open sore and swollen paw

[willc]

I have been reading these forums for awhile (a wealth of knowledge) and I finally have a question to ask. Tucker boy has a sore on the top of his right front paw and the area around it is swollen. He'll let me touch the area no problem and he doesn't have a limp. He does lick it from time to time, only when he notices it it seems. What do you guys think? I know people will probably say "go to the vet" but it seems everytime I have taken him for something minor like this the vet just says keep an eye on it. I will take him in a day or so if it hasn't gotten better but I thought I would see what you all have to say about it first.

Thanks in advance

 

[Aussie Red]

This is the way I would handle this.
First: clean the area with a antiseptic wash or just mild soap and water
second : examine the area very carefully and see if anything is in the sore such as glass or fox tail ( should'nt be this time of year )
Third: if you can not actually see clearly into the sore clip the hair in the area carefully and re-examine
if you find something see if you can remove it if not then vet him. If you can do so and clean again and put a cream on it. I tend to use Corona a tiet balm for such things as it is an antiseptic but will not harm animals if licked off.
This may be a hot spot . My Shih-Tzu has a spot much like you describe and I keep the hair clipped and rub corona on it when it seems to bother herf and it seems to go away for longer periods of time each time I treat it this way.
Some people may have better advise then me but this is what I would do because the way you describe it , it does not sound as if the animal is in pain just irritated.
The bottom line is if you feel that it is warrented then by all means seek a vets advice. Also never think you go to a vet to often if you are in doubt, that is why they went to school and do what they do.
Good luck on your doggie.

 

[bubbatd]

My 1st suggestion would be to pour peroxide on it . If it foams , there's infection . Next I would do a warm Epsom salts bath ( paw only ) for about 8 minutes . Any area that's infected should ooze a bit at this point . Try to lightly squeeze this area . A foreign object ( if there's pus ) should come out at this point . If there's pus and a little blood only , the object is too deeply in bedded unless you have the tools . Vet time . Be sure you put on some neo-sporine After you've dried and clipped the hair , Let us know !

 

[IliamnasQuest]

My recommendation is to soak it. Warm water, epsom salts if you have them but just really warm water will help immensely. Clipping the hair around it is a good idea both so that you can see it better and also to keep the hair from matting down and creating a closed area that can fester and get worse. In addition, the seepage from an open sore can spread under the hair and make the sore larger (we see this often in thick-furred dogs).

I'd also find a way to discourage her from licking. Licking it will probably retard healing. Some dogs become so entrenched in a licking habit on the paws especially that they actually lick sores on themselves. A sock, taped around the top (not too tightly, just enough to keep it on) may discourage her - as might something yucky tasting like Bandguard.

I'm not big on recommending putting topicals on a wound like this. First, the dog will probably lick them off. Second, putting a topical on (ointment, etc.) often makes a person think they're helping the wound when soaking, clipping and soaking some more helps more. I don't recommend hydrogen peroxide for anything that could be potentially a puncture - hydrogen peroxide often causes a seal on the opening to a puncture wound and then the wound festers and gets worse (I've seen this - suddenly the wound will pop open full of pus even though it appeared to be healing). H2O2 is fine on scrapes. I just don't use it at all after having seen its bad side (back in the '80's, with a puncture wound on a horse I owned .. awful mess because I didn't know any better).

If soaking 3-4 times a day for ten minutes or so doesn't show an improvement within a day or two, then it may be beyond what you can do without the help of antibiotics. A visit to the vet is certainly recommended if you feel at any point that there's an infection that needs additional help.

The good news is that (as my Mom was always fond of saying): "it's a long ways from the heart" .. *L* .. (she used to tell us this when we were kids and would scrape a knee or cut a finger and be crying - meaning it wasn't going to kill us).

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

 

[willc]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will try and take a picture of it and post it when I get home. I agree with the soaking part. I'm pretty sure nothing is in the sore. It seems to me that if he would leave it alone for a few days it would heal fine. Last night we put a sock on him and that worked great.

The only thing that has me slightly concerned is the swelling. It hasn't gotten any better or worse. The swelling made me think maybe he dislocated a toe but if that was the case he would walk with a limp and certainly not let me touch it.

I'll post a picture and keep it clean. Hopefully that is all it will take.

Thanks again everyone

 

[bubbatd]

Please do !! I've had many issues over the years with toes .... but each differ .

 

[willc]

Well after a day or so I took him to the vet for peice of mind. The actual sore is on the bottom of his paw and he just licked the top raw. He got a good cleaning, some anti-biotics, and some anti-inflamatories for any pain. Few days he'll be good as new.

Thanks again for all the advice.

 

[willc]

Well after a day or so I took him to the vet for peice of mind. The actual sore is on the bottom of his paw and he just licked the top raw. He got a good cleaning, some anti-biotics, and some anti-inflamatories for any pain. Few days he'll be good as new.

Thanks again for all the advice.

 

[bubbatd]

Good news !! Glad you took him in !!

 

[dbarnett]

open sores on dog's paw

My dog started out having a swollen right front paw between her toes. Now, recently it has started to swell more and it has two small sores on it. The swelling used to go away but now it doesn't and it has bled a little. What should I do?
thank you,
Dbarnett