Healing Your Dog's Paw Pad Injury
Tips to Treat a Cut on a Pet’s Foot Pad
A pet's foot pad injury can be tricky to heal, but there's a few tricks that can help owners clean, disinfect, bandage and heal their pet's wound.
An animal’s paw pads are particularly prone to injury – they’re exposed to sharp objects like broken glass and extreme temperatures. Combine this with the fact that the thick skin on the paw pad is constantly exposed to bacteria, pressure and irritation from footsteps, and the result is a recipe for a difficult-to-heal area.
Competitive musher Edward Long is no stranger to paw pad injuries, as his sled dogs have sustained many cuts, punctures and scrapes over the years. Caring for his dog sled team has enabled Long to refine his technique used to promote the healing of more minor paw pad injuries. Long offered the following tips to pet owners.
The first step involves removing any obvious debris from the wound. In addition, if there is a nail injury, this should be dealt with and if necessary, trim back the broken nail to help prevent additional pain and irritation.
The next step for handling an injured paw involves cleaning the wound and removing debris from the pad, as it’s not uncommon for debris to become embedded inside a cut or other similar injury. Soaking the foot in a bath of warm water with Epsom salts for a period of ten to fifteen minutes can serve to soften the skin and flush away debris. Swishing the dog’s injured foot back and forth through the water can help to dislodge debris painlessly.
Following the foot bath, paper towels can be used to pat the foot dry and care should be taken to remove any remaining debris from the injury site using tweezers.
Disinfecting the wound site using betadine will ensure that bacteria is cleared away, lessening the chance for a potentially painful infection. The betadine should be poured over the wound or dabbed onto the injury using a sterile gauze pad, and then allowed to air-dry while the foot is held off the ground. Avoid hydrogen peroxide, as this damages the tissue, resulting in slowed healing, and other antiseptics, like alchohol, sting and dry out the wound site.
During the first couple days post-injury, antibiotic ointment can be dabbed onto the wound to help stave off infection.
The dog's feet are one of the few areas that are routinely bandaged following an injury. Veterinarians usually prefer to leave wounds uncovered, as bandaging decreases the airflow to the wound site, resulting in ideal conditions for the growth of anaerobic bacteria. But applying a bandage in the case of a wounded paw pad will allow for less irritation and the maintenance of a debris-free cut.
Rolled gauze is ideal for bandaging a paw pad injury. Two or three layers of rolled gauze can be wrapped in a figure eight pattern around the paw and ankle. The bandage should be applied in a manner that’s taught but not tight, as an overly tight bandage will decrease circulation and inhibit healing.
“I’ve found it’s helpful to test out bandage tightness by wrapping your own arm or leg. Wait ten minutes and if you feel any tingling or discomfort, you need to loosen the wrap,” Long explained.
A few layers of self-adhering bandage applied over the gauze will provide a more durable covering that’s suitable for walking. Self-adhering bandages are available in the first aid section of the drug store alongside Ace bandages and joint braces.
For those visits outdoors, plastic wrap or a sandwich bag can be placed over the foot, and secured with a piece of tape around the ankle.
The wound should be washed using antibacterial soap, like Dial, twice daily and followed by disinfecting and wrapping the wound as mentioned above.
For pets who chew and pick at the bandage, an Elizabethan collar or “lampshade” can be purchased from pet supply stores or from a vet’s office.
It’s important to monitor the wound for signs of infection, continued limping and non-weight bearing, which warrant a visit to the vet for an exam.
