How to treat dog paw sores at home when vet care isn't an option?

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!

Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths twice daily for 5 days. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking (if any). If the wound does not heal in 5 days a check up would be required. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Poor guy. If the areas are relatively superficial, then you can clean them with Betadine/Iodine diluted 50:50 with warm water OR Chlorhexidine solution (2-4% diluted until a robin's egg blue consistency). This will remove any bacteria on the surface. However, since this part of the pet is always touching the ground and getting debris in them, you should consider placing booties (purchased at the local Petco or on Amazon) on Lincoln for 4-7 days until the skin starts to heal back. You may not need to keep these on Lincoln while he is inside the house, but definitely when he goes outside to potty. Alternatively, you can try placing socks or some kind of stocking material on his paws and then wiping them down with the solution when he comes back in. I would not recommend placing anything else over the counter on these areas. The paw pads are normally very forgiving when they just have abrasions on them and not an actual laceration (cut) of the pad, and heal up well in many cases. If the paws are wore down to the point of bleeding or show any signs of infection, then it is best to take him to your veterinarian for additional medication and treatment. I hope that this helps. Best of luck with Lincoln and I hope that his paws heal up well soon! Take care.

You can wrap them, but I almost guarantee that he will rip those wrappings right off! You are better off putting an Elizabethan collar (sometimes referred to as the "cone of shame") on Ollie to keep him away from those spots. There are very nice, soft ones now that are much more comfortable than the old, rigid plastic ones. If the sores have not healed in a week, please take Ollie to the vet and have them checked!

Hello, my name is Dr. Shines and I am happy to help. That lesion could be a few things including an injury- like a scrape or infected puncture wound, or flatten skin mass or something like a resolving boil or ingrown hair. If Odin seems comfortable and the area doesn't appear blister-like, swollen or painful, you can try home care. If it looks like anything I just named, he should go to the veterinarians office between now and Monday. At home there are some things you can do which may help to heal the sore. The first thing you need to do is stop the licking (since this can make it worse). Odin should wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Remember that the collar must come out past his nose in order to be effective. Next, wash the area once a day with either plain hand soap (like Dial) or a medicated pet shampoo. This will help to control the number of topical pathogens as well as remove oil and dead skin cells. Rinse the area well and gently towel dry. Lastly, apply a topical antibiotic twice a day. Just a dab will do and rub it in well. Make sure the skin is dry before application. Neosporin is fine to use. Since it's on Odin's foot, he needs to rest and avoid trauma so only short, controlled walks. Also avoid rough surfaces like dry grass which may cause further irritation. If the spot is not much better in 1 week, if it gets worse at any point or if the lesion is not completely healed within 2 weeks, Odin needs to be examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

This is called pododermatitis. There are interdigital cysts between the toes that can get infected. I recommend soaking the feet in a warm epsoms salt twice daily to draw out the infection. Also use a cone to prevent Opie from licking his feet. If the sores are not drying up and healing then he should get a veterinary exam and mostly likely they will prescribe a course of antibiotics. Feet can take several weeks to fully heal. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Opie.

If pododermatitis is related to an environmental allergy, wiping the feet with a washcloth every time your pet comes in from going outdoors can help limit exposure to allergens. I also sometimes recommend soaking the feet in warm water with some Epsom salts. Many times antibiotics or antifungals are necessary so if Buster's feet are very red or painful or if you notice sores you should see your veterinarian.