Owners do two things that make cuts worse. One is allowing the dog to lick. Some owners still believe that licking helps heal a cut.

It doesn’t. The other is not taking a cut seriously, and failing to get it looked at.

A cut foot is a common injury. Each one is treated differently depending on where it is and how deep it is. The main distinction is whether the cut is on a footpad or on the skin above it.

If it is just superficial (not through the skin surface), we can call it a scrape, which normally heals without suturing. Scrapes should be cleaned with an antibacterial soap, dried, covered with an antibiotic ointment, then bandaged. The covering keeps it clean and prevents further trauma, and stops the dog from licking the cut.

An active tongue keeps cuts wet, creating the perfect breeding ground for bacteria as well as providing the bacteria themselves. Bandages sometimes need protection so they aren’t pulled off. An Elizabethan collar works well for this.

If the cut penetrates the skin, suturing is desirable to decrease healing time. The veterinarian cleans the cut to remove dirt and reduce the chance of infection.

If the cut is more than a day old, the cut surface needs debriding (trimming to remove the contaminated surface). Sutures then pull the skin edges together. Antibiotics are often prescribed.

A cut in a pad is much more complicated because pads are weight-bearing. Think of a cut on the end of your thumb. Each time you press on it, the cut gapes open, slowing healing. The pad is the same, except the dog’s entire weight is on the pad.

Unless a pad cut is very shallow, it needs suturing and bandaging. A plastic splint inside the bandage cups the foot, allowing pressure to be distributed over the entire foot rather than on just one spot.

You will find that veterinarians handle cuts on pads and feet in different ways. Some use a local anaesthetic; others use general anaesthetic. This is based on the attitude of the dog (some are willing to hold still), the seriousness of the wound (deeper wounds may be hard to “freeze”), and the comfort of the veterinarian using either technique.

A multi-published writer, Jeff Grognet, D.V.M., runs a veterinary practice in Qualicum Beach, B.C., along with his wife, Louise Janes, D.V.M.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 1st, 2010 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Labrador Retriever Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.