Bean should not be allowed to chew it.
Moisture and contamination can create problems.
Any unexpected odor, discharge, slipping of the bandage, increased swelling, or worsening discomfort can require attention.
For such a small dog, even a relatively small change in the paw can have a major effect on mobility.
Bean May Become More Active Before the Paw Is Ready
As the rest of him feels better, another challenge can appear.
Bean may want to move.
He may stand at the carrier opening.
He may become interested in sounds.
His personality may begin returning before the injured tissue has finished healing.
That is encouraging.
It also means activity may need to remain controlled.
Feeling better and being fully healed are not the same thing.
His First Normal Nap Could Be More Emotional Than His First Steps
There may come a day when Bean enters his resting area and circles once.
He lowers himself.
Both hind legs fold naturally.
The injured paw settles onto the bedding.
Bean does not flinch.
He does not lift it.
His body leans toward that side.
Nothing happens.
His eyes close.
Ten minutes pass.
Then thirty.
Bean sleeps.
For anyone who never saw the rescue carrier, it would look completely ordinary.
For Bean, ordinary sleep would mean he no longer has to remain alert to his own injured foot.
But He Isn't There Yet
For now, Bean lies on the white towel.
His tiny body is curled tightly inside the carrier.
The bandage around his hind paw is clean.
The dirty wound that was visible beneath the parked car is hidden underneath it.
His head sinks.
His eyelids close.
Bean begins to sleep.
Slowly, his body rolls toward the injured side.
The elevated paw starts coming down.
It touches the towel.
Bean wakes instantly.
His front legs push against the fabric.
His chest rises.
He shifts his weight away.
Then he carefully lifts the bandaged paw back into the air.
A few seconds later, his head drops again.
He is too tired to remain awake.
But the paw still hurts too much for his body to completely let go.
Bean finally has a clean towel, a protected carrier, and nowhere he needs to run—but until that injured paw can touch something soft without waking him, even sleep remains one more thing he cannot do without protecting it.