Guest limbrooke83 Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 DeeDee went with us to the dog park last night, and did quite a bit of running. The dog park is entirely grassy (no cement whatsoever), and I didn't see anything sharp on the ground, but today I noticed her licking the pad on her front left foot. Upon inspection, I found that the pads on three of her feet are torn/ripped. I've never seen this before in a dog, so I'm not sure what to do. Parts of the "old" section of the pad are hanging there - should I leave them hanging? Let her bite them off? Clip them off myself? DeeDee doesn't seem to flinch or show any discomfort while I'm touching the affected areas, and there's no bleeding whatsoever. I'm posting some pics below. I apologize for the low quality of the pics - it's hard to get good pics of her feet! Any advice you could give me on what to do about this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! -Brooke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 If they aren't bleeding and she's not flinching when you touch them, I'd leave them alone and keep an eye on them. She'll do what needs to be done to them. If they start to bleed or seem to start really hurting her, then I'd clean them out, put some antibiotic ointment on them and have her wear boots or socks to keep them cleaner and from her chewing on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 This can happen, especially when the ground is hard (either from packed earth, frozen ground, or any type of packed ground in drought conditions) and especially when they run more than usual. Since there's no bleeding, I would not trim anything and let things heal on their own. I would pick up some Bag Balm and apply it once/day or every other day until the pads have healed. You can find bag balm online, in any feed/farm store, and even in Petsmart (though it's usually more $$$ there). I also might shorten up the nails a bit for her comfort and traction. Oh, and what a pretty girl she is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Energy11 Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 To Me, anyway, they don't look that bad. You CAN rinse off with antibacterial soap and water, and put antibacterial ointment on them, then, toddler socks, and booties, if you have them. ... Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesiRayMom Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 I vote for bag balm. Good stuff. Quote Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IrishGH Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 GHs will "blow a pad" on hard ground and the grass is dry, when a grey plants a foot and turns hard it happens. We clip off any skin that is flapped or hanging with a small sharp pair of sissors, a nail clipped will also work. Keeping pads soft will help prevent this from happening but sometime it does happen. Bag Balm works well, it's one of many items in our travel "First Aid" box. Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FullMetalFrank Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 We have been using Musher's Secret on our coursing girls when they have blown pads. It does seem to toughen them up. Yours does not look too bad; I'd clip the loose hanging skin like IrishGH suggests. The first pic looks a little like a cracked pad, so you definately want to get something, Bag Balm or Musher's secret, on there to help with moisture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 no blood....slightly cracked....it's sorta like dry cracked heels on a human. ...all of the advise above will work. i'm a bad mom, if it's not bleeding i leave things like that alone since they will clean it up. a really sliced-bloody, torn pad takes 2 weeks to heal w/ or w/o stitches. this should be fine in a couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 That's pretty minor. I've definitely seen worse in my own dogs. These dogs run hard and it can happen... I just keep 'em clean and dry and they heal on their own. I also use bag balm on my coursers...it seems to help unless the conditions are extreme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest limbrooke83 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Thanks, everyone! I've ordered some Bag Balm, and clipped the excess hanging part off. She seems to be licking her feet a lot less with the excess gone - I get the feeling it was poking her when she walked. I also ordered some Bag Balm, which should arrive in a few days. Question: How often/long should I apply the bag balm to her pads? Should I apply it to all four paws, or just the three that are injured? Should I just make it an ongoing thing to apply it every few days or so, or is that unnecessary? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 during coursing season I (try to remember) to apply it to all pads every night after last turnout. I usually actually remember to do it 3-4 times a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Hope DeeDee's feetsies are OK! Doesn't look bad at all to me. FWIW, you can get Bag Balm at Walgreens, with the human moisturizers, if you don't want to wait! Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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