advice on paw injury - Page 1

While I was on vacation, (the first in four years)  Barbie got bit on the paw.  She didn't agree with the sutures and twice removed them, once using the cone collar as a tool.  Here is what it looked like when I took her to the vet for follow-up when I got back.   What are the odds it will heal up good enough to ever get back to normal?  She still moves around pretty good with it bandaged up so she should still be able to keep working as a police K9.

OK can't figure out this flippin insert image thing.  anyway a piece of pad is missing plus large open wound area.

Colleen and K9 Barbie

keep bandages on. i use eye patches as a dressing and change them reg

also dog boots are good and water proof so stops paws from getting infected

use salted water twice a day to bathe it

fingers crossed it should get back to normal.

give barbie lots of fuss from me xx

Colleen, I think if it it kept dry and sterile that it should heal fine. I have one (1) bitch who twice ripped out a major toenail due to some of her antics with the fence and both times it healed fine. I realize that your situation is quite different but I think it will be okay. After the wound heals she may not place her full weight on it for a long time, but this will pass when she is pain free.

Regards,

Bob-O

I have a female that would not leave her injured hock alone.  Open wound became a bigger wound.  My vet recommended that I keep it clean and use peroxide for the first few days to keep gunk out. Betadine will toughen the skin once healing has started (never use it near eyes since that skin needs to be supple).  Also I used tea tree oil mixed with vitamin e around the outside perimeter because the strong smell usually kept her from licking it.  By that time I was desperate since she too was too smart for the cone collar.  Good luck, there are lots of experienced people here.

 I have boarded several dogs while they were healing from serious paw pad injuries. The bottom line is that you MUST keep the dog from chewing it, in any way that works. I cannot see the photo, so it is difficult to tell what should be done. I would advise against boots as they create a moist, warm environment for bacterial growth. Deep pad injuries, where pad is actually missing, take a long, long time to heal and must granulate from the inside out. A good course of antibiotics while the healing is in progress is a good idea. Keeping the wound clean and dry is important and dressings need to be frequently changed. Vet wrap can provide a water resistant cover for the dressing. Giving the dog something to chew on such as a marrow bone while confined will help with boredom.

In the meantime, check with the vet whether debriding and recutting and then sewing up again is a viable alternative. Nothing will work if you don't keep the dog from chewing, so unfortunately, either constant supervision or an elizabethan type collar is probably your only option.

If you can email me a photo I can give you a better opinion.

schwarzenberggsd@earthlink.net

good luck!

yes hoodie is correct re the boots what i ment to say was if you were taking the dog out

i like the blue (violet) lotion either swab-on or spray.  one of our young gsd males got ahold of a young mastiff foot thru the kennel wire and gave him a nasty puncture wound.  we cleaned it up good and kept the blue lotion on for several days.  it healed up fine, though i doubt they will ever be friends.

another product i have used with some success is cut-heal.  it seems to "bite" worse than the blue stuff when applied, though.  they are less likely to lick it off and helps deep wounds heal from the inside out.

(yes, we use a lot of equine products here on animals and humans.)

pjp

Just a thought/idea-
Would some of that liquid band-aid type stuff work? This is, of course, providing you've got no infection going on and some sort of pain control for general soreness that will be there a while. It's supposed to be pain-free and waterproof.
http://www.aragonproducts.com/theproducts.cfm?master=5852

Like with anything, you would wanna ask a vet first if this would be ok due to the severity of your dog's wound, which we do not personally know.

Best wishes getting it healed up.

Aye If ye want a pad or paw injury to heal quick, ye must get t' product made for such injuries

http://emtgel.com/

Ye should be able to find it locally. If not, ye can order it here

http://www.eppinettekennels.com/emt.html

She has quit chewing on it once the remains of the second set of sutures were out so that may have been some of the problem.  We have also gotten some "super green" out of the horse aisle and that seems to help also.   Will have to try the EMT gel.

Thanks,

Colleen and K9 Barbie