My Dog Has A Swollen Paw, And She Is Limping, What Can I Do To Alleviate Her Pain/swelling?

There are number of things that can be done to alleviate your dog's pain. Firstly look at the paw and see if it is cut. If it is cut then you should clean the wound with warm water and cotton wool before wrapping it up so that no other dirt can get into the wound, then let it heal up naturally. As something as simple as this does not need to be taken to the vet who will charge you a substantial amount for something you could have simply done at home. However if after a few days there seems to be no signs of healing then it is wise to take your dog to the vet as the wound may have become infected, which is why it is not healing up.

If there is no cut, but some swelling this may be due to an internal injury your dog has suffered such as broken bone. The broken bone may not simply be in the swollen paw, it could be further up the leg. In this case the paw is swollen due to the affect of nerves which pass down through the damaged area of the leg to the paw. Here the best thing for you to do is to take your dog straight to the vet, who will be able to properly diagnose and then treat your dog.

It is wise to remember that the paws of your dog are some of the most sensitive areas on them. However with dogs having much high pain thresholds than humans problems can be around for much longer, before your dog starts to feel in pain. Certain chemicals that are sprayed on crops where dogs may be taken for walks can irritate dog's paws which can lead to them biting them just as we would scratch at an irritating rash on our skin. This biting can cause cuts in the paws and due to poor hygiene of most dogs mouths can lead to an infection. Again the best thing to do in this case is to clean the paw, wrap it up and take your dog to the vet.

You should closely look at his paw and look for any cut, wound, abscess, thorn, bump lump, swelling, splinter or rock. Dogs can get injuries while on walk. If there is any splinter, thorn or rock the remove it carefully. If your dog is having any wound, cut or abscess then wash the wound with warm water and Epsom salt and then apply topical antibiotic to cure or avoid infection. But it will more good to take him to vet for physical examination to confirm the diagnosis and prescription of medicines.

If its a due to a cut, use bacitracin and administer motrin or advil, to help with pain.  Depending on his/her weight..I would use one motrin or one advil.  DO NOT USE ASPIRIN OR ANYTHING ELSE.  My vet advised me that Motrin and Advil are the safest for dogs.

I wouldn't medicate your dog with out seeing a vet first.  some pain releavers like the ones already spoked of can cause kidney damage at least thats what we were told by an emergency vet when we took my sisters staint bernard in for her growing pains in her rear legs

I was told that the plant called "Malva" is used for home remedies. Just wash the leaves a bit with water then put them in a pot with water & leave them until water boils. Let it cool down a bit & then use the water to wash your dogs paw.That will help the infection and the swelling.

Restrict activity (kennel) for the rest of the night (after you do a couple of things) and if still limping tomorrow go in. If it's swollen the sooner the better. Look really good for anything that may be stuck in there and remove if possible (if it's a foxtail or something you might want to have your vet remove it, they're tricky once they start to work in) and disinfect. In between toes, pads, everything. Also see if there's any tenderness (don't push hurt, just touching will usually get a reaction) from the shoulder down. It's not always the foot. Watch their reaction, you know your dog and their reaction will give you an idea but keep all faces far away because if it hurts they can bite even when they are yours.

Limping in your dog is due to swelling in the foot. This condition is not allowing your dog to put weight on the foot and that is causing limping. Paw swelling in dogs can be due to

1. Injury
2. Thorn or splinter in the paw
3. Cuts or burns
4. Fox tail seed in between toe
5. Insect bite
6. Food or air born allergy
7. Lupus

So, you should take your dog to vet for differential diagnosis and proper treatment of paw swelling and limping in your dog.

My dog has hardening of the muscle in her hip (solid as a rock)--- she has started to retain fluid (or possible swelling) in her back leg elbow (right before it goes into the paw).

If it has a piece of hair in its paw slowly pull it out carefully or take it to a vet.

It depends on if it is a bad limp or just a limp

Please don't ask just take your baby to the vet because regardless if is a minor problem you and your baby will be able to sleep peacefully. Good luck