My puppy cut her dew claw pad. How should I care for it at home?

Poor Paddt! Sometimes these nails need to be removed behind the break. It's hard to give you the best advice without being able to examined the nail. I recommend to have Paddt examined by the veterinarian. He should also be wearing an elizabethan collar at all times to prevent any licking since this could make the nail infected. The area should be kept clean and dry and the exercise should be severely restricted until the nail is healed (no walks, running or jumping). I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello, and thanks for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Poor Harley! Torn toe nails (including dew claws) are common injuries, and thankfully are not medical emergencies so she should be ok until morning. If you can see a nail that appears broken, sometimes soaking in an epsom salt bath for 5-10 minutes twice daily can a bit. You can either soak the affected paw in a little bucket of epsom water, or you can fill the tub 2-3 inches and have her stand in it. However, if any of this causes her stress or she resists it, then I wouldn't push it - she could get more hurt if she's struggling against you. Otherwise, I recommend keeping her on level ground when she needs to go outside, so she's not accidentally bending that nail, and keep her as quiet as possible until she can be seen by your vet. I do NOT recommend giving her anything for pain. None of our human medications are going to be safe or effective, and anything you give her could interfere with a better medication that your vet may want to prescribe. Hope this helps!

Paw pad injuries should heal pretty quickly if they are going to heal at home. You can use sharp scissors and remove that flap of skin (but don't cut super close to the edge of the paw). Most of the time, this flap of skin will be like a cuticle on your finger so it doesn't cause pain to remove it. If it seems painful, don't cut it. After 5 days, the tissue underneath the flap should be looking more like the exterior paw pad. It should be darkening in color and not looking raw. If this is occurring, that's a good sign and Hercules seems to be healing it on his own. You can stop bandaging it. Continue to antibiotics for a full 10 days or until the wound is fully healed. You must prevent all licking and he should wear an elizabethan collar at all times. You must also prevent all trauma so no walks, running or jumping until the paw is fully healed. The paw shoudl be completely healed within 10-14 days from the time of the cut. If the paw still looks raw, has any discharge, pain or swelling at this time, Hercules needs to be examined by the veterinarian as this is abnormal and not expected. If at any point the cut shows any of these symptoms, he should be examined. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Gently clean it with warm water and antiseptic soap. Put an Ecollar on Dj to keep her from licking at it. You can buy one at a pet store or make one at home. Keep an eye on it, and if it gets swollen, warm to the touch, red, or you see pus, then it's infected and he has to see a vet. Best of luck. http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This will likely heal on its own if you are able to keep her from licking at it. You can try using an e-collar to prevent further self trauma. Good luck and have a good night!

Poor Lobo! It looks like this cut is starting to heal, so I would keep an eye on it for now. Keep the area clean and dry, and if you see any signs of infection (redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, and pus), then I would take him into the vet to have it treated. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Ouch! I would keep the paw as clean and dry as possible, and keep Nike from licking at it by placing an Elizabethan (cone) collar on him. Limiting activity so he doesn't keep walking on it and introducing any more debris into the foot is also a good idea. Since it is such a big wound, seeing if you can get into the vet sooner is also a good idea so he can get started on pain meds or antibiotics as needed.