gumbys paw

Question
Hi, my 11 month yellow lab scraped his paw on pavement, two of his paw "pads" are scraped and bled a few minutes. He is favoring his paw abit and is licking it alot. A friend told me that if he continues to lick his wound it will not heal. Do I need to bring Gumgy in  or is there something I can put on his paw that he wont rip off?

Answer
Hi Paul. You definately do not want to cover the wound, as it needs air to heal.  Since your dog is licking the wound, it probably would be best to not put any kinds of ointments on it.  You can keep it clean by cleaning it out twice per day with some hydrogen peroxide for a few days.  It should heal just fine on it's own.
If the area becomes swollen or red or begins discharging fluid, this would indicate an infection and a vet visit would be needed.
I hope this helps and please let me know how he does!
Hilary