Sore paws.

[Honey08]

Hi all,
Just a quick question.

Has anyone any experience of dogs with sore paws? Our 5yr old lab started going intermittently lame over the summer last year. We got a second, younger lab from a rescue last October, and the rescue recommended a supplement for her joints. She quickly went sound again, and has spent the winter chargeing around with the new dog, so we were quite smug! For the past few weeks she has started to "feel the ground" now and again, particularly after longer walks, and on rutted fields (we have clay fields that have dried out and set now) or stones. So now I'm starting to think that its her pads that are sore. They are a bit cracked, not overly bad, but do feel very dry compared to the other dog's paws - she can ladder tights if she paws them! She also wears down her claws quite a lot. She is a chunkier type lab, and very big for a female, but not much over weight, if at all.

Anyone any thoughts? Thanks.x

 

[JoG]

Our springer has really bad joints (hip dysplasia and had his elbows pinned) and he won't walk across gravel or stony ground if he can find another route round - we're pretty sure it's because the uneven surface puts extra strain on his joints

We give him Glycoflex II at the moment and he is managing half and hour of the lead as long as it is on good turf

 

[gunnergundog]

If your dog has been going intermittently lame since last summer then I think a trip to the vet is probably in order by now.

Have you checked between the toes for inter-digital cysts?
Which leg is the dog going lame on? Or is it a bi-lateral lameness?
Which supplements do you have the dog (s) on and what do you feed them?

For any lame dog, I would prefer them to be a pound under-weight rather than a pound over-weight.

If you need her to lose weight, try swimming.....non-weight bearing aerobic exercise!