Small wound on dog.....what to do?

[AltonaAcres]

While on our way home from our week long camp trip, we noticed our dog, a 9 month old Mini Aussie male, was slightly limping. We just thought he was sore after running, hiking, chasing etc., but a couple of days later, we found a little blood on his front left paw. He is super sensitive/scared of brushing and things like that, so he won't really let us get a good look at it. While he was sleeping, I was able to gently pull the fur away from that area, and I found a wound about the size of a small apple seed. It was on top of his paw, near his toes. He woke up pretty quickly, so I really didn't get to see what type of wound it was, or if there was something still in there like a thorn. He has been licking his paw more often, and I'm wondering what i should do about it. we were able to put a few drops of Hydrogen Peroxide on it, but other than that, should I just let it heal on it's own, take him to a vet, or muzzle him and clean out the wound? Thanks for any suggestions!!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It would be best if you got a better look at it. If you cannot mange him, than a vet may need to sedate him to see.

It's important to teach young dogs to tolerate being restrained and handled. Australian shepherds can be stubborn dominant dogs, so it's extra important to be able to handle them, or it can turn into outright aggression in the breed. He's still young, so some obedience work would help get back some control.

 

[Eggscaping]

While on our way home from our week long camp trip, we noticed our dog, a 9 month old Mini Aussie male, was slightly limping. We just thought he was sore after running, hiking, chasing etc., but a couple of days later, we found a little blood on his front left paw. He is super sensitive/scared of brushing and things like that, so he won't really let us get a good look at it. While he was sleeping, I was able to gently pull the fur away from that area, and I found a wound about the size of a small apple seed. It was on top of his paw, near his toes. He woke up pretty quickly, so I really didn't get to see what type of wound it was, or if there was something still in there like a thorn. He has been licking his paw more often, and I'm wondering what i should do about it. we were able to put a few drops of Hydrogen Peroxide on it, but other than that, should I just let it heal on it's own, take him to a vet, or muzzle him and clean out the wound? Thanks for any suggestions!!

Here's the deal...if you don't train a puppy to allow you to handle and treat (if necessary) the different parts of his body - feet, head, ears, stomach, tail, etc) while he's young, you end up with a adult dog that puts up a fight every time you have to deal with him. You should train him that the human is in charge and he must put up with nail-trimming, ear-cleaning, mouth-examining, and the like. Same with kittens. Our adult cats and our adult dogs all learned very young that claw-trimming and all the rest was simply something that happened and wouldn't hurt them and something they must endure.
We were firm but gentle and always gave them a small treat afterward as a 'payoff' and after awhile they learned that it wasn't a big deal and they got something yummy afterward. Now, nail trimming and ear cleaning and so on - is done calmly and there's no struggling or protesting.
I would really advise you to do the same. It heads off a lot of problems.

 

[cassie]

You really need to get a good look at it and clean it out. There could be some sort of an infection brewing in there.

 

[AltonaAcres]

He is fine with nail trimming, mouth examining, and he lets us handle any part of his body. He is just sensitive about us touching his paw bc it hurts. He let me get a better look at it last night, and it looks like a tiny puncture wound.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

You should prevent him from licking it. By licking it hes introducing any bacteria in his mouth into the wound. For just a small wound you can probably get away with a little triple antibiotic on the area and bandage it up. If he doesnt get better you should take him in. Your vet can probably give you some advice over the phone regarding additional treatment

 

[AltonaAcres]

Ok! good to know!

 

[coach723]

If it is superficial then letting it heal at home may be OK. If it's a puncture then I personally would let the vet have a look. Punctures can abscess, causing a lot of pain, and make things worse. Since he is licking so much, I think an abscess is a possibility, and since he won't let you check it out well you aren't going to be able to tell. I sympathize with you, my last dog was VERY obedient and I could do just about anything to her, unless she thought it was going to hurt. She lost her mind at the thought of pain. I had to muzzle her to do dressing changes when she had a leg injury. I have an 8 month old Pyrenees right now that HATES having his toes touched. I work on him everyday, touching and massaging toes and feet, trying to get him used to it. It's a work in progress, particularly since he's enormous I need to be able to touch and handle him everywhere.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/can-you-use-neosporin-on-dogs/

 

[Eggscaping]

If it is superficial then letting it heal at home may be OK. If it's a puncture then I personally would let the vet have a look. Punctures can abscess, causing a lot of pain, and make things worse. Since he is licking so much, I think an abscess is a possibility, and since he won't let you check it out well you aren't going to be able to tell. I sympathize with you, my last dog was VERY obedient and I could do just about anything to her, unless she thought it was going to hurt. She lost her mind at the thought of pain. I had to muzzle her to do dressing changes when she had a leg injury. I have an 8 month old Pyrenees right now that HATES having his toes touched. I work on him everyday, touching and massaging toes and feet, trying to get him used to it. It's a work in progress, particularly since he's enormous I need to be able to touch and handle him everywhere.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/can-you-use-neosporin-on-dogs/

Also, don't they give dogs tetanus shots sometimes for puncture wounds?

 

[coach723]

My understanding is that tetanus is relatively rare in dogs. No approved vaccine for dogs either. If it's a puncture (or even a suspected one) then I would have it seen, better safe than sorry. I don't like spending money unnecessarily at all, but sometimes it's just best to be safe and see an expert. My last visit was for what I thought was an abscess. Turned out to be a benign tumor (histiocytoma). I'm very happy to know and not wonder, was worth it to find out.
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/health/can-dogs-get-tetanus/