My dog keeps licking her injured paws. What can I do to help?

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking.

Poor Luca! I actually recommend to use an Elizabethan collar instead of a sock. The sock will hold in moisture and it will make the area more humid which will encourage more bacterial or yeast growth then allowing it to air out. Keeping these lesions open to the air is much better. Have Luca wear the collar anytime he is not being directly supervised. Wash the paw daily with an antibacterial soap and rinse. You can continue the Epson salt soak every other day (rinse well afterwards). After it is dry, you can apply the spray. Make sure to keep his feet clean and dry. Until he is checked out by the vet on Monday, keep the trauma to the paw minimal so no running, jumping and keep his walks minimum and avoid abrasive surfaces such as overly dry grass and rocks. I hope he starts feeling better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor baby. I would recommend getting him an ecollar cone to keep him from licking, cleaning the area with a moist washcloth, and applying a.teiple antibiotic. I would then give your veterinarian a call tomorrow for an appointment to be checked out. Good luck

Hello! I'm sorry to see that your dog is having some trouble with her foot. It appears to moist and irritated between the toes, and there is also some swelling around the nail beds of two of her nails. I am very concerned that this may be a skin infection, and possibly also a nail bed infection (which can sometimes be tricky to treat because of how deep the nail goes into the toe). I do not recommend continuing the Zymox spray without the advice of a veterinarian, as it contains hydrocortisone (a steroid). Steroids will decrease inflammation, but they also suppress the immune system. I strongly suggest that you bring your dog to visit the vet as he or she may require antibiotics and/or antifungals to treat any potential infection she has. In the meantime, you can try soaking her foot in cool, mildly soapy water, followed by thorough drying. If your dog is licking the foot, I recommend placing an Elizabethan collar (E-collar) on his or her neck to prevent further licking, which can exacerbate inflammation and contamination with bacteria and yeast. At the vet's office, they will perform a physical exam, and most likely they will take a sample of skin cells and discharge from between those toes and around the nail bed for examination under a microscope. This will help them determine what treatment will work best. They may also give your dog some pain relievers or anti-inflammatories so that he or she is more comfortable. Good luck, and I hope that your dog feels better soon!

Poor girl. This looks like a little abrasion. I would just make sure there is no swelling since it it hard to tell from the photo. Look at the other leg for comparison. If there is no swelling present, then you can simply clean this area with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water and then let it air dry and apply some "hot spot" spray from your local pet store. Just ask an associate to help you find it in the store. This should heal well. : ) Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Take care!

It is possible Bailey is having an allergy or soft tissue trauma to the foot. I would recommend an e-collar (cone) to prevent licking. You can do Epson salt soaks 2 times a day and give over the counter anti histamine. However if it is not improving I would recommend taking her to a vet for a closer look. Hope she feels better!

If she is licking at the paw, it most likely is painful. Dogs tend to lick areas in order to sooth the pain. They also do this in an attempt to reduce inflammation, but ultimately it results in the exact opposite. Unfortunately from the picture, I can't get a perfect idea of what's going on and I don't know exactly how / what type of injury occurred. Thus, I don't whether or not you should be seeking medical attention for Coco. Assuming the injury isn't serious, the most important thing you can do is prevent further self-inflicted harm while still allowing the area that is affect to be open and clean. In order to do this, Coco will need to wear a cone. You can obtain one at some pet stores, online, or at a vet office without an appointment. Healing might go faster if you went to the vet to obtain some anti-inflammatory medication, and so he can assess the need to potentially add antibiotics. Be sure to keep the area covered with a plastic bag or sock when Coco is going outside to walk in areas that are dirty. Any open areas on the foot exposed to dirty areas are likely to result in a worsened or delayed healing. Hope this makes sense.