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My dog's paw is red, swollen, and painful after getting muddy.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 6 years and 9 months old | 85 lbs

My dog broke off of her runner lead yesterday. She ran off for about ten minutes and came home really muddy all over her body and I noticed her licking her feet. A lot. I took a closer look and noticed her front paw is really red and swollen. It's like twice the normal size compared to her other paws. I tried to take a look in between her toes and she yelped and even snapped at me a little. I understand her pain must be excruciating based on her reaction. She is not aggressive toward me,

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Makenzie Kurth, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 29th, 2018

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!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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