My dog is limping after a run with a red paw. What should I do?

Yes, purchase some bandages so you can protect Lily's paw. Rest her. No running, jumping, or playing. Take her out to potty on a leash, and bring her right back in when she's done. Do not give her any human pain medications, as many are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given. If she is still limping in another 48 hours, have her seen by a vet.

Please don't give any over-the-counter pain medications; they can be toxic to dogs at even low doses and giving them will confound your vet's ability to treat the pain with appropriate medications. The reality is that most of these nail injuries end up getting infected, and even if there's no infection they are exquisitely painful. You can compare it to losing your fingernail completely, but then having to walk on the uncovered cuticle. Patch likely needs to have the area numbed and the remaining nail pulled, then have a very soft/cushioning bandage placed, followed by antibiotics and pain medication. Please take him in to see his vet as soon as you can for this.

Poor Layla! If she is still limping I would make an appointment to have her seen by your vet. She may have injured her nail(s) as you described, or she may even have some soft tissue swelling/ irritation or a fracture. If there is a stick/ splinter/ other foreign object in her paw the vet can help remove it and treat it to help prevent infection. Pain medications meant for humans can be very dangerous (and even deadly) for dogs, so I do not recommend giving any to Layla without consulting with your vet. I recommend keeping her in a crate or in a room where she can't run/ jump on anything and only taking her out for very short bathroom breaks until she is no longer limping. Make sure she's on a leash so she can't run and make things worse.

Poor Chubby!! With her symptoms coming on so suddenly, it is likely that she stepped on something that has injured her foot. It could be a very mild cut (those can still be quite painful!) or a more serious injury like a small stick still embedded in her foot - and a myriad of other injuries. When these injuries happen, dogs show exactly the signs you are seeing. Compare her injured foot to the other one - if it is swollen I highly recommend you see your veterinarian within the next day or so. If safely possible, try to distract her from her injured foot with a very tasty treat and see if you can look closer to see what is going on. Small shallow cuts, although painful, can heal on their own, you may see a thorn you can remove (but only if Chubby will let you!!). If Chubby just won’t let you look, as long as there is no swelling, watch her for another day to see if she is improving. If she is not getting better in 1-2 days, or if her paw starts to swell or smell bad, definitely seek help from your vet!! Meanwhile, don’t give her any human medication for pain as these drugs can hurt her. I hope Chubby starts to feel better soon. If you decide to take her to your vet, they may decide to sedate her to be able to thoroughly examine her foot and then decide the best course of action. While she is limping, you should try and keep her activity low by leash walking for potty breaks and keeping her in the house otherwise. Good luck!! Thank you for using Pet Coach!

Ouch, poor Oakley! Gently wash his paw with warm water and antiseptic soap. Bandage it and put a sock over his foot to keep the bandage clean and dry. Change the bandage daily and keep an eye out for signs of infection. They include redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, and pus. If you see any of those signs, take him into the vet for antibiotics. He's limping because he is in pain, so rest him for now. No running, jumping, or playing. Take him out to toilet on leash only, and bring him right back in when he's done. Please do not give him any human pain medication. Many are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Hi, I think the old nail should be removed. It would also be great if we could prevent Marley from licking the area as this can cause inflammation and infection. I know this is tricky given Marley’s breed ! Another thing you could do is bathe Marley’s paw in diluted Chlorexidine twice a day, dilution is normally 1:10 (i.e. one part of chlorexidine to 10 of water ) but even to make a very diluted pink solution will do and dry up with a clean cotton cloth afterwards. Hope this helps !

I recommend booking an appointment with a veterinarian to have Lexie’s nail evaluated, as it is likely causing her pain, as indicated by the limping. Pain medications meant for humans can be very dangerous (and even deadly) for dogs, so I do not recommend giving any to your pup without consulting with your vet. Your veterinarian can prescribe safe medication to help with the pain, and can clean and treat the injury to help reduce the risk of infection. In the meantime, I recommend putting an e-collar (cone) on Lexie to help prevent her from licking her paw an reduce the risk of infection. I hope Lexie feels better soon!