Scuffed, Raw Pawpads

[RachelO]

My young bc, Pete, came home today with two of his front pawpads scuffed up pretty bad. Any suggestions on topical stuff to help them heal, or should I just leave them alone?

 

Thanks!

 

Rachel

[Gideon's girl]

Since your not likely to have Musher's Secret at home, an epsom salt soak then first aid cream and a wrap would be my second choice.

[TEC]

One word: "Tuf N Up" (or is that three words )

 

Here's the website: http://handhillsbordercollies.blogspot.com/

 

It helps heal and works as a preventative. -- TEC

[Sue R]

I don't know what others have done or experienced but when two of my dogs have torn their pads off, I just left them clean and open to the air. Both healed fine but it took a couple of days before they were not so ouchy.

[WildFlower]

I agree with both TEC and Sue... I use Tuff N Up as a preventative but if one of my dogs does tear a pad I just make sure its clean and then leave it be.

[Gideon's girl]

Must be nice to live somewhere where clean and unbandaged is an option.

[RachelO]

Thanks, everyone! Appreciate the advice. I had Musher's Secret, but I think I threw away the old jar when we moved in December, and did not buy a new one. He keeps licking them, so I think I will take Gideon's Girl's advice and soak them in epsom salts. If I put cream on them and wrapped them, I would have to put him in the "Cone of Shame," so I think I will just try to keep them clean. I will look up that "Tuf 'n Up" stuff to use on him in the future.

 

Thanks for the help! Very much appreciated.

 

Rachel

[Old Shuck]

And to think, I was just about to post a similar topic.

 

Over Easter weekend Argo played really hard, ended up skinning both paw pads. I'll definitely be using into that Tuf n' Up.

 

When it happened, I just cleaned up his paws and let him be, on the advice of family that was around (and have owned working dogs). I was wondering though, would it be okay to use products I would use to clean my own cuts and scrapes? Neosporin and the like?

[WildFlower]

Must be nice to live somewhere where clean and unbandaged is an option.

 

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by this?

 

I will clarify, that if I am working a dog and it has a freshly torn pad that I do wrap the injured foot.

[Sue R]

I don't tend to use ointments or creams, antibiotics, etc., where a dog can and will lick them.

 

The two places where dogs tore off sections of pad (and abraded toenails down to the quick) where both locations were they were working or playing hard on pavement that had some sand or grit on it, both dry at the time. But I've also had cut pads here at home, where we deal with mud and manure.

 

When a cut was deeper, I certainly did as Gideon's Girl mentions, in terms of bandaging. I used soft gauze on the inside wrap and vetwrap (the nasty-tasting non-chew is a good idea) on the outside wrap, and even a dog boot when we went outside if the grass was wet or it was raining. That was too keep the bandaging dry so there would not be wet bandage keeping the wound overly moist.

 

But for shallow cuts, scrapes, or torn-off sections of pad, I just was sensible with the dog - avoiding rough areas that would hurt the wound even more (like bristly, stiff grass or gravel or hot concrete/pavement), and let the dog keep the area clean after potty walks. I also tend to be a minimalist when it comes to using antibiotics and bandaging, unless I see it's needed. I am a big believer in letting dogs lick a wound unless that will be counterproductive in a certain situation.

 

And I don't work a dog again until I feel the wound is healed enough to handle the stress without reopening. That happens amazingly quickly generally, and I do take into account the work, the surface, and other considerations before I use the dog.

 

I guess I've been fortunate in not having to use the cone for a wrapped paw but, again, using non-chew vetwrap may help with that. And trying not to laugh at the antics a dog will go through walking with a newly-wrapped paw...

 

You just have to try one or more ways of dealing with it, and see what works for you, your dog, and your situation.

[Gideon's girl]

I was just refering to how wet it is here. We have heavy dew, and the ground is wet until after 10AM. It's a great environment for soil based organisms all year round.

[Sue R]

Yes, I understand and that's why each of us has to modify what we do to our own situation. Lots of warm and wet makes for a very different situation than cold and dry, for instance. It's easy for someone like me to see the world through just my own glasses and not realize the different situations that others face.

 

So, ask advice, sort through it, see what makes sense for your situation (including you and your dog), give it a try - and if that doesn't work, think it over again and try a different approach.

[p4nh4ndle]

How timely. Becka is recuperating a sore paw at the moment too. We are going to try musher's secret and limiting our jaunts to just down the block and back. I believe this one was brought on by overdoing it playing with other dogs. It must be something about spring.