My dog's paw is red, inflamed, and painful. What can I do at home?

It sounds like Cleo's sore has become infected if it's red and full of puss. She could have injured herself, or could have licked the area raw due to irritation. She will need to see a vet for antibiotics for the infection, there are no home remedies for that, and I would have her seen by a vet in the morning. For tonight, you can soak her paw in an Epson salt bath for five minutes.

Poor Rex! Unfortunately, there are no safe OTC medications you can give him, as many human ones are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given. You can try soaking his paw in an Epsom salt bath to see if that helps with the swelling. If it doesn't, he will need to see a vet on Monday. He may have an infection in his paw or he could have a foreign body causing the swelling. The vet can diagnose what is causing the swelling so Rex can be treated.

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!

Poor Chico! You can try soaking his paw in an Epsom salt bath. That can help with swelling. If his toe is still very swollen in the morning and/or he's still in a lot of pain in the morning, then he needs to see a vet right away. Please do not give him any human pain medications, as many are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given.

Poor Molly. There aren't safe over the counter pain medications for dogs, so your options for tonight are: a) go to an emergency clinic. This isn't necessary for this issue because it's not life threatening, but if she's sufficiently uncomfortable, it's the best option. b) Do a epsom salt bath for 5-10 minutes to see if that helps tonight. Can repeat this in the morning. Call your vet in the morning to have her seen and treated tomorrow I hope that helps and I hope Molly feels better soon! Thanks for using Pet Coach

You can try and bathe his foot in very warm epsom salt solution for ten minutes at a time three times daily, as it may help for a foreign body to come out, if there is one in the paw. You need to check between the toes and pads for a thorn, stone, or any injury. If you can, palpate the toes to check for pain, which would signal either a sprain or fracture. This could also be caused by a snake bite or bite of another animal and now it may be infected. This is about all you can do until you get an appointment with a veterinarian (any vet!). You will need to get help to get him outside and into the car. If this is so bad that your dog is falling, then he should be seen right away by a vet.

It looks a little red and inflamed so it could be an infection. You could soak his paw in a warm Epsom salt solution and see if that helps. Otherwise, have your vet take a look at him as he may need an antibiotic to treat the infection.