>I need to know how to treat this.  Should I wrap his paw?  I semi-cleaned it
>with peroxide (not fun!) but i don't think running around on this will help
>him.
 
Dear William,
I am not a vet at all so I can only relay my personal experiences.  The same
thing happened to one of ours once, except it was the back paw(and this was
right after we trimmed them!) We rushed her to the vet, and she applied
Novasan, which is a topical antiseptic, and wrapped the paw very well (tape
and gauze) upto her little joint, with extra packing at the paw's end to
apply pressure to stop the bleeding and to pad it.  Upon preliminary
examination, the vet thought she had lost her distal (the first bone
segment) but lo and behold six mos later, a nail is regrowing(though it is
slightly out of kilter, not excessively so).  The vet had the bandage kept
on for 3 or 4 days, then carefully removed.  No stitches were used, and it
healed promptly.
 
Peroxide may be a little harsh, if you can't find Novasan, try povidine
iodine solution which is highly effective and less irritating than other
tinctures to the skin (very gentle).  Its great for even deep cuts and burns
because of this.  Of course, you must keep the paw and bandage dry and make
sure to use clean paper pelletized litter or shredded newspaper.  Watch for
bleeding.  If possible, I would advise you see a vet to curtail any
complications.
 
Hope this helps,
best wishes,
until next time,
alphachi
[Posted in FML issue 1980]