How to treat a bitten paw

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gella

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So unfortunately Specter got a little too close to Spooky's cage on Wednesday night and got bit through the bars. She was bloody on her paw when my fiance called me in to help him get a look at her and it looks like she had a small bite/cut on the inner side of her right paw. I cleaned up with some water and did a quick clean of her cage (wiped down shelves and new fleece liner) to keep an eye out for any further blood loss and to prevent infection. I had just ordered blu-kote earlier in the week and it hasn't arrived yet, so I am curious what else I can use to treat/clean her wound, if needed.

We've been keeping an eye on her and yesterday her paw was a bit swollen and she was shying from using it.This morning the swelling has gone down and she's putting weight on it, at what point should I be concerned about swelling?

I've been told that toe injuries usually heal up well on their own, and to watch for signs of redness, continual swelling, and pus. Anything else I should know and when does everyone recommend going to the vet, if at all?
 
Hi Angela,
I've gone through this twice with poor Abigail! Bobo bit off 2 of Abigail's toes--one on each paw. I didn't do anything other than wipe off the blood, make sure it had stopped bleeding then some blukote, and not even alot at that. She healed up just fine. She can still hold treats in both paws too--but those missing toes just make her look even more like the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Chinchilla that she is!
 
Sounds like you did the most important thing... cleaning the cage. Continue to keep the cage clean and watch for more redness and swelling. If you look at it and think to yourself.. that looks bad.. then get her to the vet. But since the swelling has already gone down I doubt you will have any more problems as long as you keep the cage clean.

The best washes for foot injuries (per my vet) are a Chlorhexidine soak (you can also just dab it on and will also want to dilute it to a 40 part water 1 part Chlorhexidine solution unless your vet already has) or a diluted Bernadine solution (40 parts water 1 part Bernadine). I also like blu-kote.
 
Aww poor Specter! When Neeko got a toe bitten off, I kept the cage very clean and cleaned the wound with a warm soapy wash cloth. I also dipped it in some blu-kote and he was good to go..it healed up wonderfully. I would definitely keep an eye open for swelling and any discoloration. Also make sure she does not begin chewing on the paw. When Roo had an injured paw, he started chewing on it and made it worse.
 
Keep it as clean as you can (clean cage, clean the wound) and keep a close eye on it. It shoudl be fine
 
Everyone has given great advice. Just keep things super clean and keep a close eye on it and it should be fine. I use blukote for most small injuries around here
 
Ugh, I had a terrible experience with toes. Orville was attacked by Fluffernut (his cagemate), and he bit off several toes. Orville actually had to have a toe amputated, then an abscess on his foot drained from a slow-bleeding bite. It was crazy. So unfortunately, I had to use a vet; if I didn't need the vet, I would have treated with betadine and blue-kote.

I agree, you've gotten some great advice!
 
I was naive and had my older chinnie out exploring near the cage of my new chinnie and even though I was RIGHT there and stopped my older chin immediately upon her going from being curious at the new chin/cage to aggressive towards it, she still managed to get a nip at my new chin's toe.

She stopped bleeding almost immediately and never made a noise or appeared in pain or frightened, but I was over-cautious and took my new chin to the vet. He gave me a cream to prevent infection. However, I also heard that cleaning the wound with a saline solution is easy and effective. It's just one tablespoon of salt per cup of water. Boil it and let it cool and then clean the wound with something that is not going to shed fibers into the wound because that can complicate healing.
 
Just keep the cage clean, wait for your order to come in and keep an eye on it. If the swelling keeps up or she isn't using that foot, a vet isn't a bad idea-just to make sure there is no infection. Sounds like you are doing fine with it...sor don't worry too much!!!! Accidents happen...good thing you were prepared!!!:D
 
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