# ripped pads!



## kendallj (Apr 22, 2007)

yesterday I let my dog off leash in a fenced area that was paved. She of course took off and played around with my friends dog. Then we noticed blood on the ground... I thought one of them might have bit their tongues (my dog and my borthers dog does it all the time while aggrassively playing with each other) so we thought nothing of it... then it got worse so I called her over and saw that it was coming from her feet. I picked up a paw and saw that she have a small (a little smaller than dime sized) circular tear in her pad. So I called the vet and they asked me a ton of questions and decided that there was nothing they themselves could do other than clean it and wrap it because stitches wouldn't work on a circular cut like she had. It was shallow and maybe 1-2 mm deep but enough to bleed like a mad man! After I cleaned her up and got her bandaged she was still bleeding! I checked her other paws and she had the same circular tear on the other front paw... so I wrapped that one up too. So she has been running around the past two days with hot pink feet. It's kinda cute! I put bitter apple on the bandages to keep her from bitting at them and that helps. But my question is how long does it typically take a dog to grow back pad tissue? i am trying to keep her off of it as much as I can I play fetch with her on the carpet to excert energy and give her a little exercise but other than that she just lays around... I'm hoping that will help it grow back faster... or should I encourage a lot of activity to stimulate the growth? I dunno.. .she doesn't appear to be in any pain other than limping... thanks in advance!!!


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## adavis13 (Jun 8, 2007)

My dog's pad do the same thing anytime she runs for a long time. It hasn't happened lately so I don't remember how long it lasts or if it helped to keep off of it. But that was smart thinking about the bad taste on the bandage. We never could keep Bailey from ripping off the bandage so we just reapplied the bandage everytime it would come off. I don't think it took longer than a few weeks to heel, but I don't know for sure and I think every dog is a little different. Sorry if I wasn't any help, but know you're not alone. 
-Ali


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

Very rarely can you stitch a pad. Only if the cut is at the skin can they help, and thats even rare. 
Let the vet clean out the wound. They also put on a vet wrap on the paw. To keep the paw dry- I use to use thick plastic- wrap with vet wrap to go outside- and avoid wet areas. The vet will have a topical to put on the pad as it heals to keep out infection- and ask when you can use like neosporan ( depending on how deep it is) on the wound. 
Paw wounds are rough. Pressure makes them split open again, so walking on a leash and quiet in the house is necessary. Keeping the wound clean will help the paw heal faster, and of course- dry..


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## Alpha (Aug 24, 2006)

I took care of Roxy's injury myself. Hers was pretty bad, a deep gash/slice on the tip of a toe. I took her to the vet's knowing that she could't do anything, but wanted her to get the shot of long acting penicillin to fend off infection. 

It happened three weeks ago today. The vet told me it would be months. She hasn't been bandaged or bleeding for over a week now.

The first four to six days were H*LL though. Constant supervision, keeping her quiet, constantly rebandaging, applying cream and keeping her from licking or bothering with the bandages.

With all that being said six days compared to how fast it's healed, I'd do it again. Now it's almost completely closed up, and my vet said it's literally a miracle. She's never seen a pad so deeply gashed heal so fast.

I attribute it to the constant care for the first few days, and yes it bled an awful lot, I was changing the bandaging every few hours, sometimes more if she happened to move during that hour and more blood pumped out. And also the polysporin and Fucidin cream I applied. I never really soaked it, just quickly held it in a pot of warm water to keep it clean than towel dried thoroughly.

You don't want the wound to be wet at ALL, it has to dry out before it can heal. Roxy's cut did NOT scab, I think because it was bandaged for almost a week it gave the flesh a lot of time to start coming in.

I would call your vet and ask just to give her a shot of long acting penicillin, but continue to wrap it, keep it dry and clean and if you can pick up some polysporin and Fucidin cream. The Fucidin is to be used sparingly.

Vet wrap came in awful handy in the last few days, but for the first few I also put a sock overtop of the vet wrap, pulling it up tightly and putting a piece of tape up around her hock. If it's the front legs, I can't help you out there, other than using the elbow for the tape. Mainly you want to find a part of the leg that is thicker in ONE spot. Tape there so it will hold the sock up.

Hope it all made sense and she gets better quickly


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## kendallj (Apr 22, 2007)

her tears remind me of really thick blisters that popped and the skins hanging off (of which the vet said with the size it was to just cut them off... I did... she felt nothing cuz it was dead skin by then) but thats the kinda tear it was... I routinely change them in the morning and then again in the evening with some gauze pre wrap to absorb any blood or fluids (of which the amount has gone down tremendously over night) and then use vet wrap (hot pink) over that... she looks dorky but it works. I also change it if she pulls it off or I accidentally do when she's giving my loves... but the pain and bleeding has seemed to go down and no walks and no rough housing allowed till it's healed. thanks for the advice!!!


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## dansamy (May 15, 2007)

Elastoplast - good stuff

Dynaflex is also good and you can find it in several widths. Look in your area for a home health medical supply store.

Here's a place that sells the 1" bandage on the internet.


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## Alpha (Aug 24, 2006)

It sounds like you've got it all under control 

I hope she gets better quickly


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