Thorn or cruciate ligament?

[Flowerofthefen]

My little parsons trod on a thorn on Sunday evening. I saw her do it and thorn came straight out. She was fine sun eve but was on 3 legs on Monday morning. We had a good look and all we can see is the prick hole. I know from experience how sore the area can be after a thorn!! I've been soaking it in Epsom salts. I'm thinking it will be a few days for the soreness to go? She is walking OK but is lifting that leg when she wants to go faster. I'm hoping it's not a cruciate ligament. She doesn't seem in pain, she's as bubbly as always. We are trying to keep her steady. How long could a thorn prick take to heal?

 

[Landcruiser]

Blackthorn? They have poison on their tips (which can also break off inside). Absolute devils, one put my horse out of action for an entire season when he got one in his fetlock and it got infected.

 

[Landcruiser]

It was a tiny puncture wound...

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would think there is a bit of something left in the wound. I think I would involve the vet at this stage

 

[Katieg123]

Is there heat in the paw where the thorn was?

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I would think there is a bit of something left in the wound. I think I would involve the vet at this stage

Can't see anything in it at all. We can touch the area and she is fine.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Is there heat in the paw where the thorn was?

That paw does feel warmer than the other paw.

 

[Katieg123]

That paw does feel warmer than the other paw.

Then I would imagine the paw is the source of the problem and may still have some of the the thorn inside it/infected

 

[Clodagh]

I’d think you need antibiotics. Blackthorn is the work of the devil.

 

[rabatsa]

I had a lamb lame all last summer due to a thorn in its hoof. Picked up almost immediately and removed, or so I thought. A few weeks later more thorn came out so I thought that would be it, but no yet more thorn came out and this was when the hoof had grown one and half times its original depth. I sold the boy a couple of weeks ago as a good strong and sound breeding shearling.

Never underestimate a blackthorn.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I've soaked her paw again today. There is no redness and no reaction to prodding it, however there was a slight reaction round her hamstring area. I will definitely keep an eye on her paw, going to to try and rest her for a week. Obviously if anything gets worse we will be straight off to the vet.

A friends horse got a black thorn in its leg out team chasing. She has only just come back into full work nearly 18 months later.

 

[gunnergundog]

Have you tried a drawer test to eliminate the likelihood of cruciate issues?

 

[JBM]

As a person with a dog who currently has a paw puncture..go to the vet.
they can turn nasty fast
My girl is now on 2 different strong pain killers and I have no idea what she stepped on

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Have you tried a drawer test to eliminate the likelihood of cruciate issues?

I had never heard of it so I've just watched a video. Both joints seem very stable, definitely not loose as in the video. She often stretches her back legs straight out behind her to rub her belly on the rug. She has done it today. I would assume if it was cruciate she would find it too painful to do that?

 

[Flowerofthefen]

As a person with a dog who currently has a paw puncture..go to the vet.
they can turn nasty fast
My girl is now on 2 different strong pain killers and I have no idea what she stepped on

Could you see the paw was infected? I can't see anything unusual and she isn't reactive to a bit of poking around.

 

[JBM]

Could you see the paw was infected? I can't see anything unusual and she isn't reactive to a bit of poking around.

She was a bit lame and didn’t react to poking. Then she stopped eating one day so vet put her on an antibiotic
Then her paw swole up like a ballon
Nothing in the paw just turned into an abscess

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Could you see the paw was infected? I can't see anything unusual and she isn't reactive to a bit of poking around.

If she were mine she would have been at the vet's today. When you know she has had a thorn in it, it's pretty obvious what the most likely problem is.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Definitely vet. My dogs stand on spiky things fairly regularly (a few brambles here and people leave rose bush cuttings on the lane for some reason) and once I've checked it's out and reassured them they're fine, they come right again after a few strides. If a dog isn't right after a couple of days and you know there may be a thorn injury, I'd be seeing the vet.

 

[SAujla]

Vets for sure. Clover currently on no exercise as she's just had her pad sliced open to get a piece of brick out, it had really wedged itself in. I tried to get it out but no luck and I gave it a few days but it started oozing. It wasn't as bad as a blackthorn sounds like from the comments above. Never knew a blackthorn could be so bad

 

[Prancerpoos]

Another vote for the vet. If it was blackthorn then that is evil stuff. My mare was off work for months after she managed to get one in a tendon - there was not much to see, just the slightest bit of swelling. It took a long course of special antibiotics to cure it.

 

[Moobli]

Definitely vet. My friend’s dog has had no end of problems for what feels like forever after he cut his pad.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Pupdate..... she has been examined by the vet. He gave her paw a good going over and couldn't see anything. He checked her cruciate and that was fine so he said she has probably just pulled herself. She has 2 days of pain relief/ anti inflammatory. Got her out the truck when we got back and she was 80% better before the medication!!!! Least I'm not worrying over her now!

 

[Caski]

Vets for sure. Clover currently on no exercise as she's just had her pad sliced open to get a piece of brick out, it had really wedged itself in. I tried to get it out but no luck and I gave it a few days but it started oozing. It wasn't as bad as a blackthorn sounds like from the comments above. Never knew a blackthorn could be so bad

May I just say that your Lab looks gorgeous!

 

[Clodagh]

Pupdate..... she has been examined by the vet. He gave her paw a good going over and couldn't see anything. He checked her cruciate and that was fine so he said she has probably just pulled herself. She has 2 days of pain relief/ anti inflammatory. Got her out the truck when we got back and she was 80% better before the medication!!!! Least I'm not worrying over her now!

I’m glad she’s on the mend.

 

[SAujla]

May I just say that your Lab looks gorgeous!

Thank you. She's a bit down though now, last few days she's been quite glum. Hopefully get her back to her normal routine soon.

Good news on OP dog