Hi. That looks terrible. When I first adopted my Tinkerbell, she had been tearing up her ears. She had scabs the size of quarters on both ears, open sores, and both ears were 2-3 times thicker than normal. I immediately put an E-collar on her because not only were her ears going to itch anyway, I thought at least to stop any further damage, which in turn would cause more itching on top of it all.
Even when my vet saw her, they asked 'Why is she wearing an E-collar?' After I explained, they still acted like they didn't agree with my decision, but I could not let her continue to inflict more damage to herself. I was afraid she would hit a vein and cause uncontrolled bleeding when I couldn't be there to watch her.
She wore the collar for almost 3 months, as medications were applied to help the scabs come off and the wounds to heal. I took the collar off a few times a day to give her a break, but as soon as she started scratching, back on it went. Once her ears were healed and the swelling went down, I allowed her more and more time out of the collar, until she could be trusted not to tear herself up.
Her problem turned out to be sarcoptic mange (scabies) and as my vet researched, she discovered that Yorkies are very susceptible (prone) to picking this up. She was treated with Revolution, and all mine are on it now, as Scabies seems to be a problem here in our outdoor environment. Come to find out, 3 neighbors' dogs were also being treated for allergies (two for over a year) with no improvements. When I told them about the Scabies, they went to their vet and were diagnosed with scabies and treated too with Revolution. One of the owners had picked it up too, as did I, and called our doctors for prescription cremes to use.
Sorry this got so long. Preventing secondary damage is very important. Also, frequent bathing can cause foot problems if the feet are not completely dried afterwards with a hairdryer.
I would have the vet look at this, as with that amount of damage to the pads, an antibiotic will more than likely be needed to prevent a secondary infection. Feet are prone to picking up bacterias and fungi, so it is important to get this treated immediately and to prevent futher damage to the area.
Coconut oil is very soothing to the skin, is a natural antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, promotes healing and is very soothing to the pet. I use it for any skin conditions, add it to their feed, and use it for any cuts or scrapes I find on my dogs. I know it's an oil, but it is absorbed rapidly into the skin, so you won't see oily pawprints all over your house, should you decide to try it. |