out walking at last

Yippee! Today Penny went for a proper walk, after a week of  resting at home with her cut paw. Because the cut was right on the ball of her foot, we just couldn't go anywhere. But today after a careful consideration of her paw, the family agreed that it looked as if the cut has closed.

Last night, for the first time, I had treated it by slathering it with the gel from an aloe vera leaf. I hadn't done that previously because I read that it's not a good idea to put a layer covering a wound until you are quite sure there's no infection. It wouldn't be a good idea to close in the infection. So it's been a week of loose bandaging, Betadine spray and saline washes.

Today I put a layer of aloe vera gel on it, covered it with a Pawz boot, and off we went, down a local lane.

This week has made me more aware that we need to update our doggie emergency kit (and the human one, of course). There's a good list at this vet clinic's site:

First Aid Kit                          

The following items should be
available if you need them for
treating problems at home
with your pets(s):
• Gauze swabs,
• Cotton bandages
• Elastoplast bandages
• Betadine or Savlon antiseptic cream
• Aspirin – for pain relief. Dose rate is 10-20mg/kg
Cats (and v. small dogs): quarter of a 300mg tablet.
Dogs – small: 1/2 tab, medium: 1 tab, large : 2 tabs
Give ONLY A SINGLE DOSE and consult your vet if
pain persists. DO NOT use paracetamol (Panadol),
ibuprofen, naproxen or any other human pain-reliever
• Ipecac Syrup, Washing Soda or Hydrogen Peroxide
Dose rates to induce vomiting:
• Ipecac Syrup – 2-6mls
• Washing Soda – 1-2 granules
DO NOT use washing powder
• Hydrogen Peroxide (3% only) – 5-10mls
• Activated charcoal tablets (to help absorb poisons)
Dose is 1gm/kg and it works faster if crushed (but
you'll never get this much into your pet, so just give
as much as they'll take, however they'll take it.)

They have a good page on Common Emergencies, too. I think I'll print it out.

Penny's fashionable shoe

Penny and I walked with a friend along the delightful O'Shannassy Aqueduct Trail above Warburton yesterday. My friend, more fashion conscious than I am (as you'd realise if you've seen any of my YouTube clips, almost everyone in the developed world is more fashion conscious than I am), commented on Penny's up-to-date blue pump.

Given that I don't even know what a pump is, I looked for a definition and found this one:

Pumps are one of the most popular styles of women's shoes, and they're also one of the most difficult to define. In their most basic form, pumps have closed backs, and low-cut fronts that hit closer to the toes than they do the top of the foot.

I leave it to you to decide whether Penny seems to be wearing pumps:

What actually happened was that as Penny walked, the Pawz shoe, which looks like nothing so much as a deflated balloon, folded itself around her foot. It seems that as the rubber ages, it gets kind of sticky, like old balloons do. Whatever the reason, Penny finds the shoe comfortable and it protects her foot.

trying out the Pawz shoes for a dog

Today Penny went for a short walk in Darebin Parklands, wearing a Pawz shoe to protect the scar on her foot where she had the biopsy.

As it says on the Pawz site, Penny was fine about wearing the boot. (We've had it on a couple of times in the kitchen, accompanied by treats, to help her see it as a positive experience.) However, walking on the rocky hillside seemed to hurt her foot and she really wanted to lick it! But she was easily distracted.

I'd vote the shoe a success. The reason we were keen to try it was that we're going to Brighton Beach tomorrow and I don't like the idea of sand getting into her surgery scar.

When I picked the shoes up, from Melbourne Veterinary Specialists, I was told to stretch the top of the shoe for a couple of hours, just to make sure it's not too tight around her leg. I stretched it on the top of a small glass jar.

Also, we need to take care not to have the shoe on for long periods, because dogs sweat through their paws.