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My dog's paw is black and smells bad after a hair tie injury?

Updated on September 23, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | French Bulldog | Male | neutered | 8 months and 20 days old | 18 lbs

Dog has some surgeries yesterday and I picked up from vet he was scratching at one are making bleed so vet tech said put sock and hair tie over it. He cried all night in pain we figured from surgery but took to vet today and the hair tie has cut all circulation off to his foot. Foot is red and black has discharge and smells bad. He isn’t eating and has had very little water today. 8 month old French bulldog.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Linda G,  MS, DVM

Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 30, 2020

Hello. I am so sorry about Monster Bendy ( wonderful name! ) & so sorry that the vet tech made such a rookie mistake. Hopefully she will never recommend anything like this again. Anyway, since the hair tie was on less than 24 hours there is hope there will not be any permanent damage. If he is not already on pain management & antibiotics from the surgery, I would start that. Hydrotherapy &/or using alternating warm & cold compresses every 4 hours can help to return circulation to the paw. Laser therapy is also a good option, & I would hope your veterinarian will do this at no charge. There is a fairly good chance your boy will be fine, but it may take a few days to see how things go. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
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