My dog's paw is swollen and purple from a wire. How can I help?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely happening because of the nail. This is probably very painful. I recommend you have him evaluated by a veterinarian. They would be able to evaluate the area carefully and probably cut the nail carefully. Pain control medications and medications for inflammation may be used after to help with healing. Best of luck!

This most commonly happens when a string or piece of towel or blanket gets wrapped anound the foot. Please check it carefully to make sure nothing is stuck on it stopping the circulation. Then you can soak the foot in warm water and massage it to increase the circulation which should reduce the swelling. Do this several times a day. Make sure he’s still eating and is kept warm. This sound serious so if this doesn’t help please take him in for treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your puppy.

Continue massaging the foot. It may take some time for swelling to decrease. I would try warm compressing it. Depending how long it was tangled she could potentially slough skin or tissue off her foot. Get her to the vet as soon as you can if there are areas of cold or ulcerated skin, she stops using it or is painful or not using her leg.

It may need to be opened and flushed with sedation by your vet when you get there. In the mean time you can soak it in warm water and see if that helps with the swelling and discharge. If it opens up and drains, don't worry it will be a good thing. You can stop him from licking it also.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I agree with you that Savage's paw does in fact look very swollen. This is likely causing Savage a great deal of pain and discomfort and further evaluation and treatment of this will require veterinary treatment. Your veterinarian would be able to appropriately medicate him for pain control and possibly sedate him so that the paw can be carefully inspected to look for possible reasons that can result in swelling such as a foreign body stuck in the paw. They would be able to proceed with treatment based on findings. Good luck and have a good night!

The swelling will likely go down with some time. You can also massage it to get the blood moving better. I would put a cone collar on her to prevent her from licking if she is still messing with it. If the swelling isn't improving in a few hours, I would have your vet take a look at her to ensure there isn't an infection causing the swelling. I hope this helps!

Vets are still seeing pets for serious issues or medical emergencies, so it is a good idea to contact yours to see if you can get Gabber in for care and started on some antibiotics as needed. Until you can, keeping the wounds clean and dry and trimming back the fur and using an antiseptic such as a chlorhexidine or antiseptic cleaner can help reduce debris in the wound. You will also want to put an Elizabethan (cone) collar on Gabber to keep him from licking his paws to help reduce irritation and inflammation.