So this one is just bad luck. I had a great weekend planned.The plan was to head into Vermont for some lake raging and friend hanging, while showing Irene (a hurricane) that I wasn’t going to stay in. Here’s what happened…

How Did My Dog Cut His Paw?

The car was packed and ready to go on Thursday afternoon. Friday morning came, and all I had to do was get up, take Quimby for a walk, and be on my way. That all went smoothly, or so I thought. After stopping at Delaney’s to drop off my latest business jingle, I arrived in VT at roughly 1pm. After setting up the tent and drinking a couple cold beers, I noticed Quimby’s paw.

It was sliced WIDE OPEN. Oh Shit.

The “middle finger” pad on his left rear leg was sliced so deep and long that you could clearly see the fat deposits trying to worm their way out. I did not take any photos of it. It was too much. The cut was probably a half inch long, but it was a quarter inch across! I was with my Special Lady Friend, who knew we had to take him to a vet. Long story short, when she’s there, she meets a lady who owns 120 sled dogs, and this is a common occurrence for her. She says he is borderline, but should be okay as long as we keep it clean.

We kept the paw and pad wrapped and clean all weekend. It was hard at times, but the thing about Quimby is that he feels no pain, only moderate discomfort. We left on Saturday night, which was a good thing, because Irene would have taken out the roads we needed to make it home had we waited until Sunday morning.

Anyway on Sunday we decided he needed the stitches. The cut was just too deep. We took him into the vet who fortunately was able to see him that day. $375 dollars later he is all stitched up, and the pad looks great. However he has to wear a collar, which he does not like at all. He hates it, and does not understand why. He looks very sad with the thing on, and I feel he is probably pissed about it. I think it’s doubtful he would try to pull it off, but it’s better safe than sorry… he is pretty used to it, and enjoyed some time in the sun lounging today while his drugs kicked in as you can see.

Cut Dog Paw Pad First Aid

Should your dog ever cut it’s pad on the paw, there are a few important things to know.

1. TAKE YOUR DOG TO THE VET. I can not stress this enough. I have experience with animals from growing up on a farm, however I am no vet. Get treated by a professional. If a vet is not available there are a few things you can do to help the wound.
2. Clean the Area.. It’s important to keep the paw clean. If you can, swish the dogs paw in a tub of warm water with some hydrogen peroxide. This should remove any excess dirt that may be in it. Do not touch the wound.
3. Disinfect.. Use Hydrogen Peroxide to clean the wound, and an antibiotic ointment to keep it clean.
4. Wrap the Paw. This is hard, because dogs paws do not naturally accept a wrap. Place a large non stick gauze pad on the wound and wrap it up with cotton bandage. Then cover the bandage with something a little harder, like a self adhering elastic bandage.
5. GO TO THE VET. I just want to hammer this point home. A cut dog bad is not something to mess around with.

If the cut seems small, and you can’t see the fat, odds are the wrap will be fine, but you still need to see a vet. If the paw gets infected it could lead to extremely serious problems.

Quimby loves Rangeley, Maine. He even got a chance to help with the camp fire!

So, yeah. Quimby is doing great. He’s come into his own as a dog that is perfect for me. He likes to run, but only for short distances, and has random freak outs, but is never violent. I’ve heard him bark a total of 3 times. It was very strange. I don’t see myself doing any more random Pog and dog photos. I am getting just a little too old for it. I will however probably start to post more photos of Quimby, and our amazing experiences together.

Quimby has gotten big, and he loves to tear down bamboo.