First aid for paw pad abrasions?

[gsc4]

What can I do to help my dog's paw pad abrasions heal?

Yesterday, my dog ended up with abrasions on his paw pads after getting stuck in a fence and pawing the concrete trying to get free. Chow Chow's can be very determined when necessary. They may look cute and fluffy but underneath all that hair they are very strong dogs.

He was stuck for about 30 minutes before we realized what was going on and calmed him while it took another 30 minutes to cut through the fence and free him. Everything is fine now except for his paw pads.

I have cleaned them good and am trying to keep him calm until they heal. They are looking better today, but they are still raw in places and I want to keep them from getting infected.

Is any first aid ointment safe for dogs if he licked his paws after I applied it? And unless we used an Elizabethan collar, no way would he keep booties or bandages on. I suppose I could try to force him to lie down until it soaked in and was less gooey.

Or, are any of those liquid bandage products be safe for dogs?

[Traci]

Any abrasion that is raw, or cuts that are deep enough to allow infection should truly be looked at by your vet. But, in the immediate sense, you can try using simple Bag-balm. Keep the abrasions as clean and dry as possible (dab with a cotton ball or gauze pad with a mild antibacterial soap and warm water)

[gsc4]

Thanks. I will see how they look when I get home from work. If they are not healing well, I will take him to the vet this evening.

And the bag-balm tip will be useful other times as well. His pads can get irritated from the winter salt on the sidewalks and smearing some on before a walk will help protect them.

[KristinBnli]

I wouldn't use the liquid bandage products...many of them sting badly.

[Nancy (Spuddie' s Mum)]

You can now get no-sting liquid bandage now. I have used it on minor abrasions and had good luck with it.