sore paws

Question

the door   My border collie is terrified of wind (thunder and rain too)and occasional manages to open doors and lock himself in rooms.  When he does this, he is frantic and scratches and paws his way out through the door.  We have lost 4 doors this way in the last 4 years.  We are normally very vigilent in making sure all doors are latched or locked open so he doesn't hurt himself.  His thundershirt helps most of the time. This last time, he seems to have hurt his paws and I am not sure what to put on them or do to them to sooth them or make him feel better.  He is favouring his one paw quite a bit and licking it continually. Any suggestions on any home remedies that would help.

Answer
Hello Jodi,

First of all, during your rainy season, I would put him on a daily herbal calmer like the one from Herbsmith, and when a storm is predicted, I would give him a homeopathic remedy specifically for storms such as the one from Homeo Pet.

As for his feet, I would check all of his nails to see if he loosened one by catching it on the wood, or see if he got any splinters. (perhaps use a magnifying glass). If he loosened a nail by pulling it away from the pad, given time it may heal up, but if it is quite loose, you may have to look into having it removed.  You may want to put some sort of ointment at the base of his nails or where you see any sign of irritation, perhaps something with calendula, as it is good both for inflammation and antibiotic. You can make something yourself by adding calendula tincture to any type of bag balm or udder cream found at feed stores. Another thing I would suggest is to pick up Bach's Rescue Remedy and give him a few drops 2 or 3 times a day in order to get him past the trauma.  This may also help clear any former trauma contributing to his fear response in the first place.

There you have it. Hope this helps.

Sue