Can I Vet Wrap A Swollen Paw?

[Guest KaylyRed]

I think Quin was stung by a bee or wasp. His left rear paw is hugely swollen after his morning walk, and he refused to eat his breakfast (something which is soooo not Quin). I gave him Benadryl in case it is an insect bite and called the vet. He can't get in until 3 p.m., but they seemed to think that with Benadryl he'd be fine until then as long as he's breathing normally and not swelling anywhere else (like his face).

 

My question is...can I vet wrap this swollen paw? Quin is licking it like crazy and already beginning to get a hot spot as a result. I'm also afraid that he'll spread whatever insect venom is in his foot by licking it, just making the problem worse. I don't have a collar or anything that I can put on him to prevent licking, but the vet wrap usually keeps him away from sores. Will wrapping the paw, if it is an insect bite, cause any problems?

[Guest meakah]

I would be very careful wrapping a swollen paw....especially one that may be continually swelling. And if it is that swollen it is likely very hot and wrapping it will keep some of that heat in there. I personally would recommend icing it.....hold ice packs on the foot and try to relieve the heat/swelling. This may relieve some of the pain and then your pup may not fuss with it so much. Have you looked over the paw very carefully to make sure there is no foreign bodies? Or dislocated/broken toe, etc? Can you see where the actual sting is? If you do choose to cover it I would maybe try a sock first before wrapping it with vet wrap. But if you do use vet wrap, just don't do it too tightly and keep a very close eye on the swelling. Hope things improve quickly!

[Burpdog]

I would not. Can you soak it or ice it down?

[Jiffer]

No, don't wrap it. You could increase the swelling if you.

 

As Burpdog said.. ice or soak it.

 

If you are worried about him licking it, put shorts/tee-shirt on him to cover it up.

[Stoney]

Baby/toddler socks - tape 'loosely' above the swelling.

[Guest crazy4greys]

Can you use a muzzle with poop cup? He won't be able to lick it then.

[Guest KaylyRed]

Thanks, all. The sock idea worked. He's leaving it alone for now.

 

Ice and Benadryl don't seem to be helping. I'm now not so sure it's a bite. We'll see when he gets to the vet at 3.

[Guest Tigonie]

Any update?

[Guest KaylyRed]

Turns out the swollen paw was not an insect bite but a puncture wound that abscessed. Quin gave us NO indication that he was hurting at all until this morning when he wouldn't eat and his paw was swollen. In fact, when I inspected his paw I thought "insect bite" because it was red and very swollen but completely clean--I couldn't find a wound. I iced the paw to reduce the swelling, gave him Benadryl, and put a sock over it secured with vet wrap.

 

When we got to the vet Quin was as chipper as could be, greeting everyone. But once we got into an exam room I took off his bandage and that's when I saw that there was bloody puss between his toes. I waited for the vet, but by this time I knew it wasn't a bee sting, and that it had to be an older wound. Sure enough, the wound had abscessed and burst. It was pretty nasty.

 

What irritated me, though, was the vet's reaction. She kept being rather passive-aggressive, seeming to blame me for not seeking more immediate vet care. She said things like, "This didn't happen TODAY; regardless of when you noticed it." And when Quin wailed up a storm (an Academy Award performance if there ever was one) when she cleaned the wound she commented, "My goodness! And all this time you kept quiet? I'm impressed by your intermittent stoicism!" I felt bad enough that we hadn't caught Quin's injury sooner without her snarky, disbelieving comments. Trust me, if I'd known my boy was hurt sooner than I did he would've gone straight in to see the vet!

 

The good news is that this is not my regular vet--he wasn't available today. But in the future I'll insist that I not see the vet we saw today. *grumble*

 

So, the big guy is on antibiotics and I have to keep his paw wrapped to keep him from licking it. If things don't seem to be improving in a week he may have to have surgical exploration to make sure there's no foreign body embedded in his paw (although the vet doesn't suspect there is).

[iluvgreys]

Glad you got to the bottom of his problem. Greys can be unbelievably stoic... as well as drama queens. Sorry the vet gave you a hard time. Guess they do see some ugly cases of neglect and might have a tendency to be suspicious. Lots of wishes being sent to Quin, as well as hugs for you.