Thorn or glass in pad

[Birker2020]

I was amazed to find our lovely beagle dog was very lame this morning when she jumped off the sofa having spent the night on there after leaving the bedroom at around midnight. Expected her to get better with every step as we’ve suspected for a while she had a touch of arthritis as she’s nearly 9 and on joint tablets but it didn’t get better.

So OH came down and carried her upstairs to the bed where we investigated what was wrong with her paw. We think she’s either got a thorn in it or glass that she picked up last night from her walk. Its quite imflammed with what looks like a blood blister type thing. She'd been galloping around the field with her friend at partners workplace without a care in the world earlier the previous day and last night went for a pavement walk round the block by our house.

Strange thing was, she wasn’t lame last night at all so whatever it was has come on over night. Partner spends ages every night stroking her and finely going over her coat and legs and is always finding this little wart, or that bit of burr or whatever, so would have spotted it straight away had she been sore.

She’s not weight bearing on it very much so OH going to book a vet appointment for first thing. Tempted to see if we can deal with it ourselves but worried it might get infected, its not worth all the worry. But I can’t believe how quickly whatever it is has come on and how very lame she is.

When we went back into the bed room after getting ready for work/appointment we saw she’d tried to tackle the issue herself and there was a soggy wet paw and blood spots all over the duvet where she'd been licking and biting it and you can see a little split in the pad where the blood is coming out. Poor thing lets you touch it but then starts licking your hand frantically, obviously doesn’t want to bite us so licking like mad first.

Very strange.

 

[Gloi]

I hope it is just a scratch but I'd get it looked at asap because I'm paranoid because there is Alabama rot in our area.

 

[Birker2020]

I hope it is just a scratch but I'd get it looked at asap because I'm paranoid because there is Alabama rot in our area.

Blimey she does have the symptoms. She's very quiet too but she may be subdued as it obviously hurts. Will let partner know. Thank you.

 

[some show]

Poor lass, hope the appointment goes well and it's something easy so she can get back to galloping soon! x

 

[CorvusCorax]

My friend's dog was on three legs a fortnight ago and vet was able to take out a really long thorn, hope that's all it is.

 

[Birker2020]

She's booked in for 3.20pm. Partner has appointment he couldn't get out of this morning.

She's asleep and he's going to soak it in salt water again before she goes to the vets. She's been eating and sleeping normally so we are not unduly concerned at this stage.

Previous beagle years ago went down on her usual walk across the field, suddenly started yelping and screaming like nobody's business. Sunday evening. My Dad and partner carried her home, we whisked her to the vets still none weightbearing on her leg and whimpering, and when we put her on the table she was able to miraculously put all four legs on the table and looked at us as if to say "what's all the fuss about?" Vet reckoned it was a snake bite. Cost us a fortune that night!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Yeah if you imagine if you or I had a nagging or sharp pain in our hands or feet it would make us feel a bit rotten, hopefully it's just a foreign body that can be easily removed.
My middle dog gets a wet eczema between his toes in damp weather and he worries at it and it makes him a bit down but I imagine you'd have seen this before now with her age.

 

[Gloi]

Did they find anything?

 

[skinnydipper]

Is this the dog with the known food allergy?

Didn't she have problems with her skin towards the end of last year? I believe you were going to take her back to the vet but I don't remember seeing an update.

I wonder if her paws are itchy due to the food allergy and that is why she is licking and chewing. Is she still on Purina Pro Plan?

 

[Birker2020]

UPDATE: She went to the vets and the vet flushed it out best she could, she said she thought it was a grass seed and that most of it had come out. Went home with some antibiotics (pink tablet size of 5p piece) and some metacam, she is having the antibiotics three times a day. Partner dealing with it all as he's off work today anyway.

She was good as gold on the table and kept licking the vet lady's hand instead of biting as it hurt so much lol. She's such a loving dog. Always concerned if your sad or upset, will spend hours at your side.

She seems a lot better this morning.

Cost £160! Its her left paw as you can see when she greeted me last night, old hop-along!

I'd love to put a video on but I'm hopeless with technology!

 

[misst]

Glad to hear she seems to be on the mend. I hate it when these things happen. Such a good girl to lick not bite

 

[Xmasha]

Our golden retriever gets this all the time. weve had multiple trips to the vets, theyve now prescribed him clorexyderm. Whenever his paw is sore we smother this on, pop a sock on over night, and by the next day hes fine. Vets explained its just unfortunate and happens when dogs get older, and also dont have the best paw conformation.

Hope your lad is feeling better

 

[Birker2020]

Glad to hear she seems to be on the mend. I hate it when these things happen. Such a good girl to lick not bite

She is. We call her 'Nurse Summer' as she is always concerned about people.

If you play fight with her, which she often instigates as she loves it so much and you pretend she's bitten you and yelp she will come running over and lick and lick you to make sure you are okay.

Every night when I come in from the yard she will be on the bed asleep even with OH downstairs in the kitchen cooking tea or watching telly, she loves it under the duvet in the warm.

And as you walk through the door you can hear her thump off the bed onto the floor and the 'chink' 'chink' of her collar as she comes towards you and I can honestly say almost every time she has something in her mouth for you.

Some of the things she finds have us rolling around in laughter and we haven't a clue where she's found them. Last night it was a shoe insole, a few days before it was a piece of cardboard we reckon she's dragged out of the bin! Usually its an odd sock, we never have pairs in our house! Once it was one of those plastic plug things you plug into a socket to stop young kids sticking things in.

 

[Birker2020]

Our golden retriever gets this all the time. weve had multiple trips to the vets, theyve now prescribed him clorexyderm. Whenever his paw is sore we smother this on, pop a sock on over night, and by the next day hes fine. Vets explained its just unfortunate and happens when dogs get older, and also dont have the best paw conformation.

What a nightmare for you. She's never had this before so hopefully its a one off.

Partner works two days a week on a small holding and he takes her with him and their bitch and her are best play mates and they toddle off down the field and occupy themselves for hours, they're always within sight but doing 'doggy things' like playing, hunting, and investigating. So she could have got it from anywhere.

 

[Xmasha]

What a nightmare for you. She's never had this before so hopefully its a one off.

Partner works two days a week on a small holding and he takes her with him and their bitch and her are best play mates and they toddle off down the field and occupy themselves for hours, they're always within sight but doing 'doggy things' like playing, hunting, and investigating. So she could have got it from anywhere.

Poor wallace has really suffered with it, but as he is now 12 and has dodgy back legs im guessing more weight is on the front, so his pads must splay a bit more. He just potters around the yard, so we have no idea how he does it. He had a terrible one last week, i was ready to whip him down to the vets, but the next morning it had really started to heal well. The gel has been a game change for us. So if it does happen again, seriously consider asking for this gel.
Fingers crossed its a one off for her.

 

[Birker2020]

Poor wallace has really suffered with it, but as he is now 12 and has dodgy back legs im guessing more weight is on the front, so his pads must splay a bit more. He just potters around the yard, so we have no idea how he does it. He had a terrible one last week, i was ready to whip him down to the vets, but the next morning it had really started to heal well. The gel has been a game change for us. So if it does happen again, seriously consider asking for this gel.
Fingers crossed its a one off for her.

Thank you, will bear this in mind.
Vet says if she's no better after the weekend she will have to be sedated so she can have an in depth look.

 

[Birker2020]

I wonder if her paws are itchy due to the food allergy and that is why she is licking and chewing. Is she still on Purina Pro Plan?

Hi yes she's still on the Purina but we are mixing with chopped up wafer thin ham/chicken/turkey and beef (that you get in packets) again as she won't eat it on its own and she won't take tinned items although incredibly she did eat the chicken pouch from Wilko the other day which we thought we'd give a go as they were reduced to 75p. Amazingly she wolfed it down. She is overweight according to the vet scales so we are cutting her down once again.

She's only licking the one paw because she had a grass seed in it and it was sore. The marks below her chest on the top of her legs we think now may have been her wet lead catching across her front on the walk to the park when we let her off.

 

[Clodagh]

The wafer thin meat from supermarkets is mainly salt and additives. I’d really not feed to to a dog.
Cheaper to buy a lump of cheap, hopefully reduced meat or chicken and simmer it in water until it falls to pieces.

 

[Birker2020]

The wafer thin meat from supermarkets is mainly salt and additives. I’d really not feed to to a dog.
Cheaper to buy a lump of cheap, hopefully reduced meat or chicken and simmer it in water until it falls to pieces.

Yes thank you. We are aware the ham has quite a bit of salt as I've mentioned it before, so we are trying to steer her more towards turkey and chicken bits that you can buy from the supermarkets either the frozen cut chicken breast or fresh cooked cut chicken/turkey breast.

Its so hard when they are picky and we've tried so hard. During lockdown I managed to wean her onto dog food (Harringtons Grain Free chicken) but she went off it after about a fortnight and wouldn't go near it after that. I honestly thought we'd won!

 

[Clodagh]

Ok, but the cheap stuff is still full of saline. Just fyi.

 

[Birker2020]

Ok, but the cheap stuff is still full of saline. Just fyi.

So when we can't afford to be buying joints of meat (and we very, very rarely would see a joint of meat reduced) what do you suggest that we do? If meat is reduced it has to be used that day and we both lead incredibly busy lives that leaves little time for boiling meat up.

Its not for want of trying as I have explained to get her onto a better diet. She's not a greedy dog, you have to call her about five times for her to eat her tea and even then she could take it or leave it. She won't eat if you stand watching her. She won't eat a lot of types of treats either, she only really likes the small jumbones or the sticks with dried chicken wrapped around the outside, anything else she says no to, she gets one a day of either. The amount of treats we've thrown/given away over the years.

She gets plenty of exercise but even the purina dry dog food she tries her best to leave and just pick out the meat. She will eat it, if it had meat juices on it, but if it doesn't unless very, very hungry nine times out of ten she leaves it.

 

[skinnydipper]

Hi yes she's still on the Purina but we are mixing with chopped up wafer thin ham/chicken/turkey and beef (that you get in packets) again as she won't eat it on its own and she won't take tinned items although incredibly she did eat the chicken pouch from Wilko the other day which we thought we'd give a go as they were reduced to 75p. Amazingly she wolfed it down. She is overweight according to the vet scales so we are cutting her down once again.

She's only licking the one paw because she had a grass seed in it and it was sore. The marks below her chest on the top of her legs we think now may have been her wet lead catching across her front on the walk to the park when we let her off.

Thanks, Birker. I wondered how she was getting on.

I hope you don't mind me pointing out that you should not be adding anything to the Purina Pro Plan HA. It is a complete food formulated for allergies using purified carb source and hydrolysed protein and adding meat to it negates the benefits of feeding it.

 

[Clodagh]

Do whatever you like, no skin off my nose.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

Off the original topic but have you tried the butchers tripe tins? They stink but I've seen some fussy dogs wolf it down! Can buy individual tins to try and its not over expensive

 

[Clodagh]

Stewing steak or mince is far cheaper per kilo than processed ham or chicken or turkey. You can boil that up in lots of water.

But you know best.

 

[Birker2020]

Do whatever you like, no skin off my nose.

I'm not being stroppy with so why are you with me?
I am just trying to explain.
Its disheartening when people tell you that you are doing something wrong only to not come up with a viable solution.

 

[Birker2020]

Stewing steak or mince is far cheaper per kilo than processed ham or chicken or turkey. You can boil that up in lots of water.

But you know best.

Wow you are nasty today aren't you. Thanks for your imput.

 

[Clodagh]

I'm not being stroppy with so why are you with me?
I am just trying to explain.
Its disheartening when people tell you that you are doing something wrong only to not come up with a viable solution.

Sorry, I read your reply as stroppy.

 

[Birker2020]

Thanks, Birker. I wondered how she was getting on.

I hope you don't mind me pointing out that you should not be adding anything to the Purina Pro Plan HA. It is a complete food formulated for allergies using purified carb source and hydrolysed protein and adding meat to it negates the benefits of feeding it.

yep but she won't eat it unless it had some of the 'juice' or flavour of meat on it. Otherwise she just picks around it and you end up with a bowl of just that. Its disheartening. We have virtually given up trying, we've tried so many brands and types of dog food, both wet/tinned/dry over the years and samples from loads of companies.

The Wilko pouch she ate the other day was about as rare as finding a hens tooth, it really was
If we'd have given her another one the next day she would have said " really - you expect me to eat that??"

 

[skinnydipper]

yep but she won't eat it unless it had some of the 'juice' or flavour of meat on it. Otherwise she just picks around it and you end up with a bowl of just that.

You are wasting your money on a veterinary diet specifically designed for pets with food allergies if you are adding various meats to it and feeding treats.

I know how difficult it is to feed a dog with food allergies, I've had two.