Truman has a boo-boo on his paw pad.
It’s a sizable sore on the main pad. He wouldn’t let me touch it. Red, raw, and swollen. Ouch.
My first reaction was to take him to the vet, which I did two Saturdays ago.
They cleaned & wrapped it & gave us a round of steroids. ($)
We went back for a follow-up last Saturday. ($) Although it diminished in size, it hadn’t gone away.
Since I’m all about the HOListic approach nowadays, I decided to research our options to see what might enable us to avoid a minor ($$) procedure.
I looked first to herbs. But what to get? What might heal a wound or reduce inflammation?
Chamomile was the first to hit all the markers: it’s a nervine (calms & soothes nerves. Duh!), tonic, sedative, antispasmodic, aromatic, stimulant, among other helpful qualities.
… But I couldn’t find it. #sads.
What else, Google? (Don’t judge. I’m at the store. I need options.)
Calendula! Used to heal wounds & soothe skin. Great!
… Couldn’t find it. #nuts
Aloe vera, of course, but no aloe plants where I was shopping. (dammit. I’ve GOT to find a different store).
Gotu Kola. (Because everybody needs a go-to cola. Am I right?)
Reputed to strengthen the skin, boost antioxidants in wounds & increase blood supply in the area.
AND… They have it! Hooray!!
Well, they didn’t have the actual herb, just the extract.
Good enough. Let’s try some.
Why not make a poultice? Say what?
A poultice is a little herb-soaked bandage to apply externally to the wound.
I soaked a clean cloth in 40 drops of Gotu Kola mixed with 2oz of water. I held it on his paw for 5 minutes (which was as long as he would permit). I left it unwrapped over night. Repeated the process the next morning. That night, it appeared smaller.
… But then I read about raw honey as a treatment for wounds…
FASCINATING! I keep raw honey in the pantry! Had no idea it was a wound fixer, and we are about to give it a go.
I’ll keep you posted!
pugs & kisses,
The HOL Dog 