Safe antiseptic for dog's paw (worried he might lick it)

Hello,

I have a year and a half old lab named Jack. He's a great dog, full of life and just a joy to have. One trait he inherited from his father is that his front paws are slightly curved in. So far it's made no impact on his ability to run, walk, jump etc. His nails wear down at a weird angle, but that's another issue. Recently he developed a bit of a blister on and between his inner toes on his front right paw. I'm not sure why it developed, but once again, it's not making any impact on his ability and willingness to play/run etc. But he does lick at it excessively and the paw is becoming a red. Is there a natural antiseptic I can apply to his paw that isn't toxic to him should he lick it. I don't want to apply that bitterapple? product to the foot just now while it's still sore (or is there nothing wrong with that?). Please let me know if you have any tips or suggestions.

Cheers and thank you for your help.

honey?? its an antiseptic.... :)

-ashley

Well I just ordered the EMT gel and spray.
Hope it doesn't take too long to get up here.

We use that stuff on superficial wounds and it works pretty well--just be warned that until the gel dries, the dogs want to lick it. The spray doesn't protect quite as well, but it does have the bitter apple flavor to it--so if your dog doesn't like that taste it will certainly help deter the licking! :thumbs up Be careful when you put it on, though--I got a thin spray of it on the table, later put my hand on it (after it had dried), then put a finger in my mouth. :eek: Not a good sequence of events :yuck: It's definitely called 'bitter' for a reason...

:D

One of my dogs has a funny gait, resulting in little sores on his feet. They've always been pretty simple to heal, but you must stop him from licking. The most effective things I've found are baby socks or dog boots anytime I'm not right there. Besides that, I just was the foot a couple of times a day with warm water and mild soap, and use a zinc cream or topical anti-biotic ointment if it's looking a bit infected.

Peroxcide? It's safe for dogs, and will kill the bateria but it does induce vomitting if they drink it - but I dont think the amount used if rubbed on would. No matter what you use, you have to stop them from licking it long enough for it to do it's thing!

We used it to induce vomitting before, but it was alot more then you'd use to clean a wound. Of course we talked to our vet first. :thumbs up

I was researching this cause my own dog has a wound that he's licking - which is keeping it clean but it isn't healing cause he licked the scab right off!

I read that hydrogen peroxide will cause tissue damage and should NOT be used on pets! Perhaps an expert could set the record straight on this one?

I don't know if there's something I can use to keep the dog from licking his wound (on his thigh - not sure how he cut himself but there's a flap of skin and a raw wound about the size of a toonie!) that would double as disinfectant or if I need to get him an Elizabethan collar? It appears there's still blood flowing to the skin that's loose - if it were on my own leg I'd tie a thread around it until it dries up and drops off but I'm scared to make things worse.

And I do know he should see the vet BUT I just spent nearly $300 to get him a complete checkup including stool analysis and heartworm meds. I'm on disability and that bill represents what I get to feed and cloth myself for a month!

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Undiluted high volume hydrogen peroxide is corrosive to skin. But 3 or 5 % is just fine for initial wound treatment. As it doesn't have long lasting action and isn't broad-spectrum, I find it useful only as an initial treatment to flush the wound of debris or an infected site of pus. You might find this interesting reading:

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/191805.htm

I take all precautions against letting my dogs lick open wounds, scabbed or blistered areas.

And Buxomdiva ~ your dog's wound is not clotting and the licking he is doing could be causing further tissue damage. You might want to try cleaning the site thoroughly and putting a sterile dressing on it and an Ecollar on him to give the wound a chance to do some healing.

Honey is an excellent antibacterial agent. From what I understand manuka honey specifically, has been found in clinical trials to be particularly effective.

Apple cider vinegar.

My vet said polysporin was fine - even if they lick it.

Thanks for the link mummummum. I'm hoping to get Gizmo into a vet once the government gives me all the money they owe me - I don't really need a microwave or a decent bed. :mad:

I read that hydrogen peroxide will cause tissue damage and should NOT be used on pets! Perhaps an expert could set the record straight on this one?

I have info stating the opposite. Like everything else on the internet, you can find conflicting info on every topic out there! it's very frustrating!! I also have a pet fist aid kit with tiny peroxide packs to be used for vomit induction or open wound cleaning. It is lose dose, like Mumx3 said.

When we induced Dazy to vomit, it probably saved her life or saved us from an expensive surgery...she had eaten a whole rope toy and kept throwing it up and eating it again, over and over, and we couldn't get to it before she did, so we made her throw up on our terms and got her away form it beofre she could ingest it again. You dont want to know what else came up - let's just say she could have been compared to a great white shark!!