Is human cortisone cream safe for my dog's swollen, licked paw?

I'd cover it so Precious can't scratch it, but I wouldn't use cortisone cream on it. This may be the wrong treatment for the cause and may adversely affect her. Have her seen by a vet for it so it can be treated properly. Best of luck.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sunny may be licking his paw due to trauma or a wound that is painful - dogs can sometimes have pieces of grass or small twigs stuck between the toes. Infections or allergic reactions can also occur on the feet, either to a cleaning agent or certain foods. I recommend having Sunny seen by a vet as soon as possible to determine exactly what is going on, especially because he seems uncomfortable. His vet may recommend topical or oral antibiotics, foot soaks, or a diet change. I hope all is well!

The area is quite swollen and the skin looks angry and irritated. It also looks like Jax has been licking this area. This likely is not caused by waking on gravel since it is on the top part of the paw, so trauma from the dog fight is more likely. If a bite occurred here then this may be an abscess. If the area is warm to the touch and if your pet is bothered by this area and painful when it is touched, then it needs to be seen by your vet for oral antibiotics and likely an anti-inflammatory medication. Benadryl may or may not help her, but can be tried. Hydrocortisone cream is likely not to work either, unless this is an allergic skin reaction. Neosporin can be applied in a very small thin layer and as long as it is not licked off by Jax. However this will only buy you some time to get Jax in to the vet at a later date. I hope Jax gets this resolved soon.

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that VooDoo has a bum foot. Irritation and infection from licking can very well cause swelling and irritation like this, and KetoHex alone probably won't be enough to get the swelling down if he's still able to lick it. I highly recommend that you put an e-collar (also known as a cone) on VooDoo so that he can't get to the paw. I know it's rough on them, but they don't know not to lick, and he'll just wind up making his paw worse and worse. That being said, if the swelling doesn't go down after he hasn't been able to lick it for a while, I suggest re-visiting the vet to see if there could be anything stuck in the skin of his paw, like a tiny thorn. I have seen swelling like this caused by a foreign object in the past, and sometimes they can be very hard to see. The vet may also be able to prescribe some anti-inflammatories that will help with the swelling and pain (do not give anything over-the-counter as they could be dangerous to VooDoo). It is also possible that the swelling is being caused by a tumor, but considering VooDoo's age, I highly doubt that this is the case. Good luck, and I hope that VooDoo's foot feels better soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I’m sorry to hear about Sugar. This could be a number of things including snake bite, bee sting, broken toe/foot, or abscess. I’d recommend seeing your vet as soon as possible for a better diagnosis and the proper treatment. Tonight is ideal. If the swelling continues up the leg or Sugar becomes lethargic, has tremors, or any other worrisome signs, please see an emergency vet immediately. Otherwise, I recommend the following until you can get in tomorrow. Ice- apply an ice pack or frozen veggie bag wrappped in a paper towel or thin cloth. Apply for 5-10 mins every 2-4 hours. This does wonders for both pain and swelling. Epsom salt soak- mix 4 tbsp Epsom salts in 1 cup warm water. Soak his paw in this tonight. This helps with pain, swelling, and if there is something stuck (stinger, thorn, etc). I absolutely do NOT recommend any human pain medications as they are neither safe, nor very effective in animals. They may also interfere with the pain medications that your vet will want to prescribe. Best of luck to you and Sugar!

I would recommend getting this investigated by your vet before trying over the counter options as these may make diagnosis and successful treatment more difficult. There are many possible causes including mites/mange, skin infections, food sensitivities and allergies and the treatment and management of each are all very different. Bathing with an oatmeal shampoo can help to soothe the area in the meantime

Yes, you can use it, but if you think your dog has an infection I would not recommend using it. I would also not recommend using it for more than a week as this cream can cause thinning of the skin which can result in fragile and broken skin.