Torn Webbing - Becoming A Chronic Problem Now

[Guest chaoran22]

My girl cut her paw on something at the beach (walking toward us and all of the sudden screams and we see a deep, long, but clean cut). It was treated by the vet and it healed just fine. But now, every time we take her to the beach, it splits open again as soon as she starts running. We clean it out and it heals up again perfectly (as far as the eye can see anyway) and we wait awhile before trying the beach again, and it opens right back up again! It heals cleanly each time and when the scab falls off, you just see a very thin line of scar tissue and it looks totally healed.

 

She never had this problem going to the beach before until she cut her paw the first time and now the area's weakened or something (i thought scar tissue was supposed to be tougher...but apparently this is not the case in toe webbing). By the way, it's not cut all the way through, her webbing is totally attached, it's just a cut between two toes in the middle of the webbing, the cut does not extend to the edge of the webbing.

 

Any tips for fixing this? I would hate for this to become a chronic thing with her. It doesn't seem to hurt her much or anything, she would continue to run joyfully even after it splits back up again if we let her so it can't hurt that much I think (although she cries like a baby when we touch it). We keep her nails short and all that to keep her foot in as good condition as possible otherwise so that nothing else aggravates the cut, but nothing seems to really help so far.

[Batmom]

Dunno if you can fix it, but you could try putting a condom on that foot when you go to the beach, to see if that would keep the foot from spreading quite so much. Or just take a couple turns of vetwrap around that foot.

 

Scar tissue lacks flexibility, which is probably why it keeps happening.

[Guest Energy11]

Might have to keep booties on her, when you walk.

 

Really, nothing else I can think of.

[ahicks51]

What's the longest period of time you've gone between trips that it's split? Is there any chance it's just not healed long enough?

[Maddiesmom]

Maddie had a problem kinda of like this with her webbing. I would bandage her up with vet wrap, EMT gel, and wrapt it in toddler sock, and no running for Ms. Maddie, it would scab over, however the scab would come off somehow and it would start bleeding again. This went on for about a week and half or so. I took her to the vet and they examined her and we (the vet and I) agreed that the only way it would heal properly wwas to stitch it. they put 2 stitches in it, gave her the shot before putting the stitches in of course) wrapped her paw up again in vet wrap - and told me to leash walk for 10 days. since then (1 1/2 years ago) we have had no problems with the webbing.

[Guest TheDoggfather]

http://www.tuffoot.com/

[3DogNite]

I kept booties on the foot while healing from split webbing,, but once the webbing was healed I decided to tape the toe-nails LOOSLY together.

 

I opened up the foot, as if it were in soft sand. decided about where the Max open amount should be, and then taped. I usually only taped the 2 toes, but I eventually got it where I taped all the toes. I gave the flexibility of opening up the foot to grab the sand, but not enough to open too wide and split the webbing again. I think I used athletic tape, cut into small strips. my dog was older and did not do major running around. so it worked for me.

 

good luck

[racindog]

You now what? I'll bet a Therapaw might keep her from tearing it when she runs. They work great at dissipating the forces the foot experiences when it touches down. They've worked very well for me. Also would suggust some Tuf-Foot www.tuffoot.com That is great for toughening up their paws. Easy to spray on before they go to bed if you put it in a little sprayer so they don't track it anywhere. You can get it a couple of places also- e.g. KV Vet is very cheap for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest KennelMom]

Echo had a puncture in her webbing and it eventually just split the entire way. So, she's got no webbing between two toes, but it doesn't seem to bother her.

[Guest chaoran22]

thanks everyone - i hadn't thought/tried these so all the suggestions are super helpful. we've gone about two-three weeks between trips and i thought it was healed through but maybe it wasn't. thanks!

[Guest hattiepumpkin]

Hi,

Hattie's webbing actually had a puncture last spring--we have no idea how she could have done it. The vet stitched it up, wrapped it, and when she ate the wrapping, I started putting Vasoline over the cut, and then Bengay around her foot so she wouldn't lick it. The Bengay was recommended to me by a lady I work with who has around 8 greys. I don't think that the combo necessarily corrected it, but it kept it nice and soft until the cut was able to heal completely. I noticed that when it started to scab up, she would try to bite it because it was itchy.

Good luck!