Advice for a cut paw pad please!!

[Mummingainteasy]

Hi all, hoping I can get some advice and reassurance from you please!!

I noticed my pup licking one of his back paws more than usual this morning and upon inspection, I noticed he has cut it somehow. It's definitely a cut, not a graze! There has been no blood, I've (eventually) managed to have a better look at it and there's nothing inside of the cut. He is licking it occasionally and limping a fair bit.

I've had him stood in a bath of cool salt water this morning and just about to do thay again.

I'm a worrier and tend to panic and ring the vet when there is no need and after doing some research online, it seems a lot of the advice is to give it a little while first.

Is there anything else anyone can recommend? Is rather avoid the vets and a vet bill of possible but will take him if it's not improved in a couple of days!

I have had to manage two cut paw pads.

The first was a massive slice through it. We went to the vets and they first tried to glue it but it didn't stay despite being bandaged and no walks. After a week we had to have staples in and again dressing changed every 2-3 days, covering the dressing with a boot when he went to the toilet. It took three weeks to completely heal.

The second was recent and it was not as bad as the first so a slice rather than a deep cut. We cleaned it and stopped walks for 1 week then gentle walks and cleaned for another week. Again it took about 2-3 weeks for it to heal and I can still see where it was and it must be 4 weeks now.

Whilst the first definitely needed the vets as it was deep the second didn't but we inspected it twice daily to ensure it wasn't infected or opening up more otherwise I would have taken him.

They take ages to heal .

Salt water/antiseptic spray, keep nice and clean and dry. Try to stop the dog licking it (a sock works well - you can even buy specific dog socks). If its not super big or deep it should heal on its own. Unless it needs staples/glue a trip to the vet would be a waste of money -they will just advise keep it clean and dry and put a bandage on.

Thanks, really could do without a vets bill if possible! He is limping more this evening but is putting his back paw down sometimes. Keep cleaning it with salt water. DH happy to see how he gets on for the rest of the week.

Blinking pets ey!

Take a picture of it with your phone then you can use that to compare how it looks each day. Easier then to decide whether it's getting worse or better.

My dog has had a sliced paw. I cleaned it daily and sprayed it with leucillin (anticeptic spray). Sudocrem is also good.
I'd then cover her paw with gauze and wrap it with a cohesive bandage, changed daily. She was was only allowed in the garden for about a week to try and keep her off it, and I'd cover her bandaged paw with something like a food bag to stop it getting wet. When it looked like she was getting better we'd go for a very short walk, and at night we'd take the bandage off to let it air.
Unfortunately just when we thought it was getting better she had a funny 5 minutes bounding round the house and up and down the stairs and ruddy split it open again! So we had to start all over. Took about 2 and a bit weeks or so to heal properly because of that.

Leucillin: www.amazon.co.uk/Leucillin-Antiseptic-Skin-Spray-250ml/dp/B00AZJ9G2Y/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8
Vet wrap / cohesive bandage: www.amazon.co.uk/WrapTec-Cohesive-Bandage-10cm-wide/dp/B074FY757L/ref=sr_1_25?s=pet-supplies&keywords=cohesive+bandage&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1527620917&sr=1-25

Pad injuries are notoriously difficult to heal. Bandage on 2-3 days then change clean rebandage is the best way. To much bathing, antiseptic spray and sudocream all suffocate and kill those fragile endothelial cells that are required to allow the wound to heal. The only product that have know speed the healing is medical grade Manuka honey.

Thanks all. Going to run up to the pharmacy in town later and look for those recommended products! He seems ok but limping and holding it off the ground (will put it down when stood still)

Does it have to be a special pet bandage or would a normal one do?

Our vet used a pad and then that vet wrap type bandage. They were also very specific about not getting it wet at all, hence needing the boot over it when he went outside to pee.

Pets at home do a purple bottle of lotion for a fiver. Bloody magic imo!!
Husky had a huge gash hidden in her hair and it scabbed over and healed in less than a week!!

Thanks! Pets at home is a good idea!
april any chance you remember the name of said purple lotion??

Our poor boy removed most of the top of one of his pads. It was bandaged for the first 4 days, then I just put a baby sock over it held on with vet tape in the house. When he went out in the garden I had to put one of those rubber boot things over it. Gradually, stopped wearing anything over it in the house and had to bathe it regularly. It was 4 weeks before it was healed enough to just taken him for a run on the field and another couple of weeks before he could go on hard ground. We also had to go back to the vets for another lot of antibiotics as at one point it started to look quite red and swollen at one point.

Here you are!!

Thank you!! He's walking on it more this afternoon and is tolerating me trying to look slightly more.

I've phoned the pharmacy and they have that vetrap stuff and the leucillin in stock so they're saving me some and I'm going to grab it later!

Thanks again!! Xx

If you never used vet wrap before unroll a section let it retract back to it's unstretched state and then laid down rather than wrapping tight. It is very, very easy to over tighten vet wrap.

We keep a bottle of Hibiscrub in the house as part of doggy first aid, very good for bathing wounds like this - has to be massively diluted. It's cheap from the vets and keeps for a while. Even used it on own foot when stood on a shard of glass and worked brilliantly. If the cut had been elsewhere and sore then would have suggested Sudocrem (nappy rash cream) was recommended by our vet as good for healing sore spots of any kind, also relieves the itchiness as things heal, but not safe anywhere the dog can lick it off.

I clean it, use a gauze, baby sock (got a stack from primark!), vet wrap. I always then stick a circle of sellotape or duck tape round the ankle to stop the vet wrap coming off. I’ve got horses and that’s what you do with them. It really helps keep it on. Make sure it has some time to breath each day (without getting licked!)

Make sure if you use a sock - which is a good idea - that you don't make the tape/vetwrap too tight as can cut off circulation and cause further problems.

Thanks all! Going to attempt it shortly now dh is home to help!!

Saw a product called activon online which is just a small tube of medical grade manuka honey (I think) so plan on grabbing some if I see any anywhere!