My dog's paws are red and raw. What can I put on them until the vet?

Yes, you can do an epsom salt bath for his feet for 5-10 minutes 1-2 times a day and then rinse and VERY gently pat dry. Do not give him any human pain medications or aspirin at home because they are actually toxic to dogs. If Charlie is so uncomfortable that he can sleep or eat, I would recommend taking him to an emergency clinic before Monday. I hope he's feeling better soon!

It looks like he could have an allergic dermatitis and a possibly an infection. You could soak his paws in a warm Epsom salt solution and see if that helps. Otherwise, he should be examined by a vet for treatment. He might need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, and/or a corticosteroid to treat.

You can try a foot soak in an Epsom salt bath. Dissolve 1 cup of Epsom salt in 1 gallon of warm water. Soak for 15-20 minutes. Dry thoroughly afterwards. That may soothe her feet. Restrict activity to just leash walks for elimination and consider booties next time she goes on a long walk.

Try soaking it in some warm water with Epsom salt if he will allow it-- this is easiest to do by putting the water and epsom salt in a plastic bag and putting his paw into the plastic bag. If you can do this for about 10 minutes or so, that may help if he has any debris , sticker, grass seed, etc that is embedded in the skin. If he is licking at it, be sure to put an Ecollar (cone of shame) on him. Dry it with a towel then allow to air dry, then you can use this product on it: If it is not improving within a couple of days, take him in to your vet. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Thank you for posting your question regarding Cody. The pictures are definitely helpful in getting the full picture of what is going on. There is hair loss and the skin is inflamed and reddened in the pictures. If he is biting / licking at his feet and they look like this, he may be dealing with allergies. Does Cody come into contact with grass? If he does, he may have a contact allergy with the type of grass that is growing this time of year. Epsom salt soaks probably won't help a huge amount but they also won't hurt. The soaks may provide some relief while the feet are soaking. The primary problem probably won't be addressed with epsom salt soaks alone. I would suggest administering Benadryl over the counter. You can give 1mg per pound of body weight, so Cody's dose would be approximately 50mg every 12 hours if he is indeed 50lb. There are multiple causes of allergies but if it is isolate to the feet, I think a contact allergen leading to the above mentioned symptoms. Your veterinarian will be able to send you home with better products to relieve the symptoms further such as sprays and oral medications if the benadryl is not working. There are specific anti-itch drugs available now and injections that are quite safe to use. I would also suggest natural supplements such as Omega 3 fish oil (Welactin for canines), Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent is another great natural oil product and a shampoo such as Duoxo PS to bathe Cody twice weekly until the symptoms are gone. Hope this answers your question and if you have any other concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me for further help.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Are you in an area with a lot of snow or very cold? It could be irritation from snow being packed in between the toes. Otherwise a common cause is environmental allergies. They luck enough to cause secondary infections sometimes. I would soak in warm water and Epsom salt baths this weekend. If they look worse or are not improving then he should be evaluated by a veterinarian Monday. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.