Dog's foot swelled from plastic. Can I wait or go to emergency vet?

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!

Poor pup! Your dog's foot could be swollen from an infection, injury, foreign body, or broken bone. You can try soaking his foot in an Epsom salt bath to see if that helps with the swelling. Rest him tonight, taking him out to toilet on a lead only, and bring him right back in when he's done. Have him seen by a vet in the morning if his foot is still swollen. The vet can diagnose what is causing the swelling so it can be treated.

As they are improving I’d just give it more time. I recommend less walking, more rest. If they are still sore in a week then I recommend a veterinary exam. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your dog.

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!

Hi, I'm Dr. Johnson. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor B. I recommend getting the foot looked at. Yes, the circulation was compromised but the nerves could also have been damaged. My hope is that with time the nerves and vessels will return to normal. If B is holding up the foot it is likely painful. The vet can prescribe pain medications to help him feel better. Good luck!

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A veterinarian will need to see this swelling but I wouldn’t consider it emergent- just when you can get him in. Without seeing the swelling it’s hard to say what it is. A vet will likely put a needle in the swelling to get cells to look at under the microscope. This is called a fine needle aspirate. Knowing what the mass is will help decide the next course of treatment. It could be an abscess (a pocket of puss) and just need drainage and antibiotics, a cyst that could just need to be monitored or something more serious, like cancer, that needs to be surgically removed. The vet that looks at it will be able to discuss your options once the diagnosis is made. Good luck and kisses to Jake!