My dog's paw is raw and swollen from licking. Should I see a vet?

Question

On Friday I noticed my dog worrying at his hind paw; after a few hours he hadn't stopped and it was looking red so I gently wiped between the pads and found a flying bug. Since then he keeps licking at it and it's now raw and slightly swollen. As of this morning I've been soaking it in warm salty water, letting it air, then putting antiseptic on it and placing a cotton sock over it to prevent him from aggravating it. Is this a result of him worrying at it initially or have I missed something? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

These type of lesions can have many causes. Dogs often get these hot spots (aka acral lick granulomas) for a few different reasons, so it's difficult to say what's causing it. Ty may be over-licking the area because it's sore, has something like a thorn stuck in it, or it has an infection. In fact, these types of lesions tend to develop infections in the skin despite the cause. It's best to have a veterinarian examine it to see if they can locate the source of the pain. If the source is not identified and treated, then this will not get better. For now, you can do the following: 1) Clip the hair around the area and expose all of the sore skin. 2) Wash/spray the area with just cool, clean water (no soap or other antiseptics) for at least 5 minutes at a time. Do this at least twice a day. 3) Bandage the wound with gauze and apply an over-the-counter antibacterial cream (i.e Neosporin) to the wound. Keeping it covered and keeping Ty from licking it will be the most difficult part of the treatment. You can help keep the bandage on by placing a good (really sticky) tape above and below the bandage. You can find sprays in the pet store, like bitter apple, that are meant to deter licking. This can be sprayed on the bandage (not the wound) to help keep Ty from chewing it off. NOTE: Be careful not to bandage too tight or it can cut-off the circulation. If you notice that the toes/foot starts to swell, then remove the bandage and leave it off until the swelling goes down. You can also put the clean sock over the bandage to help protect it. These types of lesions tend to take a long time to heal, so don't be surprised if its not completely healed until a month later. Once the skin looks normal and Ty stops trying to lick, you can stop the cleaning/bandaging. I hope that helps and Ty gets better soon.

My dog's paw is raw and swollen from licking. Should I see a vet?

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