My puppy keeps licking her paw. Is it infected or injured?

What a brave girl! Pads sometimes do get abrasions or blisters from running on rocky, hot, or uneven surfaces. It looks like they are doing ok right now, but you do need to keep an eye on them. Put an Collar (cone of shame) on her so that she cannot lick them, and If she becomes more bothered by them, if she's favoring them heavily ("walking on eggshells), or if she starts to seem lethargic or isn't eating, get her in. All of those could be signs of infection. In the meantime, clean them daily with dilute betadine (available at any pharmacy) -- use a small bowl (1-2 cups or so) of water, and add enough betadine so that it looks like tea. If she will tolerate keeping her foot in that for a minute or so, great. If not, just use a gauze pad or cotton ball to clean the wound off with the butadiene solution. Leave them UNBANDAGED at this time, so that you can monitor them closely, and so that moisture doesn't get trapped which could increase the likelihood of infection developing. While I do think they should not be bandaged, DO use booties if you are going to be going for a long walk, etc--ideally, though, avoid exercise on rough, rocky, uneven surfaces until its healed. Take the booties off when she comes inside. (something like this I hope thats helpful for you! Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Poor girl. You should try to dry this area well with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water first. And then you can try a hot spot spray from your local pet store. If this is just one area, then there was likely some kind of trauma to the skin. If there is no improvement with the area within 48 hrs or so, then it is best to get her seen for stronger medications/antibiotics. I hope that this helps and best wishes with Shiva's wound. Take care!

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.

This could be due to an infection and possibly a foreign body reaction. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. 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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for the picture! Due to the red fur staining it is evident that Babi is licking the toe. It is also pretty swollen. The first step is to prevent the licking by using an Elizabethan collar (cone) or donut. I do think it would heal faster if you saw a Vet. There is likely a bacterial and or yeast infection of the nail bed. Having oral antibiotics and antifungals and something to stop the desire to lick will speed this process up for you both. I hope this helps and I wish Babi a speedy recovery!

This does look a bit infected and the swelling and redness support this. I suggst you keep her from licking her foot (put an e-collar on her) and pay your veterinarian a visit for an exam and wound care.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From your pictures the affected area you are concerned about looks similar to a small lick granuloma (sore from licking). As this is not an emergency it is ok to wait for your vet to look at this. If it looks as if it is swelling or discharging I would get him in sooner. If you want to keep the are clean, you can use saline to gently cleanse the area. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation if needed.