My dog's paw cut isn't healing and is swollen. What can I do to help?

At. This point, I would surgically explore that lesion. There may be a foreign body in there, there may be a small mass or tumor inside, but at least it should be surgically debrided. Debriding it will remove all of the dead necrotic tissue. It should be kept clean by doing daily bandage changes and your pet likely needs a different antibiotic. If this was a routine infection that was responsive to Cephalexin, it would be better by now.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If this sore has persisted and does not seem to be getting any better despite your efforts to manage it, I would recommend Ace see his veterinarian soon. Your veterinarian may take a small sample of the area to determine what it is and if it is concerning or not. Treatment will depend on what the diagnosis is. If your veterinarian suspects it is infected, Ace may need to be on antibiotics or other medications as needed. I hope this helps!

I am sorry to hear about Zoey. This could be an small tumor (luckily not all tumors are malignant and aggressive so we can have slower growing tumors as well) , an abscess, or a foreign body. I would recommend bringing Zoey to her vet to have the area examined. She may need to have it removed, explored, or may need an antibiotic if infection is suspected.

Poor Gizmo! That looks really sore. The lesion in the picture could be an abscess, a very large interdigital cyst or a tumor. I would recommend that you have Gizmo seen by your veterinarian. They may recommend a fine needle aspirate of the lesion to get a better idea of what is causing the swelling. Surgery may be required to lance and drain the abscess or remove a mass if present.

Hello! I'm sorry to see that your dog is having some trouble with her foot. It appears to moist and irritated between the toes, and there is also some swelling around the nail beds of two of her nails. I am very concerned that this may be a skin infection, and possibly also a nail bed infection (which can sometimes be tricky to treat because of how deep the nail goes into the toe). I do not recommend continuing the Zymox spray without the advice of a veterinarian, as it contains hydrocortisone (a steroid). Steroids will decrease inflammation, but they also suppress the immune system. I strongly suggest that you bring your dog to visit the vet as he or she may require antibiotics and/or antifungals to treat any potential infection she has. In the meantime, you can try soaking her foot in cool, mildly soapy water, followed by thorough drying. If your dog is licking the foot, I recommend placing an Elizabethan collar (E-collar) on his or her neck to prevent further licking, which can exacerbate inflammation and contamination with bacteria and yeast. At the vet's office, they will perform a physical exam, and most likely they will take a sample of skin cells and discharge from between those toes and around the nail bed for examination under a microscope. This will help them determine what treatment will work best. They may also give your dog some pain relievers or anti-inflammatories so that he or she is more comfortable. Good luck, and I hope that your dog feels better soon!

This presentation could be due to a trauma (possibly presence of a small foreign body) 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. . 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.

These type of injuries are often due to a puncture between the toes. Sometimes the thing that punctures the toes stays under the skin. This commonly happens with thorns and grass awns. In both cases, an infection develops under the skin and will not heal until the source of infection is removed. Lioh's injury does appear to be infected from what I can see in the photos and it will be best to take him to the vet for treatment. For now, you can try doing a twice daily foot bath with Epsom salts to help decrease the swelling and help treat the infection. Just make sure that he doesn't drink the Epsom salt water, or it will make him sick. I hope that helps and Lioh gets better soon.