My dog cut her front paw running in the snow last Thurs. It's about a 2" gash in between her middle toe/outer toe. I have been cleaning 2-3 times a day with hydrogen peroxide and applying Neosporin and bandaging it at night. By Sat, it looked like it was closing on it's own (read stitches won't help) and she was walking on it with no pain. I was keeping her activity to a minimum so it could heal.

Sun, on a potty trip, she went crazy in the yard and got in the mud. I cleaned her feet, and Mon morn she was limping and her foot was swollen. I have been cleaning it 2-3 times a day, and began to give her Amoxicillin. Today I took her to the vet, and they looked her over and gave her some more anti-biotics, Clavamox.

They said they wanted to put her under and x-ray her foot because they think she could have a broken digit. I told her, I was pretty sure she's limping from the swelling and nothing is broken. She was walking on it fine, until it got infected. I really hate to put my dog under. They want me to bring her in tomorrow, and I'm thinking I should give her a few days on the Amoxicillin and Clavamox. Thoughts?

I would give it a few days, I was also given a antibacterial shampoo to soak my dogs foot in when this happened and her foot swelled up.

Just curious, why are you giving amoxicillin and clavamox? Clavamox is amoxicillin and clavulanate.

Kimberly

Ugh...I feel for you. This is the kind of thing I agonize over and I have a hard time not jumping every time the vet says to.

Do you feel certain she didn't injure her paw in another way going "crazy" in the yard?

If don't think she did then, given your description and given the fact she hasn't been limping and swollen the entire time, I'd probably give the antibiotics a few days to kick in. I'd do that if this was my dog.

They should be able to x-ray your dogs foot without sedation. My dog had both his hind feet x-rayed without sedation. His showed 2 old fractures that had been "rebroken" causing him pain. I have no idea when the original breaks occurred.

Thanks ladies. That's what I'll do.

Kimberly, you're right. I was a bit confused but, I will only be giving the Clavamox as it contains Amoxicillin too.

Sarah, Brandi went running about the yard Sun, around noonish. She was fine the rest of the day, but I guess infection set in overnight. That's why I'm pretty sure there is nothing broken in there. After I could see the wound closing on late Sat, I could grab her paw more without noticing discomfort from her. Now, her paw is very tender from the infection.

While doing research, I came accross this site: http://www.terrierman.com/antibiotics.htm

Seems to have good info, but I'm still reading. Anyone know more about the anti-biotics suggested? Also, any other suggestions on how to go about cleaning the wound using something other than hydrogen peroxide? Epsom salt?

Alex... Keith Larson's dog, Starbuck, cut her paw and he posted in detail about it. If you do a search (or send him a PM) you can see what he used and what others suggested.

Hydrogen Peroxide is a great wound cleaner...one of the best. You can also use a thin layer of Neosporin after you've flushed it with the HP. I think Epsom salt might hurt in an open wound.

I don't know how this translates to dogs, but with wound cleaning in humans, you should mix the peroxide half and half with water, preferably sterile water.

I've had several open wounds that required cleaning and to let them heal from the inside out.

Full strength peroxide can keep the margins too moist to promote healing.

But, this is jmo. I'm not vet or dr.

(I did stay at a Holiday Inn one time, lol.)

Here's Keith's post:

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/204530/page/0/fpart/1

Our SAR members had good suggestions...and one mentioned Epsom salts.

ETA: We've always used full-strength HP on nasty human wounds and really flush the wound with it. The HP bubbles up and flushes out all the bad stuff. You then pat the area dry and bandage, wrap, or air dry. Works on my BFs frequent injuries and I think it would work the same on a dog's foot. JMHO! I'm not an MD, RN or DVM, either.

Thanks for the link Sarah. I read the whole thread and saw almost all the photos lol. I think Brandi's foot got infected because since it's in between toes, it's hard to dry out and stays moist, plus add the fact I had a sock over it (actually my son's baby sock hehe), it was even harder to dry.

This morning there was a lot of puss in the paw hair so I went to the vet. Almost $100 for the visit and 7 days of anti-biotics. They didn't even really clean it. Just looked at it and confirmed what I thought about needing stronger meds. I will do another cleaning tonight with HP and tomorrow will grab some Epsom salt. The wound is pretty much closed on the outside, so it shouldn't hurt too bad. I also always used full strength HP on myself. It didn't seem to bother Brandi either.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Alex and Sarah,

Here is a brief explanation of why I was trying to convey about the full strength peroxide. I'm not real good at explaining it, but it has to do with slowing the healing process of the edges.

I had gangrene and skin graft among other injuries and it used to be that the drs. DID recommend full strength, but now they say 1/2 and 1/2.

Not to beat a dead horse, just wanted to try to clarify.

Good luck on the dog paw.

CUTS AND SCRAPES
Hydrogen Peroxide, Iodine, Rubbing Alcohol, Mercurochrome
When the skin isn't broken, it's hard to beat iodine for killing bacteria. That's why doctors use it to clean an area before surgery. But when there's a cut, says dermatologist Robert Kirsner, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology, full-strength iodine, hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol can be toxic to skin cells, impeding healing. The chemical reaction (and bubbling) that occurs when hydrogen peroxide hits the skin isn't only cleaning the wound -- it's killing healthy cells. And that stinging from the rubbing alcohol? This stuff hurts because it's wiping out healthy tissue.

Putting iodine on cuts and wounds kills bacteria, says VanRooyen, but it won't clean the wound. "You want to protect the good tissue, and iodine doesn't do that." Mercurochrome also kills bacteria, but as the name suggests, it contains mercury, which is toxic, and not generally recognized as safe, says the FDA. Today, doctors don't use Mercurochrome.

Better Bet
Remarkably, cleansing a wound has become much simpler: "The most effective way to get rid of debris and bacteria without damaging healthy tissue is flushing the wound out with water," says VanRooyen. Put the wound under a faucet, or spray it with the nozzle on the kitchen sink. Flush it with water to clear it of all debris. If you are worried about the bandage sticking to the wound, consider using an antibacterial ointment that contains bacitracin or neomycin to keep the area lubricated.