More Paw Trouble

1089 Views 3 Replies 2 Participants Last post by oldhounddog, Mar 13, 2012

+two

Discussion Starter · Mar 8, 2012

On Sunday night Kaki managed to rip a good chunk of her paw pad off. We have been keeping it clean and wrapping it in sterile nonstick gauze. She has also been wearing a boot.

It seems to have healed and there is no more blood or oozing. She gets around perfectly fine, but the thick 'skin' of the pad is still obviously missing. There are no signs of infection so I don't see a need to take her to the Vet. Of course if this changes she will go.

Any ideas on the best way to treat this? I have dealt with numerous paw pad injuries but never one where the actual tough outer skin is missing. She definitely likes it when the bandages are off, and since it seems to be healing well I am tempted to let it breathe while someone is home to supervise and make sure she doesn't reopen it.

How long does it take for that outer skin layer to regenerate?

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oldhounddog

· #2 · Mar 11, 2012

This is a slow process , and , if you can keep your dog off of rough surfaces this will speed things up. I have had three occurrences of pad injuries with my hounds that were of the more serious type. One injury I thought serious enough for a vet visit and did the usual clean disinfect with anti-bacterial soap and check to see if any sharps were still in the paw and wrap to stop bleeding and made a trip to vet. Vet advised that in most cases with the exception of very deep wounds that the paw would heal on it's own and to restrict the dog's activity for a week and keep clean. I was doubtful when my vet said that he would not advise stitches as they would not stay in. The wound looked deep to me , but , we kept it clean and it healed on it's own.

Best , oldhounddog

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+two

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 12, 2012

Thanks old hound dog. Her pad is looking much better. The skin is starting to toughen up again and she is no longer having to be wrapped and booted for walks. We are still keeping her exercise limited to softer less abrasive surfaces and shortening her walks until it really grows back fully.

I appreciate your input. About how long did it take for the pad to fully regrow?

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oldhounddog

· #4 · Mar 13, 2012

+two said:
About how long did it take for the pad to fully regrow?

Total time was about four to five weeks because it was a deep laceration and healed from the inside out to the pad area. We were lucky in that we had no infection to deal with. Neosporin ointment and frequent dressing changes to keep dog from licking the ointment off for the first few days will speed the healing process up a lot. Gradual reintroduction of exercise on soft surface after the first week or so is key.

Best , oldhounddog

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