We've now completed four paw soakings.  Oscar is not a fan.  She's
more subdued with her collar on, so we keep it on her for the
soakings.

Oscar may not like it, but I am impressed.  This morning, before the
fourth soaking, I looked at her paw.  Much of the crusty stuff is
gone.  It's definitely working to gently clean off all of this --
scab?  Pus?  Whatever it is.  If the particles were somehow stuck in
all of that gunk, they will come loose.  Even if not, it's keeping her
paw cleaner.

I *tried* it without the collar this morning.  She was much more vocal
and agitated.  Then she turned around and basically wedged herself
between my legs, so that only her tail was sticking out in front of
me.  I think maybe she was trying to escape through the "tunnel" made
by my legs, but no such luck.  Still, we weren't able to keep her
there for more than a minute.  She was squeaking, hissing, and
growling the whole time, while DH held her hind paw in the water.  So
we put the collar back on her, and then did it the way we have been: I
put her paw in the bowl and hold her snugly, like a hug, with one arm
around her chest and the other going around her side.  DH in the
meantime keeps his hand on the affected paw to keep it in the water.
She doesn't struggle much in this position, although she clearly
doesn't like it.  I hope that feeling my heartbeat might help calm
her.  Then I flip her so that she's belly up, and DH rubs the paw dry.
Then we let her go, she cusses at us, and we give her treats.