Need help - paw pad chewed open

[Birdie'sMom]

Can anyone tell me what I should do until I can get Birdie to the vet? I just noticed blood on the floor and heard her crying and limping. I checked out her paw and found that she had chewed on one of her pads - the one that doesn't touch the ground when she walks. It's bleeding and very sore and she won't let me touch it. I don't know what to do to keep her from chewing it and making it worse. I also noticed that she chewed the same pad on the aother paw, but it's not bleeding yet. She also has a few red spots on her back legs where she has been licking continuously. Last fall she developed allergies and I thought it was her food, so I changed the food and she got better. This fall when she started biting and licking again I thought it may be seasonal allergies and I have been giving her a benadryl everyday. I guess it's not helping. Any advice? Sorry for rambling!

[moondog]

Is it front or hind paws? You can try putting cotton baby socks on and securing them with a good first aid tape, or vet wrap. If she won't leave the socks alone, you'll have to use an elizabethan collar or a bitenot collar. The bitenot is my preference, but won't work if it's the front paws.

It must be miserable for a dog to have these itchy allergies.

[StephanieandToby]

When Toby jumped into a duck pond and landed on a broken beer bottle here's what I did until we saw the Vet...I cleaned the wound and then put some cotton balls in the toe of a sock.I pulled the sock over the foot and wrapped it with hockey tape...it wasn't bleeding too much...he was good and didn't touch it until the next morning and I took him straight to the Vet.....If she keeps trying to chew it you would probably need an Elizabethan Collar...not much help I know since the odds of you having one at home are probably nil! Perhaps you could spray a bitter remedy near the wound to stop her from chewing??

[moondog]

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Here's an article on wrapping and treating injured paws (I love the title, LOL).

[Birdie'sMom]

Thanks - I'll try the socks and if not - we'll get the collar.

[MontanaRott]

I would talk to your vet about some type of allergy meds as well. The pugs have seasonal allergies, as well as one that is allergic to grass, and we have used Hydroxazine with great success. Benedryl and Chlortabs just were not working anymore, they were scratching themselves bloody and licking their feet raw. We also use prednisone SPARINGLY.

[Judi W]

Also, pay attention to such things as walking where the grass/ground might have been treated with chemicals for weed control or fertilizer. Often it is something like that more than simple grass. This is the time of year when grass is going dormant so that is an unlikely culprit.

[StephanieandToby]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Also, pay attention to such things as walking where the grass/ground might have been treated with chemicals for weed control or fertilizer. Often it is something like that more than simple grass. This is the time of year when grass is going dormant so that is an unlikely culprit.

This is a good point!We live next to a golf course that people sneak onto at night with their dogs...there were problems with the pesticides and the puddle-water the dogs drank!

[Birdie'sMom]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Also, pay attention to such things as walking where the grass/ground might have been treated with chemicals for weed control or fertilizer. Often it is something like that more than simple grass. This is the time of year when grass is going dormant so that is an unlikely culprit.

We just moved into this house in May. The people before us definitely used chemicals, but we have not. She also had these symptoms last Fall at our other house and we didn't use anything there.

[rottiluver]

I always used something like polysporn to speed up the healing process, I kept it wrapped in medical wrap then taped a sock over it so it wouldn't fall off. Plus he'd have two layers to go through which gives me enough time to catch him if he trys to dig at it. He lets me do whatever I want to him now, but before I'd just always give him a large carrott to chew on while I wrapped his paws up, anything to keep him occupied!

[MontanaRott]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Also, pay attention to such things as walking where the grass/ground might have been treated with chemicals for weed control or fertilizer. Often it is something like that more than simple grass. This is the time of year when grass is going dormant so that is an unlikely culprit.

This is very true. This time of year we have to keep all the leaves raked up, as our boy who is allergic to grass, has trouble with the leaves and the mold on the leaves.

[Birdie'sMom]

Originally Posted by MontanaRott

This time of year we have to keep all the leaves raked up, as our boy who is allergic to grass, has trouble with the leaves and the mold on the leaves.

I think the leaves/mold may be Birdie's problem, too. She doesn't have allergy symptoms in the Spring and if it was grass I'd think that would be the worst season for it. She only has these symptoms in the Fall. My vet is closed on Sundays and I called 4 other vets in the area and they are all closed, too. I'm going to take her to the vet tomorrow and get something for her allergies.

[MontanaRott]

Originally Posted by Birdie'sMom

I think the leaves/mold may be Birdie's problem, too. She doesn't have allergy symptoms in the Spring and if it was grass I'd think that would be the worst season for it. She only has these symptoms in the Fall. My vet is closed on Sundays and I called 4 other vets in the area and they are all closed, too. I'm going to take her to the vet tomorrow and get something for her allergies.

Well I hope you can get this pinned down and get her some relief! Good luck and let us know what the tests show. It really is miserable watching them deal with allergies.

[StephanieandToby]

`Here's just a thought... I keep an old ice-cream pail full of water by my back door and if Toby has muddy paws I dunk them in one by one and the dirt just falls off....Do you think this would be helpful for washing your dog's feet if she runs through the leaves or grass? Cleaning off the mould and pollen??? I don't know if this would help...just a thought....

[Birdie'sMom]

Originally Posted by StephanieandToby

`Here's just a thought... I keep an old ice-cream pail full of water by my back door and if Toby has muddy paws I dunk them in one by one and the dirt just falls off....Do you think this would be helpful for washing your dog's feet if she runs through the leaves or grass? Cleaning off the mould and pollen??? I don't know if this would help...just a thought....

It's worth a try. Thanks for the suggestion.