HazelNutMeg
Trained
We Make a Hell of a Team!
Posts: 335
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Paws...
Aug 6, 2004 15:49:37 GMT -5
Post by HazelNutMeg on Aug 6, 2004 15:49:37 GMT -5
At first I thought he'd cut one, but I checked them all and all his pads are cracking. One is really bad though and has this huge tear in it, he keeps licking and gnawing on it and he'll hold it up. I put some of this paw cream stuff I have on all his paws, but I'm home alone right now and my vet is a 40 minute drive away so I have NO idea what to do My poor baby boy! All of his pads look just really worn and dry. I've looked for any gauze wraps or something so he'll stop chewing on it, but I can't find any Is there anything more I can do?
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Aug 7, 2004 21:24:35 GMT -5
Post by ripley on Aug 7, 2004 21:24:35 GMT -5
Aww, your poor guy... My Shiner used to get awful cracked, dry pads all the time. Are his pads bleeding? Vets didn't have many suggestions for me, so I just slathered neosporin or petroleum jelly on her pads and wrapped them in gauze. If you don't have any gauze, then for now a pair of your clean cotton socks would work well too, just to get him to stop itching and chewing. Good luck.
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HazelNutMeg
Trained
We Make a Hell of a Team!
Posts: 335
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Post by HazelNutMeg on Aug 8, 2004 1:47:01 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply!! I think that it was caused by, or at least worsend (since the front paws seem to be worse) from him digging in the driveway I've been putting his paw protector cream stuff on it, hoping that might help and it seems to be a little bit, he's not chewing and licking them anymore! But if I catch him doing it I will use the socks He was running around and playing like a fool today, so I think he's feeling a bit better. It's not bleeding and I can't see any flesh. The one paw that's the worse is one big cut that basiclly looks really deep but I can't tell how deep. I don't want to try and pull it apart to see in case it's healing and I rip that, and he bites me Which I wouldn't blame him, I almost punched my doctor when she stabbed my finger to draw blood before, I was all wound up and read to too
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Post by ripley on Aug 8, 2004 1:53:51 GMT -5
Hmm, digging in the driveway should be a no-no for the next couple of weeks, until he's healed. I'm not sure exactly how pads "work". I don't really know if the pad tissue just keeps growing (and needs to be worn down) and can't heal itself once it splits, like nails do, or if it is more like skin, and heals itself. You might want to check that out to see if it will heal at all. Hope your boy feels better soon!
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Aug 8, 2004 22:47:08 GMT -5
Post by Laura on Aug 8, 2004 22:47:08 GMT -5
Shara, try and keep the pad very clean and very dry! Antibiotic ointment is fine to use, but it's imperative that you keep it dressed with gauze and tape until it's healed over. Pads that have been cut are tough to get healed (for obvious reasons ), and Coal risks losing the pad altogether if it gets infected , so keep it clean.
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HazelNutMeg
Trained
We Make a Hell of a Team!
Posts: 335
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Paws...
Aug 17, 2004 13:21:11 GMT -5
Post by HazelNutMeg on Aug 17, 2004 13:21:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies! His pads are doing much better now and healing nicely! HOWEVER, I've come across MORE nicks and scratches! What is up with my dog?! I can't help but think that late at night he sneaks out to join an underground fight club where of course... the number one rule is "We Do Not Talk About Fight Club". A couple days ago I found a hole on his muzzle, it's about the size of a canine tooth and it's hard to spot right away. I cleaned it up and it's healing nicely now, I didn't bother geting a picture of that. I probably would blind him with the flash only to get a blurred pic you couldn't see anything. But I snapped pics of the other ones... His Dew Claw??? I'm not sure if that's it. To me a dew claw has a claw on it, but this is the "thumb" like thing on the back of his leg. His stick out quite a bit, so I could understand it getting cut from him digging in the driveway It's pretty cut up though, it looks very painful and he was limping. Mom pointed out that he was limping and it looked like he was limping from two legs. So I checked him over and sure enough, one of his "dew claws" was torn, and on the other front leg he has a patch of fur missing on the inside of his "elbow" and it looks pretty raw and looks like it's probably rubbing against his chest/side and agrivating it more. That's it, I think from now on Coal is NOT alloud outside unless 100% WATCHED. Dad thinks the one on his muzzle came from running into a tree branch well... lets face it... knowing Coal is intirely possible But with first his pads, then his face, now his other legs I'm begining to wonder what he is doing to get all these?!?! They don't look that serious, the worst is his "Dew claw" one and I'll show it to my mom to assess if it's vet worthy. Our vet is a long ways away, and it's a long trip and a lot of money just to find out there's not much the vet could do that we couldn't have done here. But do you think it's worth a vet trip with all these things happening? I'm really worried! Here's the pics... sorry the "dew claw" one is so blurry, he wouldn't sit still
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Aug 17, 2004 15:12:16 GMT -5
Post by Nicole on Aug 17, 2004 15:12:16 GMT -5
Is it possible that he got into a fight with a dog or other animal. Dogs don't usually run into trees. They are pretty good about avoiding obstacles. And if it looks like a puncture in the muzzle,....I don't know. As for the dew claw, if it is ripped, it is pretty painful. I would hate for it to get infected. I don't know if it would heal in place. It may have to be removed and washed and wrapped. I think you should go to the vet about it. Or at least call and see if the vet thinks that you should come in. I hope he feels better soon!!
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Aug 17, 2004 15:31:54 GMT -5
Post by Willow on Aug 17, 2004 15:31:54 GMT -5
Is he unsupervised at night so he can run? If so, that would explain it. Dogs can run an incredible distance in the course of a night and be there on the porch waiting for you to get up in the morning!
Maybe he's running with the wolves at night. I know that sounds crazy, but when we lived in Mt., my old lab ran with the coyotes at night if I didn't keep him in the house or outdoor kennel. Every one told us coyotes will kill a dog, but my old dog was their buddy!
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HazelNutMeg
Trained
We Make a Hell of a Team!
Posts: 335
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Paws...
Aug 17, 2004 17:35:55 GMT -5
Post by HazelNutMeg on Aug 17, 2004 17:35:55 GMT -5
Oh Nicole, if you believe all dogs don't run into obsticals in their path you haven't met Coal He runs into things on a daily basis, his vison is just fine too, he just moves faster than his brain My parents said that we'll keep it clean and an eye on it for a couple days and if it doesn't look better we'll take him into the vet. He COULD have gotten in a fight with neighborhood animals... but his pads, then muzzle, and now dew claw and elbow happend all at different times, so either he starts a lot of fights or he's being a total clutz He could be out running with the wolves for sure, never even thought about it He sleeps outside in the summer because it's SOOOO hot... Maybe I can get him to sleep in his crate at night downstairs, although he'll probably cry the first couple nights, it is deffently better than him comming home limping!! Mom said he could have been nicked by a vehical too, but I don't really think that's the case... If it was his muscles would be more sore and they appear fine, it looks more like he's wearing down his feet a lot, so the "running with the wolves" sounds more reasonable even though it SOUNDS more far fetched than getting hit by a car Hmmm... I could probably even lock him out at my "Fort" at night, I fixed the screen windows so this time he can't jump out (Hazel did that) But it would be really cool out there, it's so hot in the house this time of year, even downstairs at night! My fort my dad built me when I was in grade 6 and it looks basicly like a one room cabin ;D I should probably go get some gauze wrap though, because his dew claw is hanging off a bit, just a flap of it, so it would probably be best to clean and wrap it eh?
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Aug 18, 2004 8:42:45 GMT -5
Post by Willow on Aug 18, 2004 8:42:45 GMT -5
By "dew claw" are we talking about the one on the side of the leg with the nail in it? If his dew claw is torn and hanging, it should probably be surgically removed by your vet. This happens a lot with hunting breeds who haven't had their dews removed, so they usually have to go and have them removed.
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HazelNutMeg
Trained
We Make a Hell of a Team!
Posts: 335
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Paws...
Aug 18, 2004 21:29:34 GMT -5
Post by HazelNutMeg on Aug 18, 2004 21:29:34 GMT -5
No no, it's not the one on the side with a claw. It's the one "thumby" one on the back that has no claw.
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Aug 19, 2004 16:44:30 GMT -5
Post by Willow on Aug 19, 2004 16:44:30 GMT -5
What IS that called, anyway? O.k. all you dog anatomy experts out there!!! ;D
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Aug 19, 2004 16:52:36 GMT -5
Post by ripley on Aug 19, 2004 16:52:36 GMT -5
Umm... I dunno. The techs at the vet's office I volunteer at call it the "pastern pad", so I'm not sure what it's actually called...
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