Thanks for the info you guys, I wasn't sure about hydrogen peroxide and there are conflicting reports on the internet. I'd rather run it by my YT friends to see what they treat their babies with.
Soap and water worked great, got a good rinse in, sudsed it up when needed and applied a great new product I found called "puremedy" for animals. I found it in a neighborhood health food store but I'm sure it's available online. Keep an eye out for it, I highly recommend it after this bout of home paw treatment!
I'm going to try and leave some pics below, I hope it works!
The first paw picture depicts the wound on day 2 and the 2nd paw picture was taken today, after being treated with the ointment. Looks so much better!
I have deduced that she somehow stepped on/got scratched by/or stuck with a Date Palm Thorn. These thorns look like long twigs and actually carry the dates on top of the large Date Palms. I'm very familiar with these trees because our neighborhood is filled with them and their dates attract many birds from the beautiful green parrot to ravens and crows that I despise and I think Lily does too - although she LOVES to chase them! She's sampled a few of the dates themselves and while they're not harmful (or tasty apparently), the thorns on these buggers are apparently cause for caution as they could contain an infection-causing bacteria or even produce an effect that resembles arthritis in humans that have a scratch or step on one of these palms.
I'm adding this info to update you all but also in case someone searches for it in the future. I love our YT time capsule here.
I also wanted to share because it goes to show that a mom's intuition and natural homeopathic remedies can be as tough as you need them to be. So often people will say "why didn't you go to the vet". I'll absolutely go to the vet when we need to go to the vet, I'll be the first one, but I think that's part of gut intuition too, sometimes you know that you've got this and you can provide great care for your baby without the added stress of being at the vet.
On the first day of Lily's scratch, swelling happened almost immediately and washing under warm soapy running water, helped us to flush out what was left of the thorn/branch particles and clear the wound of debris. After letting the wound air-dry, I applied a generous amount of the non-toxic "puremedy" and covered it with a baby sock. This ointment is essentially, a natural and non-toxic antiseptic like Neosporin, only completely ingestable, in fact there are instructions on using this same stuff for mouth sores or sore throat so I felt really safe if she did lick it off but I covered her paw with a baby sock (and a soft hair elastic to keep it in place) so that she would leave it alone and let it heal. I applied the ointment 2-3 times/day for 3 days and the wound looks amazing. There is still a slight pinkness so I will apply again tonight while she sleeps and repeat until full healed over.
Hope you can see the pictures. Lily is napping now but I'm glad to have investigated the palm tree thorns as well for anyone that may also be affected (palm fraunds can also contain poison or bacteria) and found a new wonderful ointment to add to our home care arsenal!
May you all have a healthy and lovely weekend! xo