My dog has a hole near her claw after squeezing. What should I do?

It is possible the ingrown hairs caused a cyst or abscess to form which then drained/ruptured leaving a hole. If she is licking the paw, place an e-collar (cone) on her. Keep the paw as clean and dry as you can. Foot soaks in Epsom salt or diluted chlorhexidine may help with inflammation or infection. Monitor for redness, discharge, lameness or lethargy. If it does begin to improve in a day or so, have her examined by your veterinarian.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching (if any). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

I would not be worried about it. Sometimes the wound will look worse before it gets better. It is good the holes are larger, it allows the infection to go out. You are doing a good job. Just keep treating it like you have been.

Infection is the biggest concern with these wounds and it's best to have a vet evaluate it to make sure it doesn't need further treatment. It's definitely good to flush it with warm water. Dogs tend to hate their feet being touched and water being sprayed on them, so I understand it will be difficult to hold her still for this. This is usually a two-person job, so if you can have someone help you hold her, then this would be best. Below is a link to a good tutorial about how to restrain her properly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y6CfUKwlQE After flushing the wound, it's best to apply an antibacterial cream to the wound and bandage it. In order to keep the wound clean, it's best to flush the wound 1-2 times a day and gently wipe away any big crusts - make sure not to scrub the wound, because this can make it worse. Apply the antibacterial cream after each flushing. If the flushing is too difficult, the you can alternatively try doing a foot bath with epsom salts for 15 minutes once a day. If the wound starts to swell or have pus oozing from it, then I'd recommend she goes to the vet for treatment. Otherwise, the wound should heal fine over the next 2-3 weeks. I hope that helps and Boca gets better soon.

There is unlikely to be a tick in the wound but it may have started as a tick bite or spider bite or something else that cause the wound. They can get inflamed and infected and lead to drainage and not healing well. clean the area with warm soap and water and apply neosporin. If it does not improve with 48 hours then i would have a vet check it

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks as though something may have punctured the skin and caused an infection. This looks like it could be an abscess / isolated infection. For the epsom salt soak, I generally recommend ~1/2 cup of epsom salt added to 1 gallon of warm water. It is ok if he licks the foot after the soak as the epsom salt is not toxic. I would recommend using a plastic cone to prevent him from licking at the area. If he continues to lick the area, the wound will likely not resolve. If this does not resolve or it worsens, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Rocky so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It may need to be opened and flushed with sedation by your vet when you get there. In the mean time you can soak it in warm water and see if that helps with the swelling and discharge. If it opens up and drains, don't worry it will be a good thing. You can stop him from licking it also.