Xan
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Posts posted by Xan
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Jack had this problem, and I just used to use bag balm. It didn't cure the problem, but it kept his toes from getting sore. His were exactly as you describe, the very top layer of skin was worn, and there was a little blood-tinged circle around each worn place.
He didn't seem to notice it too much - it didn't make him limp, or flinch when I touched his feet (well, no more than usual - he was always freaky about his feet), but I felt the bag balm helped to stop them getting worse.
Oh, and the other thing I did was take very careful note of what happened to his toes when his nails were long or short. It wasn't just a matter of keeping the nails short, with Jack, I had to keep them the right length. In the case of two of his toes, this was actually a bit longer than most people would like, because the action of his nails on the ground moved his toes up in a certain way so that they didn't rub so much. Does that make sense?
Total sense! Thanks! That's exactly it, as you describe. He doesn't seem too fussed about me cleaning them or messing with it, but the toes are so tightly pressed, it's hard to even get in there!
The nail length is also a good point. I'll watch that.
Alan had sores between his two of his toes on one back paw. I showed it to my vet, he said there's nothing I could do, but I did use corn pads, yes. I did that for a while. They never bled or got infected though. In time, they seemed to harden, got less red, maybe like calloused. Believe it or not, I only saw Alan take the corn pad off once or twice. The rest of the time he left them on.
Did the corn pads stick right to the sore spot? They're sticky on one side, like moleskin, right? I hope they do toughen up ...
: It's strange that I never noticed it before. Maybe it does have to do, at least partly, with the current length of his nails.Thanks, you two.
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Poor Brilly!
This isn't a big deal, like osteo or even as big as a broken toe, but the poor dude has an issue. His middle toes on his back feet rub together tightly enough that he has sores on the knuckles. Not deep nasty infected sores, but still, the top layer(s?) of skin are gone, and the surrounding area is blood-tinged. Keeping them clean is important, obviously. And difficult in mud season.
But, heck, they're his toes! How do I keep them from rubbing? Or do I? Do I put corn pads between his toes? Lube them up with Bag Balm? Make him sleep with spacers until they spread out better??? 
Anyone else have this problem, or at least some helpful suggestions?
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Wow!
Wish she was out here on the west coast!
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I've tried almost all of these, except for surgery.
I've been giving Wabi about 2T of nutritional yeast every meal (which she loooooves), and her last corn, which seemed particularly large, went away on its own! Yeay! I'd been giving her NY, but I upped the amount when the corn was so bad. No return of the nasty thing yet!
Wabi can take walks with us again! -
I've had this issue with Wabi, too. I feel it's because her nails are too long (bad mommy! wiggly fussy puppy!
) At least, they are too long, and I expect it does keep the boots from fitting as well as they should, and also keep her toes from flexing as well as they should.I have also had the experience of having her foot swell when I left a bootie on longer than necessary (it was one of the fleecy ones from Therapaws for indoor use). It just doesn't work to have a tight band around an extremity! (My rule is now to only use them while she's walking, not even lying in the car on the way to a walk or home.)
Whatever boots you get, do check the insides really well for rough seams or hard bits. I had two full sets of tall boots, and the velcro had a VERY rough edge inside where it was seamed in. I didn't check this first, and only found out when I took them off, and found bloody abrasions on each leg of two dogs!!
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All great advice! Isn't it nice to know you're not alone, nor the first, to be living with this?
You can do it. Like cleptogrey says, better sooner than later. It will be harder as the behavior becomes more ingrained and rehearsed.
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I don't know why he started acting this way, but maybe what worked/is working for us with Pogo will help you.
In the event that you can't find someone else with a dog to help with your training, you can use your everyday encounters as training events. Keep an easily-accessible supply of treats on you any time you go out. When you see a dog (keep your eyes peeled!), start watching Jupiter. If he looks at you or even turns his head ever so slightly away from the other dog, "Good dog!" and treat. Chances are, he'll be pretty curious what that was about, and look at you again, giving you another opportunity to treat him. Keep doing that until you pass the other dog, taking even the slightest glance away from the other dog as your moment to praise and treat. Also, especially when you're starting out, do NOT go straight towards another dog, like on a sidewalk. Cross the street if you have to, but make a large curve around the other dog. As he improves, you'll be able to get closer, but start out easy. Let him succeed. This is the Readers' Digest version, and there's more here on GT about this method (search for LAT game, or search my dog Pogo's name). It will work. Now, Pogo sees a dog, and looks at me to see if treats are going to start appearing, which is a much better response than leaping around like a crazed mustang/wolf, barking and snapping and dragging me off my feet.
Good luck, and I hope you can sort out why this started in the first place. That might help you avoid or manage the specific triggers.
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We have assigned beds in our bedroom, too. Didn't start out that way, but DH and I were woken up by snarling in the night. Sahara had the better bed, and Coltrane was looming over her, trying to squeeze her out.
The fact that Brilly's aggression only shows up when Wabi is in the better bed makes me think this is the cause, not a sleep startle. He also has been picked on by Pogo, right? Being closer to Pogo might be adding to his stress, making him more likely to go after Wabi. Good luck with with rearranging your room!
I think someone else may have mentioned this, but maybe when Brilly has the corner he feels totally secure because Wabi is between him and Pogo? And when Brilly doesn't get the corner he just doesn't sleep as well and is just ready to come up fighting in case he thinks it's Pogo? Make any sense?
The fact that Brilly's aggression only shows up when Wabi is in the better bed makes me think this is the cause, not a sleep startle. He also has been picked on by Pogo, right? Being closer to Pogo might be adding to his stress, making him more likely to go after Wabi. Good luck with with rearranging your room!
That is a good possibility. I know when my older dogs were younger Luna and Briley would get in a tiff over the whole alpha dog thing. Luna always won and then Briley would go looking for poor Sunny to pick on. Maybe with Happy at the bridge this is a manifestation of the changing pack dynamics. Not sure how to solve it though besides adding another "best bed".
I think these are all part of the mix, really. I do think Pogo's being at one end, even if he doesn't do anything and is invisible behind a blanketed x-pen wall, is a factor, making Brilly a bit on edge. Even when Happy was here, we had some squabbling over who got what bed, mostly from Wabi trying to take the corner bed when Happy was in it. The corner bed is also by the heat vent, and closest to the head of our bed: truly prime position!
Last night, I just put a bed across the room, past the foot of our bed, and Brilly stayed quietly on it all night. If that's all it takes, then great! We'll see how it goes. Don't want him interfering with the Cat Races, either!
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I'm going to put Wabi on my side of the bed, so they can both have a corner, but Brilly can't get her unless he literally jumps the whole queen size bed. Just hope he doesn't decide to attack DH instead! Maybe we should muzzle him for awhile at night, though I hate to do it to him.
I read this and thought why would Xan think muzzling her DH would help.
Can you crate them in your room at night? Dogs that are crated at night seem to know that is their "safe place". Just a thought.
I am essentially crating the boys, using an ex-pen opened out into two loops against the walls. I don't have any crates (jeez! they're expensive!!), but that would be better, since the ex-pen doesn't close definitively, just butted up to the wall as it is.
I've just cruised Craigslist for crates, but no luck. I'll keep my eye out, though.
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Hm. Yes, I can imagine that would be pretty scary!
Another looooo-oooong night. I gave Brilly a big dental treat when he went in, which was appreciated ... for a few hours. After that, it was a lot of crying, pawing to get out, slipping out once (not much of an effective barrier then, is it?) ... I need a different arrangement, which may involve moving furniture. *sigh* Whee.
Thanks for all the input, folks!
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I love the picture that just made in my head, Judy!
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Did Gladys snap out of it immediately with no after effects?
It was a long night last night! Brilly was separated in one loop of ex-pen (we have one, so I've looped it to cut off a corner for Pogo, and now a loop against the wall for Brilly). He was very restless, whining and even tried to get a roo going (but Wabi just barked, and Pogo ignored him), and managing to wedge himself out of his loop 2 or 3 times. *sigh* It might just be he's unfamiliar with being rounded up like that, or being that close to Pogo, even though they can't see each other. I'll try training him to feel more positive about the confinement. Maybe a kong will help change his mind about it.
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Good point. He did seem normal, once we called him off. Normal meaning, a little nervous about why he was being dragged off out of the room so suddenly, and just sort of unhappy about being stuck into the ex-pen. Not disoriented or wobbly.
Does sound more like some sleep-thing, doesn't it? Good. That's at least easy to deal with!
Ohiogreymom, Spiral and Brilly are related ... about 5 generations back!
Spiral is closer to Pogo and Wabi, actually. -
Yikes. What a (familiar) roller coaster ride you're on! I hope Pearl finds her appetite, and just recovers to go on. And on!
:bighug -
In case you're not already, you might want to muzzle her while you mess with that wound. Poor girl!! Ouchy ouch ouch ouch! Looks pretty well sewn up, from this. Not surprising it's inflamed. Brilly got a gaper like that once, and the vet used laser surgery on it to clean up the edges. The stitches were teensy, and you can barely see the scar now. Good luck with this. Hugs to YOU, too!
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Judy, thanks. We must have been responding at the same time.
I know both Wabi and Brilly like to get up, stretch, and angle for the "good" bed during the night, which we can't monitor, being asleep, so I think you're right that we should just take control of it in a way they can't get around. (Side note: There have always been the occasional grumbles during the night if the holder of the corner bed gets moved in on, and Wabi is usually the one to try it! Happy often let her share, but Brilly is less happy about that, and Wabi will make a huge fuss if someone tries to share with her. Wabi will also get to whining and complaining in the middle of the night if she gets set on the corner bed, and Brilly won't give it to her.
Makes me wonder why we never separated them before this, when I write it all out like that! ) -
Hey, Ohiogreymom, Brilly is a Tapmar dog, too (see the link in my sig).
I'm thinking you're both right. We've already decided to keep them physically separated. I'm going to put Wabi on my side of the bed, so they can both have a corner, but Brilly can't get her unless he literally jumps the whole queen size bed. Just hope he doesn't decide to attack DH instead! Maybe we should muzzle him for awhile at night, though I hate to do it to him. Changing the furniture around is an interesting thought.
Ohiogreymom, that's what I was thinking, too. That he's asleep and dreaming - of who knows what - when he gets aggravated enough in the dream that he wakes up still feeling the call-to-attack.
Poor little Wabiline! She curled up in a ball and didn't move all night, even though Brilly was 4' away, muzzled AND ex-penned!
Thanks, ladies.
Any seizure stuff that looks anything like this?
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Over the last couple months, Brilly (7 years old, male, 6 years with us) has randomly (that is, WE can't figure out why!) jumped up from apparently being asleep to attacking Wabi (6 year old female, 5 years with us), who was also asleep, NOT touching him. This has only happened 3 or 4 times. The first two times were on consecutive nights, skipped one, then again. Nothing for a few weeks, then again last night. After each attack, we muzzled him, then actually separated them with an ex-pen. Wabi was not hurt, just scared. Each time, when we jumped up yelling, to intervene, Brilly left off immediately, and allowed himself to be hustled away by the collar.
What the heck??
This has only happened at night after we've all settled into our beds.
Bigger context: There is always a little tension over the favored bed; in the corner, furthest away from Pogo's end (he's enclosed in an ex-pen draped with blankets, but he still gets barking mad if the other dogs try to fluff their beds, which intimidates them). Last night, Wabi had won the corner bed. I can't remember now what the positions were the other times (Just talked to DH, who says he thinks it's always been when Wabi had the corner). They're all in our room. We keep them on one side of our bed so the cats can finally have free run of the house and bed and us. Brilly has never shown a particular tendency to sleep startle, either.
Household changes: Happy, who had been with us for two years, used to sleep in the same area now shared by just Brilly and Wabi. She passed in November. This behavior began at least a month after Happy died.
Thoughts??
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Aw, Piper!
I'm so sorry for your loss. You gave her so much, and she obviously loved you back with all her life and heart.
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Beth, my heart is crying for you. He was your special buddy, your partner, your sweet dog, and it's so obvious how much you loved each other.
He came home to you, and will always be in your heart. I know it feels like a black hole where your heart was, but be ready. He'll bring it back to you, full of love, full of happy memories.
:bighug -
It's good you're going to the vet, but as a balancing note to the good advice above, my girl Happy had pimples that came and went. We had them checked but they were just that: pimples.
Good luck!
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One of my two greatest nightmares (the other being my dogs get loose)! I am so sorry for the dogs, and their owners. Horrible. Horribly sad.
:bighug -
:bighug
Love, hugs and tears for you, Alisha.
Farewell, Iceman. I'm sorry we never got to meet in person.
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Ack! Poor Jake and you! I hope you can find out what's wrong, and that it's cureable. What a drag.
Hoping for a bright, healthy NEW year for you and Jake!
: It's strange that I never noticed it before. Maybe it does have to do, at least partly, with the current length of his nails.
This isn't a big deal, like osteo or even as big as a broken toe, but the poor dude has an issue. His middle toes on his back feet rub together tightly enough that he has sores on the knuckles. Not deep nasty infected sores, but still, the top layer(s?) of skin are gone, and the surrounding area is blood-tinged. 
But, heck, they're his toes! How do I keep them from rubbing? Or do I? Do I put corn pads between his toes? Lube them up with Bag Balm? Make him sleep with spacers until they spread out better??? 
Wabi can take walks with us again! 
) At least, they are too long, and I expect it does keep the boots from fitting as well as they should, and also keep her toes from flexing as well as they should.
:bighug
Toes Rubbing Together
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted
Nails. Must be the issue. Like you say, dixidoll, not as much walking on dry, hard surfaces in the winter combined with not being as diligent with the dremel and voila!
Okay, so cornpads wouldn't really work for B, since he's sore on both sides. Not that he's complaining! I'll keep him lubed up, and get back to basics on those nails!