Hurt paw?

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Chinch&Chilla

Chinch&Chilla

chin matchmaker <3
Joined
Jul 31, 2009
Messages
51
Location
Montclair, NJ
Hi everyone, I think my chin hurt his front right paw but I'm not sure how bad it is or how I can help so I'm looking for advice. I know the obvious answer would be to go to a vet but I was hoping to just get some possible insight before I go there and we're in the middle of a hurricane so it probably wouldn't even be possible for me to get him there till Wednesday.

So we took him out to play yesterday and he made a really far jump that shocked us even. Nothing seemed wrong with him then but today I could tell that his paw was a little red looking and the way he's been acting is he's just been using it very sparingly. He hasn't been making any sounds like he's in pain (I know they usually hide their pain anyway) and for the most part he's hopping around just fine with his legs and other paw but occasionally he'll still put that one down when he goes to scratch himself with his back leg, or every now and then to prop himself up, and I've even seen him use it to nose swipe but it's obvious that he's still favoring his other paw. And he also keeps bringing it up to his mouth to lick it or clean it. I'm just not sure if this sounds more like he sprained his paw or he broke it? And I'm not sure what I can do to help him. I know that if he broke it there's no way for even a vet to fix it. Any advice?
 
Normally, I would say go to the vet, but considering your situation and the fact that he does use it at times, I would just keep a close eye on him. If he still has problems with it after Sandy is gone, take him to the vet. You may want to watch out for him chewing on it. Sometimes, they will chew an injured limb to try to get rid of the pain.
 
You may want to put him in a smaller cage/carrier so that he is not running and jumping around on an injured paw in the meantime. Also monitor his food and water intake as well as his poop output!
 
How is he today? Do keep out for signs of biting his own paw (look for patches of fur that have come off). Hope he's fine!
 
Thanks for all the replies. Unfortunately my power has been off since Monday at 8 pm because of the hurricane and today the power is coming in and out so far so I'm just getting these messages now. I have been watching him and he did look like he was biting at it a bit, as of today it actually had a bit of a scab there. There wasn't much I could do to stop him but I did try to intervene with something else for him to focus his attention on like a stick or a treat whenever I caught him nipping at it. But yesterday and today though he does seem to be using it a lot more, he doesn't look like he's favoring his other paw at all anymore. Is it possible it was just a sprain or could he still be using it like that if it was broken? Also what possibilities would the vet be able to do if it did turn out to be broken and how would he tell if it was, xrays? Any previous experiences would help me wrap my mind around the situation.

I'm going to try to see what I can find out tomorrow about getting to a vet. The roads are still a mess around here though with trees down and street lights out.
 
Since he is using the paw now I doubt it is broken. A vet sometimes can tell by feeling but to know for sure x-rays have to be taken. If broken, it is best to amputate. However again I doubt it is broken if he is using it.
 
Thanks for the reassurance, I really hope it's not broken. I will try to update you guys on what I find out in the next few days.
 
I disagree with Barb (sorry Barb). It really depends on the fracture. Many fractures can heal without interventions especially in the paw. If it was a fracture up higher on the leg (more so on the hind) or an open fracture (one that has gone through the skin)-would be instances of trying to repair or amputate. A foot though would just require rest in a small area.

Keep an eye on that scab or if he keeps picking at it. It worries me that there may be an abscess brewing. Just keep an eye on it.

Edited to add-I've seen some animals and people walk on fractures. Had an old lady come in for xrays as an outpatient walking on a broken hip for 2 weeks. Swear to god! Gave me goosebumps.
 
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Called a whole list of vets in NJ today, none of them had any exotic specialists that were in today and if they were in tomorrow they were booked solid. I was told by one place that they were an emergency animal hospital and could have a regular vet look at him and then refer any questions he had to the exotic specialist. That place is an hour away and I'm running low on gas. I went out to see if I could find a gas station that was actually open and had gas but found nothing. I probably have just enough left in my tank to get me there and back but that risks me getting there and possibly not being able to get back (if I run into traffic or detours due to the hurricane which is likely) or if I do make it back to have nothing left in my tank to get me anywhere else after that(and I live in a place where walking anywhere is far).

As of right now his paw looks the same, just red with a scab on it. I don't see any puss or anything. I've only caught him bringing it up to his mouth here and there and then I try to stop him but it's not like he's going at it relentlessly. He's still using it just fine to walk around.

I don't know if this sounds like something that is serious enough to really need to be treated with antibiotics or seen by a vet right away? If it sounds like something that could really threaten his health or his life I will try to do anything in my power to get him to the emergency vet place. If it sounds like I could wait a day or two until I can get gas then I'd really prefer to wait and do anything I can here at home to help him. I'm currently trying to keep his cage as clean as possible so as to hopefully not get anything on the wound. And I'm thinking about trying to clean his paw with a little hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball or swab. Does this sounds like an ok idea? How about putting neosporin on after I clean it? Or will he probably just try to eat it off and make the wound worse and hurt himself further by ingesting the neosporin?
 
You can clean it with hydrogen peroxide or iodine. If the area is not swollen and he does not seem painful I would just keep an eye on it. Antibiotics are only going to be given if he has an infection. See what it looks like tomorrow or the next day then make the call if need be.
 
Chinch&Chilla said:
Called a whole list of vets in NJ today, none of them had any exotic specialists that were in today and if they were in tomorrow they were booked solid. I was told by one place that they were an emergency animal hospital and could have a regular vet look at him and then refer any questions he had to the exotic specialist. That place is an hour away and I'm running low on gas. I went out to see if I could find a gas station that was actually open and had gas but found nothing. I probably have just enough left in my tank to get me there and back but that risks me getting there and possibly not being able to get back (if I run into traffic or detours due to the hurricane which is likely) or if I do make it back to have nothing left in my tank to get me anywhere else after that(and I live in a place where walking anywhere is far).

As of right now his paw looks the same, just red with a scab on it. I don't see any puss or anything. I've only caught him bringing it up to his mouth here and there and then I try to stop him but it's not like he's going at it relentlessly. He's still using it just fine to walk around.

I don't know if this sounds like something that is serious enough to really need to be treated with antibiotics or seen by a vet right away? If it sounds like something that could really threaten his health or his life I will try to do anything in my power to get him to the emergency vet place. If it sounds like I could wait a day or two until I can get gas then I'd really prefer to wait and do anything I can here at home to help him. I'm currently trying to keep his cage as clean as possible so as to hopefully not get anything on the wound. And I'm thinking about trying to clean his paw with a little hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball or swab. Does this sounds like an ok idea? How about putting neosporin on after I clean it? Or will he probably just try to eat it off and make the wound worse and hurt himself further by ingesting the neosporin?
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I'm dealing with the same hurricane issues. I know that my exotic vet, northstar vets in robbinsville nj is open and their exotic doctor will be in tomorrow and through the weekend. I'm not sure if that's too far away for you especially with the lack of gas here in NJ. You could always call them tomorrow after 11am and see if he could talk to you over the phone. His name is Dr. Doolan.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm going to clean it with hydrogen peroxide, keep everything around him as clean as possible, and keep an eye on him.

Northstar was the emergency animal hospital i was referring to actually but I was told that the exotics specialist is fully booked tomorrow and won't be able to take anyone else and was told that the best they could do was have me see a vet in the emergency center and have him call the exotics specialist if need be. But the problem is that Northstar is an hour from me and I'd be cutting it close to even think that I could get there and back with the amount of gas I have left. Perhaps I will try to call him tomorrow though to see if he has any further advice for me at that point.
 
Chinch&Chilla said:
Thanks for the replies. I'm going to clean it with hydrogen peroxide, keep everything around him as clean as possible, and keep an eye on him.

Northstar was the emergency animal hospital i was referring to actually but I was told that the exotics specialist is fully booked tomorrow and won't be able to take anyone else and was told that the best they could do was have me see a vet in the emergency center and have him call the exotics specialist if need be. But the problem is that Northstar is an hour from me and I'd be cutting it close to even think that I could get there and back with the amount of gas I have left. Perhaps I will try to call him tomorrow though to see if he has any further advice for me at that point.
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If you call make sure you explain how you CANNOT drive there due to lack of gas and ask to be transferred to his extension. This way he can personally hear your voicemail instead of trying to translate a message to a front desk receptionist.

I hope his paw heals quickly!!!
 
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