Mollys_mum Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Molly and Timber got into a scrap last night (he was trying to work out how to open the dog food cupboard and Molly was trying to guard it). It was all over by the time I raced into the kitchen but noticed Molly limping and bloody paw marks appearing wherever she walked. I scooped her up, put her in the bath and showered down her feet. Then I took her out and laid her on a clean towel and patted the front feet dry so I could take a look at what had happened. She had somehow managed to cut her paw. The cut is only a few mms long but it is slightly oval shaped and the underlying tissue is visible. I kept Molly on the sofa and did a forum search for 'cut paws' and found this: http://www.husky-owners.com/forum/threads/cut-paw-pad-pics-not-for-the-weak-of-heart.37915/#post-599216 and thanks to Sutsibe's video, I was able to send Molly's dad off to Tesco to buy: Savalon liquid (to bathe her foot in), Savalon dry spray (contains iodine), Savalon plaster spray and some guaze dressing/bandages and micropore tape. I had to improvise as some products suggested either aren't available here in the UK without prescription, or not available at 9.30 pm. While my OH was out getting all this stuff, I googled various searches including treatments, vet fees etc. I saw this and nearly died: http://www.whatprice.co.uk/prices/vet-prices/surgery-dog.html For purposes of 'speed reading', here are a couple of examples for vet fees: 1. Stitches for open wound and antibiotics (greater London) £526.00 2. cut to dogs pad, to stitch and general anaesthetic,anti-biotics, dressing. Day patient. £250.00 (Oldham) Glancing at the prices shown, there is a wide disparity between the cost of vet fees nationally and also within counties. I also came across a lot of conflicting advice whilst searching; many sites suggested immediate trip to the vets, whilst others suggested that it it is fairly pointless because paw pads generally don't lend themselves well to being stitched and most heal themselves. A musher's blog suggested home treatment for the reasons outlined and a couple of entries suggested super glue or surgical glue. I'm unsure about taking that road! Actually, I'm unsure what to do from here at all. I've re-dressed her dressing this morning and although there was a little bit of blood on the dressing, the wound looks very clean. I will probably need to buy a muzzle now as she has chewed through her snow shoe. Can anyone here advise? I looked at the responses and the pic's contained within the thread I linked above, but can't figure out where on the paw that injury is on Zeeva...presumably not a part that is walked on? As Molly's injury is on the middle pad, would that require a different plan of action? If paw pads generally heal on their own does that depend on whether or not the cut is deep? (How is 'deep' defined?) BTW: I have no idea how she has done this...is it possible that her front paw ended up scraping one of Timber's teeth? There are no puncture wounds and no sign of anything sharp on the kitchen floor so I'm equally stumped on that point as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephona Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 To be honest, I think that taking her to the vet at this point would be pretty pointless - I would only take her in if the wound starts looking infected and if it doesn't start healing in a few days. What you can do, I suppose, is avoid walking her too much, so that there is no pressure on the paw. But I would assume that if she can walk without limping, the wound is not that deep. If you can get it, I would definitely apply some antibiotic ointment. Might be worth next time when you are at the vet buying something like this. Most of the time, when ours gets a scratch or something like this, we don't take him to the vet and just bandage it and apply some antibiotic ointment. We have taken him to the vets a couple of times, but that was for more serious wounds, like when he got attacked by another dog. They still didn't stitch him up though, basically just cleaned the wound and put on a bandage and told us to apply the antibiotic ointment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Bit blurry as Molly didn't like having her paw held for the photos: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosemary Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Ouch - poor girl but it looks nice and clean. Sorry I can't help, have never had this problem before - touch wood. I hope she heals quickly - Ozzy & Micah send her hugs and husky kisses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aronoiiel Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Ouch poor girly Don't have much advice but when Kiana has had wounds from fights (shallow not really deep) we've just put some antibiotic on it and rang the vet to be sure she didn't need to be seen. If your very worried you can just ring them for a consult see what they think. I know when my friend's Dalmation would get his pads cut up (some pretty deep) from he rocks in front of her grandparents mountain retreat they would keep him inside for a couple days, put some antibiotics on it, and then just keep him as down and calm as possible until the healing process could at least start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 I know sutsibe will have some practical advice, but I think the consensus is that other than what you've done ( clean it, antibiotic, bandage ) there isn't a whole lot that can be reasonably done when it's a cut to the pad except to keep her off it as much as possible ( yeh, a husky, sure! ) until it does heal. The good part is that pads heal pretty quickly, like pretty well along in a day or so. As always, love, take a deep breath and get on with it - it's not life threatening and it will heal shortly. (( of course I have to have a wise comment --- watch the blood on the carpet, it's a bear to get out!! )) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys_mum Posted March 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Many thanks to all for the support. I had a nose at a GSD forum earlier as there seemed to be a few on there that had experience of cut paws: general consensus is that it can take anything from a week to 4 weeks to heal.:groan:I think she knows she isn't going anywhere for now; normally she'd be tearing me off the sofa with her teeth by 8 am for her morning walk. I'll need to investigate the antibiotic powder/cream, but my suspicion is that it is not allowed unless via prescription in the UK. We were hoping to go along to a Husky meet in Buckinghamshire on 3rd April, but I think Moll's dad will have to take Timber on his own while I babysit Molly. Lol! Very droll, Al! The BEAR is firmly in the dog house today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Awe, gimme a break - remember it's still morning her and I'm working on my first cup of coffee. I can't see a paw cut taking that long too heal unless it's really a very deep cut. I've had a few cut pads (( rephrase that, my dogs have had a few cut pads, told you it's still early! )) and they've always seemed to heal quicker than a similar cut on an ear, for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys_mum Posted March 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Awe, gimme a break - remember it's still morning her and I'm working on my first cup of coffee. I can't see a paw cut taking that long too heal unless it's really a very deep cut. I've had a few cut pads (( rephrase that, my dogs have had a few cut pads, told you it's still early! )) and they've always seemed to heal quicker than a similar cut on an ear, for example. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is the case, but I think the would might be too deep. It doesn't seem so, but then I don't really know what 'deep' means. The tissue is visible, does that make it deep? Or is 'deep' something more to do with depth (for example being 1/2 inch deep)? Sorry, I know you're not quite awake yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 It really doesn't look too bad to me (second picture) more like a really bad scrape. The problem comes from her walking on it which will keep re-opening it until it scabs over (which it really won't do) which means you need to try to keep her off of it as much as you can for (my guess) the next 24 hours or so. The progression that I've seen with my dogs is that it bleeds badly for a short time, then will stop bleeding but still look bad, then you'll gradually see new pad develop where the wound is. I can't think of a time where I've seen a 'normal' scab develop on a pad. This from another forum where the OP was asking about a cut pad - and his avatar is a sled team so .... All you can do is let nature take its course. How fast it will heal depends on your dog. I have dogs that heal cuts in about 3 days and ones that take over a week. I usually put polysporin on the cut then cover it with a bootie. I had a dog that tore hs pad off this year and he always ate his booties so I had to mix cayenne pepper with crisco and spread it on the bootie. It is a little messy but it stoprs them from hurting their foot even more. Get Well Soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys_mum Posted March 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Nice find, Al - thanks for seeking that out for us. Okay, I'm feeling a bit less worried about this now. I've re-dressed it again (dressing from late this morning was taken off so Moll's dad could photograph her naked paw), and this time I put the hair-dryer (on cool) and waved it over the pad I'd washed in Savalon. Before putting the (other) snow boot on, I found one of my daughter's clean,chunky soft ankle socks and put that on over the bandage. My goodness - what a difference it has made! She is still hopping a bit, but far more confident in walking around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 It doesn't look too bad - kind of looks like he had her foot in his mouth, and she pulled sideways to get it free, and his tooth scraped the pad. Keep it clean and watch for infection (she might spike a fever, if it does become infected), and it should heal pretty well. How quickly will likely depend on the physical depth of the wound - it will "granulate in", meaning that rather than scabbing over, tissue will form from the bottom and sides of the wound and grow together, gradually filling it in. If she doesn't re-injure it, I would think it should fill in fairly quickly, as it looks fairly shallow. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys_mum Posted March 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 It doesn't look too bad - kind of looks like he had her foot in his mouth, and she pulled sideways to get it free, and his tooth scraped the pad. Keep it clean and watch for infection (she might spike a fever, if it does become infected), and it should heal pretty well. How quickly will likely depend on the physical depth of the wound - it will "granulate in", meaning that rather than scabbing over, tissue will form from the bottom and sides of the wound and grow together, gradually filling it in. If she doesn't re-injure it, I would think it should fill in fairly quickly, as it looks fairly shallow. Good luck! Thanks. I was hoping you'd see this thread; I did wonder if that was the sort of thing that had happened but couldn't quite visualise it. If they were kids I'd want to knock their bleedin' heads together. Any advice on length of time I should keep applying a dressing rather than leaving her foot exposed, and how many times a day I should change it? I was thinking twice daily for about a week and no walks at all (just a few minutes wee time in the back garden) until it has completely healed enough for it not to rip open again. Moll's dad noticed (when he photographed the foot) that the split was slightly longer and wider than last night so thought it best to keep her 'quiet' as much as possible for the next few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Molly with her bandaged foot, then a sock over the bandage and a snow shoe over the sock: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 If she'll leave it alone, leave it on for a couple of days (as long as it also doesn't get dirty or wet!) Pulling it off will possibly tear off the new growth of skin/pad, so better to just leave it be. As long as it's healing well then, I'd just leave off bandaging it once it starts to heal and fill in fairly well, and perhaps put on the sock and shoe when she goes out or if you take her for a little walk - that will help protect it. Don't fuss too much; as with kids, they heal pretty quickly and effectively... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid&BellaNTX Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Sid had a cut on his pad this past summer. Only took about a week to heal. Here's Sid's paw before I bandaged it. Gigi talked me through the bandaging! Thanks Gigi! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys_mum Posted March 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Sid had a cut on his pad this past summer. Only took about a week to heal. Here's Sid's paw before I bandaged it. Gigi talked me through the bandaging! Thanks Gigi! Erm, I can't open the images and would love to see! Suggestions, or is it user error? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid&BellaNTX Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Direct link to photo...try this. http://s1177.photobucket.com/albums/x350/BrianAndSid/?action=view¤t=2011-07-22_16-06-20_874.jpg http://s1177.photobucket.com/albums/x350/BrianAndSid/?action=view¤t=2011-07-23_08-39-43_644.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 nerds have 2 acronyms for this: pebkac - problem exists between keyboard and chair picnic - problem in chair, not in computer . . . . ** runs away and hides ** I guess I had better show her the pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys_mum Posted March 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 User error. Ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys_mum Posted March 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 nerds have 2 acronyms for this: pebkac - problem exists between keyboard and chair picnic - problem in chair, not in computer . . . . ** runs away and hides ** I guess I had better show her the pics! Remember this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosemary Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey Posted April 1, 2012 Report Share Posted April 1, 2012 Hi Molly's mum. I'm glad you found my thread about Zeeva's cut paw. She actually nearly ripped off a section of her pad. I know the pictures weren't so great. I didn't do much. Just kept an eye on it, washed it with some Epsom salt and let it be. Didn't wrap it or anything. I was freaking out about it originally but I posted this same question on my GSD forum and 85% of the people suggested not to take her to the vet as it would be a waste of money. If you want some more responses from that thread I can look it up for you no worries Most of them said that they'd experienced it in the passed with their GSDs or other dogs (labs etc) especially those who were working dogs on farms. Zeeva's pad is nearly healed since those pictures were taken. Just make sure it doesn't get infected. Signs of infection include warmness to the touch, puss and/or puffiness. I limited Zeeva's walks to 30 minutes a day rather than 2 45 minute walks. She didn't even notice that it was hurt for the most part. Except on one occasion while playing rough with Smokey, she must have got it caught on some stick or something and it began bleeding again and she cried but she is fine.... I hope my experience helps you decide what to do. Good health vibes to Molly. Bless her. Stay strong and persistent about keeping an eye on it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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