my roommates dog got a sizable cut on the very inner edge of her paw pad that extended into her foot. he was away for the weekend but returning the next day. it was sizable but not huge, not bigger than any my dog has had in the past, so after cleaning it i decided i would wrap it up and let him make the decision when he got back. i used a sterile gauze pad, gauze wrap and vet wrap. the next day i showed the wound to him and he said that he would prefer not to take her, i was leaving the next day so i showed him how to wrap her foot (i had worked at a clinic a while back and did many of these) i knew that paw pad skin heals a little differently and take a while so i told him to keep a close eye on it and to watch for infection. when i returned several days later i took a look at the pad and the deep paw wound seemed to be healing well but the paw pad part was a little odd. it seemed like the paw pad had healed under the cut so that now there is a little flap of skin/pad on the inner edge of her pad. im worried that this will cause problems later. it seems like things can get stuck in there and that it could be very irritating and painful. im also concerned that it could cause further problems, get torn off or be a such an irritant that it would have to be removed. is there anything particular that can be done now at home or anything we should know about how the paw pad heals. he has been keeping it wrapped up but i am not sure that will make a difference at this point (its been about 9 days since it happened).... any recommendations? should i have made him go get her paw glued?

Hi

Its hard for me to imagine what you are describing here but there's just a few points to make that might be helpful. Is she limping|? If the cut is healing well she shouldnt be or only very little by 9 days. Is she licking or chewing at the area? if not then its unlikely that its bothering her very much. If neither of these things is happening and of course if the cut no longer looks sore then its probably going to be OK even if it looks a little odd. Keep a close check on it for another week or so whilst it continues to heal.

Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]