cut on dogs paw beginning to smell :(

oranbhoy67

Hi guys id really appreciate any help here

What happened is thursday evening i had my 6 month old lab out for his evening walk.. took him home & i noticed blood on the floor,,checked his paw & there was an L shaped cut on one of his pads that was bleeding a good bit...

so washed it immediatly then wrapped it up in a bandage & with 2 socks as well to try give extra protection..i have been changing it every day but tonight i noticed theres a bad smell starting to come from it when i changed it.. its slight but it is noticeable..


Anyway i would take him to the vet immediatly as off course im worried that its now infected but i dont have a cent till wednesday as im currently unemployed & not only would i need the cash for the fee but id need a taxi too as the vet is miles out of town (letterkenny) im just wondering in the meantime is there anything i can do to try & clean it or get rid of the smell in any way..

My dog is fine except of course from limping a bit but is still as energetic as ever id say just a bit bored from me not taking him on our usual walks & ball games outside due to me trying to let him rest..


Any help would be greatly appreciated !

scudzilla

Sounds like it could be infected, wash it with warm water (add some TCP if you have it), clean with antiseptic wipes, put some germaline on it and cover with a clean sock.

Do this twice a day, cleaning the wound each time, should be fine till ya get him to the vets

Cherry Blossom

Dissolve some Epsom salts in hot water and let it cool enough that you can comfortably keep your hand in it. It might be a struggle to do it but try and get him to stand in it for 10 mins, this will help draw out the infection. You need to keep it perfectly clean and repeat 3 times a day. You really do need to get yourself to a vet though, is there no-one who can give you a lift tomorrow? It might need to be stitched or properly drained.

<ETA> you shouldn't really put cream on it or any sort of dressing that seals it up, as you'll be sealing the infection in.

I've never done this with a dog but have dealt with loads of stone bruises in horses.

Aishae

Hi , if it smells then it's quite possibly infected. But.. You could ring the vet and explain the situation as they may well agree to be paid Wednesday but treat your dog now.
Thats assuming you could scrape together a taxi fare or ask a mate to give you a lift (could pay him for petrol later in the week)

I really don't know about keeping it clean once the infection is there.

CJhaughey

Hydrogen peroxide in dilute form is great for cleaning cuts and abrasions.
A small bottle will cost very little from a chemist

Delancey

OP - I don't wish to scare you or be overly dramatic but a pad injury has the potential to have a crippling effect on an animal.
Make an all out effort to get to the vet tomorrow - try and borrow money from family if required.

Good luck !

audi a4 2008

hi op,my little boy samson got a cut on his paw and quite nasty.i would advise u to go to vet first thing to get them to stitch it and ask is it ok to pay later.samson got 6 stiches total cost was 80euro which was for stiches/tablets/headmask so he wouldent bite at stiches.its been 3 weeks and his only get back to top form now.best of luck with it i hope it all works out for u.

oranbhoy67

thanks a lot everyone for there help .. i have cash on the way too me this week from home (birthday money ) which was posted from the UK thursday so im hoping it will arrive tommorow... if so ill be thru straight to the vet when it does.. & thanks goes to adrenaline junkie who PMd me with a number for a local vet which i am going to use... i am a first time dog owner but after only 6 months im attached in a big way already but still only learning as i go.... i will keep you all informed on how "keano" gets on & hopefully he will soon be recovered !!

meoklmrk91

Hi OP

Stuff like this always happens when you don't have the money to go to vet. I know how it feels, the guilt of it all. It's tough for anyone on the dole to try and pay vets bills but they sadly always arise.

I know you were asking for solutions keeping it clean but here's a few suggestions to help you to make sure there is always a few bob in the kitty for when this arises. As a pet owner it is always important to plan ahead. It will save you a lot of worry should something happen.

Put away some money every week, even if it's just a fiver in the doggy fund. Let it build up, put it into a separate account if you have to, so you will be less tempted to go near it. And then should something arise you will have the cost or atleast something towards it, that way you won't have to spend the next week eating beans on toast because you had to take the dog to the vet.

I have been told by someone who has a dog, although not sure how true it is that if you are on the dole and you have a dog you can claim an extra €20 a week to go towards the care of the dog. Apparently all you have to do is present your dog license. Like I said I was only told this by someone who claims the dole and has a dog so I can't for sure say it's true but its something you could look into. And extra few bob to throw in the doggy fund.

And finally look into pet insurance. It's usually around €100 to €200 for the year but it could really save you a bundle if something bad happened and the dig needed an op as the costs can run into the thousand and most people working wouldn't be able to afford that never mind someone on the dole. Just something to think about as it could give you great peace of mind.

Anyways best of luck with your dog, hope all works out well.

Delancey

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

Hi OP

I have been told by someone who has a dog, although not sure how true it is that if you are on the dole and you have a dog you can claim an extra €20 a week to go towards the care of the dog. Apparently all you have to do is present your dog license. Like I said I was only told this by someone who claims the dole and has a dog so I can't for sure say it's true but its something you could look into. And extra few bob to throw in the doggy fund.

Alas an urban myth that somehow refuses to die , there is absolutely no Social Welfare payment related to pet ownership.

It is possible that the extra 20 euro per week referred to is the Winter Fuel Allowance and perhaps in some cases pet owners put this toward pet care ?

meoklmrk91

Delancey wrote: »

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

Hi OP

I have been told by someone who has a dog, although not sure how true it is that if you are on the dole and you have a dog you can claim an extra €20 a week to go towards the care of the dog. Apparently all you have to do is present your dog license. Like I said I was only told this by someone who claims the dole and has a dog so I can't for sure say it's true but its something you could look into. And extra few bob to throw in the doggy fund.

Alas an urban myth that somehow refuses to die , there is absolutely no Social Welfare payment related to pet ownership.

It is possible that the extra 20 euro per week referred to is the Winter Fuel Allowance and perhaps in some cases pet owners put this toward pet care ?

Like I said in my post I was not sure if it was true. Heard it from a girl who says she gets €20 a week because she is on the dole an had a dog. I was sceptical about it but she swore up and down, but with social welfare payments I wouldnt believe what anyone says because everyone has a different story. Also this girl lives with her parents so dont think she would be entitled to FA so don't think she could mistake the two. She was very ademant about this!

kylith

I'm on the dole and no form I've had to fill out asks about pets.

The Sweeper

In terms of general first aid for pets:

Hydrogen peroxide solution (you buy it already diluted and don't need to dilute it further, 3% is the strength for cleaning wounds) is useful for cleaning injuries. Its usefulness is based on the fact that it doesn't sting. Rubbing alcohol will sting - and it's best if you don't hurt an already injured animal.

Superficial cuts, grazes and wounds can benefit from cleaning with hydrogen peroxide 3% or saline. Saline is also a dilute solution - you need the sterile stuff from the chemist, or you can make your own by adding one level teaspoon of non-iodised salt (nothing with anti-caking agents or added iodine) to a pint of boiled water that's come off the boil, and allow to cool. Sterility is important - so scald out a bowl or dish before adding the salt and water to it, allow it to cool, use once and discard.

You can use the saline solution to irrigate a deeper wound if you really and truly cannot get to the vet, but I wouldn't use hydrogen peroxide to irrigate a deeper wound because of the potential for it to damage already damaged tissue.

An infected wound as you describe would be best cleaned by immersion in a bowl of warm saline - make sure it's not too hot. The warmth will help to break down any crusting or caking and may help penetrate to the infection - but this process will be painful, not because of any stinging but because an infected wound will hurt.

You can use an antiseptic cream on your pet, but you need to be careful about what cream you choose. Do not use tea tree.

Nappy rash creams like Bepanthen or any zinc based cream like Sudocreme are safe for topical use on minor wounds on your pet. Again if it's a deep wound, do not apply cream directly to the wound. If your pet has a deeper wound and you genuinely, honestly, no option, cannot get to the vet, clean the wound with saline, apply a thin layer of zinc-based cream to a gauze pad and bandage the wound by placing the creamed side of the pad against the wound and bandaging firmly. Do not bandage tightly enough to limit circulation - you can do a lot of damage by accidentally applying a tourniquet instead of a bandage!!

Bathe three times a day and rebandage with clean pads.

Your first port of call should ALWAYS be the vet - mainly because you cannot get antibiotics for your pet without prescription, and your pet should always have an antibiotic when they get a serious flesh wound or a wound on a 'high traffic' area (e.g. weight bearing pad of foot) to help fight infection.

Don't use strong antiseptics on your pet, especially not on deep wounds - so no dettol, don't use TCP, Pine-o-clean, nothing like that, no matter how dilute. Steer away from creams like Savlon and Germolene in favour of neutral PH creams like nappy rash cream or zinc based creams.

If for whatever reason you cannot get to a vet, I'd rather see you do limited first aid using saline and a zinc cream for two days before heading to the vet so you don't arrive with a seriously infected wound, but never try to use stronger substances to clean wounds as an alternative to a vet visit. You'll do more harm than good.

Be even more careful with cats than with dogs - cats will try to lick off anything administered to them, and they have a poor ability to eliminate toxins once ingested.

JustAThought

CJhaughey wrote: »

Hydrogen peroxide in dilute form is great for cleaning cuts and abrasions.
A small bottle will cost very little from a chemist

Please Don't use this on your dog; itcould really do a huge amount of damage. Human products are at much higher concentrates and ingredients than those used for dogs. I used dettol at what I thought then was a low concentrate and really hurt mine; this has the potential to be a disaster.
Ring your vet and ask to pay in stages/ later; and phone a friend and get a lift. It's an emergency.

ppink

Sweeper why not tea tree?

The Sweeper

Essential oils are really abused ppink. Plenty of people dab neat essential oils on a spot or graze and think nothing of it, yet someone who's studied their use will tell you they're not designed to ever be used neat. You can use an oil 100 times and have no reaction, but the 101st time you can have a reaction that basically comes up like a chemical burn.

Animals have less ability to process these things than humans - especially cats. Their livers just aren't designed to rid themselves of toxins. Tea tree oil is toxic to cats.

TooManyDogs

ppink wrote: »

Sweeper why not tea tree?

As far as I'm aware lavendar oil is the only oil that can be applied directly to a body, the rest have to be diluted in some form.


I've used a magnesuim poltice on a cut on my dog (and myself!) and it works great, available at chemists

ppink

thats amazing about those oils. i never really thought about it.
my previous vet used to give me tea tree jelly to put on the dogs wounds but he never said anything about putting it on neat.
I use sudocrem now for our guys.

carleigh

There is an antiseptic cream you can get for cats and dogs from the vet (and some chemists) called Dermo-Salve, and its only €5 in our local vets. It can be used for a variety of things, to clear infections etc. I've used it on my Cocker in the past and its great. Hope your dog gets better soon