Poppy's foot bleeding.... What should I do?

[Jenny & Soppy Poppy]

I was out with Poppy this morning playing with her ball... which she runs after collides into and retrieves... she races after it and uses her stopped pads.... dont know what they are called on her back legs to stop.... they are about 5 inches away from her foot where the joint is... if that makes sense.

After a while I noticed it was bleeding not a lot but enough to make the fur go red..... 

I brought her home and compared it to the other and a bot of skin has peeled back like half a 5p coin....

I run the vets and tyhey are closed till monday as the vets on hols... (does she not know I need her back!!) 

Anyway I washed it out with cold boiled water have bandaged it up....

Any advice anyone can give me about what else I can do???

She seems ok... not crying or anything and ofcourse still eating... Nothing stops that!!! 

[Joules]

Wash it with salt water and keep it clean.  If you can leave it without a dressing - while she is inside then it will heal quicker as it will dry out easier.  Main thing is to stop it getting infected so it can heal up quickly. Hope she is OK.

[happydog]

Wash it with salt water and keep it clean.  If you can leave it without a dressing - while she is inside then it will heal quicker as it will dry out easier.  Main thing is to stop it getting infected so it can heal up quickly. Hope she is OK.

Perfect advice! Don't be tempted put vaseline or any cream on it as that will attract the dirt.

[Joules]

Wash it with salt water and keep it clean.  If you can leave it without a dressing - while she is inside then it will heal quicker as it will dry out easier.  Main thing is to stop it getting infected so it can heal up quickly. Hope she is OK.

Perfect advice! Don't be tempted put vaseline or any cream on it as that will attract the dirt.

Certainly agree about not using any savlon or any other sort of cream - picks up dirt and prevents the cut from drying out and healing up.  I once did a First Aid course and the paramedics that ran it said they could not think of a single situation where Savlon would be useful! Clean air is the best healer for this sort of thing imo. 

(oh dear, I am starting to sound like my mother!  )

[Helen]

i'm confused....is it her back leg (in which case i'm bewildered if she has a dew claw pad there up her back leg...)
if it's her front leg it sounds exactly what happened with jarv - this time it was his front left dew claw pad, and the wound was quite deep (and like a wedge cut leaving a flap)

vet snipped it off and put him on anti-b's (and the dreaded lampshade to stop the licking....)

[Jenny & Soppy Poppy]

Yes it's her back leg... her sort of ankle bit!

Thanks for the advice everyone!

[Jenny & Soppy Poppy]

Took Poppy to the vets today.....because it's like a 'flap' I thought I'd better get it checked out... looks very red still and doesnt look like it's gonna scab over any time soon...

Vet said it looked very clean and that she could put a staple in it  I didnt like the sound of that..

They held her side ways on the table..... and was just about to do it and I chickened out!! I couldnt do it to my poor baby!!!

Am I cruel for not letting them do it!! the vet said it would just not heal as quick!! I feel bad but I think I'd feel worse if they had done it and my baby had a bit of metal in her poor foot..... 

[Joules]

Eeeeeeew, I don't like the sound of that either!    I think I would have chickened out too 

If it is kept clean and kept dry, I am sure it should heal up on it's own.  If the flappy bit is dead skin, it might be a good idea to snip it off as soon as you can to avoid it catching on anything.  Also, I often use tea tree to clean things like that - it is a brilliant antiseptic and antibacterial but is also a cell regenerator and so helps things heal up quicker.  You can use the oil neat but very sparingly and only on the cut itself once it has healed up a bit - I wouldn't let her lick it though. 

Sounds like she is on the mend anyway