Ahhhhhh! Foot Help Please!

[Guest Chiad]

So, first I must ask you to bear with me, among other things that have happened today, the broken finger is fairly minor, but it is interfering with my typing. I'm trying to catch any errors, but some may slip through.

 

Now on to the real problem:

 

My grey was spooked (mmm... more like absolutely terrified) by a car backfire this morning and managed to rip his leash off my arm and take off. In the middle of a small hamlet that is a suburb (okay, "small community near" rather than a suburb) of our city. In the middle of the woods, in an absolute warren of paved and dirt roads.

Cue panicked searching and forty-five minutes of being certain I was going to find him dead in a ditch somewhere.

But I found him! Tired and sore and about ten kilometers from where he took off. And alive! Whew.

 

With about 75% of his pads worn raw and apparently bleeding for the last few yards of his run although they are not bleeding now. Eeeeep! Vet says it's not an emergency and can wait until Monday unless I can pay a $150 emerg fee. Which unfortunately isn't really an option. I can handle a vet visit costs, but that fee on top just isn't in the list of options. The vet said to wash them off gently and keep them clean, but is there anything else I can do?! He is otherwise okay. His vital stats are all fine, it doesn't seem like he's overheated or anything of the sort and there don't appear to be any other injuries on him.

 

 

How long do pads take to heal? Should I bandage them when they're clean? If so, with what?

 

And if no one needs me, I'm going to go sit in the corner and shake for a while. That was one of the worst hours of my life!

[iluvgreys]

OMG! How horrifying. So glad to hear that you found your pupper, and he's relatively uninjured. Very fortunate. His angels were busy. Don't have first hand experience with foot injuries, but you could probably soak them in warm water with Epsom salts, and then put on an antibiotic ointment and bandage gently with gauze, then a bit of vet wrap to keep everything in place. Might want to put on baby socks when he need to go outside to potty. Prayers for quick healing.

[Guest 2Brindles]

When my boy Ronan was recovered last summer, he had also worn down his paw pads and one was missing its black "cover" Anyway, what I was told to do was to put Neosporin on the wound until it started to re-grow the outer covering. A word to the wise - your dog will probably lick or try to lick the ointment off, so putting a bootie or an old sock to cover might be an option. Leash him to go potty for a few days as this will prevent him from running or doing things that will exacerbate his injury. I hope this helps!

 

[CaliforniaGreys]

Another vote for soaking in warm water and epsom salt which is very healing and soothing as well. I'm not sure about a wrap unless he has to go outside. And thank God you found him safe. Good luck....now calm down and take a breath!!

[Guest Chiad]

Nipped out to a friend's to get the finger splinted, picked up some baby booties, got home to try them out on him ('cause sooner or later he's gonna need to go potty) and... waaaaaaaaaay too small! I've got a bag of random fabric scraps though that I'm going to run through the wash and try some of them as wraps for his feet. I think they'll be able to provide more padding than just a sock, and it should be easier to keep a gauze pad with some antibiotic ointment in place with a wrap.

 

Thank goodness it's not forecast to rain for a few days! I think plastic bags would be a little too much insult to add to the "injury" of foot wraps right now.

Edited May 25, 2008 by Chiad

[Burpdog]

How is he doing?

 

Infant socks and neosporin or bag balm, overnight, really help

[RobinM]

Thank GOD he is OK. Lucky, lucky dog.

 

Hope he heals quickly without any problems.

[Guest MorganKonaAlex]

My Demon spooked and ran off all this pads once too. We soaked his feet and then applied EMT gel. We socked him. Twice a day we took off the socks and soaked his feet for a few minutes. I was surprised how quickly they healed. The first day or two, we had to carry him in and out though.

[SAVED2]

Bagbalm and leash only.

[Guest Rexation]

DO NOT soak in Epson salt if the pads are torn off and flesh is exposed. That is extremely painful for the animal and you will further traumatize your dog.

 

Go to the vet and purchase the antibiotic solution they use they for sterilization pre surgery it does not sting. They will have something to use diluted with water as a soak or a gel to spread on the affected area. Soak the paws as directed on the container to prevent infection. Use NON STICK gauze and wrap to prevent dirt and infection when your dog is walking outside. If the pad skin is torn off but still attached try not to cut it off but put it back in its place then non-stick gauze and wrap it up. Don’t let the dog lick the paws, booties are awesome. You do not have to change the dressing frequently unless there is a lot of discharge (once a day or every other day will be ok). It will be at least a week to two weeks for the pads to heal over and they will be tender for another two to four weeks. Be prepared to carry your pooch home if he walks too far and his feet hurt. You do not need to see the vet unless the discharge turns yellow/pussy, but it won’t if you keep it cleaned as described. Pain medication is helpful.

 

I was in your situation except my pooch 500 yards ran on concrete and tore the skin off his pads. It was the scariest experience of my life; I am with you on that. But, it’s going to be OK. It looks worst than it is and dogs have an amazing ability to heal.

 

[patricia]

Another vote for soaking in warm water and epsom salt which is very healing and soothing as well. I'm not sure about a wrap unless he has to go outside. And thank God you found him safe. Good luck....now calm down and take a breath!!

I agree!

[Guest Chiad]

Thanks everyone!

 

We're at day 1.5 and the pads are looking a bit better. He didn't want to eat last night or this morning, but he did eat tonight, and finally was able to stand on his feet long enough to have a bowel movement this evening (although it's possible that handful of cat food I slipped my allergic-to-grain greyhound may have helped.) He was reaaaaaaaaaly sore this morning, but doing a little better tonight and most of the pads are dry now which should make bandage changes a little less stressful for all involved.

 

Thanks for the suggestions and goodwill all!

[Guest rubysdad]

We had to keep socks on our grey even when she is in the house. She was catching the scabs on the carpet.