, baggies for picking up poop, water, and now paw protectors, she has more than I do!