Dog paws in distress: What to do if your dog is injured?

When out for a walk, it can happen that our four-legged friend gets a wound. If our pet suddenly limps, this can be a sign that he has stepped in something while romping around. The dog's paw is in trouble! We can take care of minor injuries ourselves.

Hund liegt mit seinem Teddy im Bett© Fotolia
If your pet is injured, give it plenty of rest and it will recover quickly.

If the dog is injured on a walk, the owner suffers too. But keep calm and look after your pet straight away, then the worst can usually be prevented. This is how it works:

Cut away the fur

Use nail scissors to trim the fur about one centimeter around the wound.

Remove foreign bodies

Carefully remove thorns, splinters or shards etc. with tweezers.

Clean the wound

Dab the wound with sterile gauze or a clean, lint-free cloth that has been soaked in a diluted, lukewarm disinfectant solution. Then dab dry.

Keep clean

Protect the wound with a bandage to prevent secondary bleeding and the ingress of dirt.

Incidentally, you should also consult a vet so that your pet can be given antibiotics if necessary and the bandage can be checked.