Help: Torn Paw Pad/Skin Flap Healing Issue

Hi, I have a 7-year-old female Rat Terrier. Two weeks ago she badly tore one of her toe paw pads. Like 60-70% off. I was able to control the bleeding, and took her to the vet the next day. The vet just flushed it, bandaged it, and gave her antibiotics, and a cone. $1000. Well two weeks later, it's starting to heal, but around the skin flap (Mostly disconnected toe paw pad). What should I do? The flap itself is completely too big and too thick and deep to trim, and it still live flesh that she can feel. New skin has mostly regrown and covered the open area, and a new pad is forming. The flap is like a weird extra part, and it's not dying or drying out. **Or getting infected either** It's just there, and I think it's slowing down the healing process. Will it eventually fall off? What should I do? She's also not in pain anymore and is walking fine.

Hello. I have often treated pad slices without sutures because sutures so frequently act as a foreign body or sheer through the pad.  Because pads are weight bearing surfaces that expand when weight is applied, sutures can cause more problems than they solve.   However, you haven't mentioned your vets' plans for dressing changes or reassessment of this wound - were there any in place?  Have you been back since you realised that things weren't healing neatly, to have the foot reassessed?  I think what you're saying has happened is that the two 'cut' edges have moved apart and skin has grown into the hole, stopping opposing sides from being able to heal.  One solution to this may be to debride the wound and start again, but this may not be necessary; your vet really will have to assess the wound, figure out the pros and cons and take it from there.

Freqhently, the 'flap' in these cases will dry and fall off, but as I can't see this, as it might get caught abd as I would expect some nerve endings / pain to be involved - I think that something is not as I am picturing, so it would be better to be checked.