How to Care for a Cut Wound on a Dog's Paw

How to Care for a Cut Wound on a Dog's Paw. Dog paw wounds are common. Keep an emergency vet phone number and address on hand. Signs of an injured paw include licking or biting the paw, whining or limping. Take your dog directly to a vet when the cut is deep, or you can't treat the cut properly.

Things Needed

• Leash
• Clippers
• Tweezers
• Clean towel or gauze
• Saline
• Warm Water
• Bulb syringe
• Triple antibiotic ointment
• Gauze bandage
• Gauze tape

Step 1

Place a leash around the dog's neck; loop the leash around an immovable object, such as a doorknob on a closed door. Pull the leash gently to move your dog's head close to the object, and then tie the leash securely. Keep its face away from what you're doing; dogs often become aggressive when injured.

Step 2

Stop the bleeding by applying constant pressure with a clean towel. Do not remove the towel If blood soaks through it. Add another towel, and continue applying pressure.

Step 3

Clip the hair around the wound. Inspect the paw for foreign objects. Remove the object with your fingers or tweezers. Apply pressure with a clean towel until the bleeding stops.

Step 4

Flush out the wound using the syringe and saline. Warm water and a kitchen sink sprayer will also work.

Step 5

Apply a liberal amount of triple antibiotic ointment to the wound. Wrap the dog's paw with a gauze bandage. Be mindful not to wrap the bandage so tightly as to cut off circulation to the injury. Tape the gauze closed. Change the bandage once per day.

Warnings

• Put an Elizabethan collar on the dog if it tries to remove the bandage.

Warnings

• Take your dog to the vet if bleeding doesn't stop within five minutes, or you notice swelling of the leg.
• Do not use hydrogen peroxide on a bleeding paw. It inhibits blood clotting.
• Wiping a cut that has stopped bleeding often causes the bleeding to start again.

References

• Natural Dog Health Remedies: Dog Paw Health and Treating Dog Paw Injuries
• Dog Health Guide: Dog Bleeding
• Natural Dog Health Remedies: First Aid for Cuts