Riley had a great time last weekend. His girlfriend Sydney and her new sister Bailey spent the night with us on Saturday. The dogs played hard all day Saturday and Sunday morning, running around the yard, playing tug, fetching balls, barking at the birds and squirrels and wrestling in the house
It’s hard trying to keep a nice-looking yard with just one dog, but with three active dogs running around, it can get pretty ugly. Not to mention tossing our rainy Seattle weather into the mix and having to wipe three sets of paws every time they come indoors. So, on Saturday we put down a new batch of “beauty bark” over the areas in the yard where the grass had seen better days.
The life of Riley
On tuesday night, Riley was very restless. Around 1AM, he had jumped up onto our bed and spent the rest of the night tossing and turning. Needless to say, so did we. At 4AM, I decided to see if he wanted to go outside for a pee, but he was reluctant to get off of the bed. When I eventually coaxed him down, I noticed that he was limping.
Closer inspection revealed a small puncture in a front paw pad and the pad was a bit swollen. There didn’t seem to be anything lodged in the pad, but I couldn’t be sure. I put some antiseptic lotion on the area, covered it with a bootie and tried to go back to sleep. In the morning we visited our vet and he prescribed a dose of antibiotics*, just to be on the safe side.
So, what caused the puncture? Was it something in the beauty bark? A thorn from a rose bush? Who knows. Paw pads are prone to injury and can be tricky to heal. Keeping the wound clean and covered when outside is recommended and can speed the healing. Wrapping the paw is tricky and it is essential not to apply the dressing to tightly.
Since most dogs will tend to try to remove any bandages, I find that covering the paw with a dog bootie is the way to go. You can find an assortment of booties in pet stores and on-line. One good source is petboots.com. They carry a variety of booties for various needs, including specially designed protective boots in different sizes.
Wearing a bootie may take your dog a little getting used to and you’ll need to be vigilant about making sure that the bootie stays on and is not twisted or too tight. (Riley tolerates the bootie and tends to use it to his advantage when he wants a little extra attention or when begging for treats.)
For more information on caring for paw pad injuries, here’s a great blog called Dog Topics, which featured a post on dog paw care.
*If your dog has been prescribed antibiotics, it is a good idea to add supplemental probiotics to their diet. I do it for myself when I have to take them, so why wouldn’t I do the same for Riley? You can read more about anti/probiotics in this informative article from thewholedog.com.
Walking the Dog 