Guest mattbta Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Friday, our girl grey started limping noticeably in the evening. By Saturday morning, she would not put any weight on it. I know that they did their usually zoomies Friday afternoon and did not hear any scream of death during that time. However, in examining the foot if we applied pressure to the toe she would scream. Today (Sunday) it is obviously swollen. Do you think she broke it or developed a tumor? Here are a couple of pics (not great quality though.) Other side for comparison: I gave her a left over anti-inflammatory and a pain pill. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenEveBaz Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 (edited) I can't see the pictures, they are not completely loading on my screen. But swollen toes are fairly common in this house. Sometimes they go back down, and sometimes they remain swollen. I've never had a dog refuse to put weight on the foot, though. While cancer is always a possibility even in a toe, it's more likely to something less serious. The vet should be able to get a good x-ray of it. Hugs to your girl. Edited May 1, 2011 by EllenEveBaz Quote Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mattbta Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 I resized the pictures. Hopefully it isn't something serious...she's done this before, but we knew exactly what happened as we heard her scream when it occurred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Unless you can hear the distinctive clicking you can sometimes hear with a break, you probably can't tell what it is without an xray. It could be a break, a soft tissue injury, or something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BauersMom Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Here's a broken toe, for comparison, if that helps. Foot on the left - broken, on the right - normal. Quote With Buster Bloof (UCME Razorback 89B-51359) and Gingersnap Ginny (92D-59450). Missing Pepper, Berkeley, Ivy, Princess and Bauer at the bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest snakes Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 xray probably is the only way to tell but here with toe injuries i generally suspect either dislocated toes or arthritic changes which can be brought on suddenly by a trauma such as taking a corner to quickly (not always with the GSOD). We have two traumatized arthritic toes here and when they are aggravated it usually tkaes about two weeks to get back to normal, non-limping walking/running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackandgrey Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Jill was very good at getting sore toes with swelling like that. Either dislocated which reduced itself prior to me getting to her or just soft tissue. Occasionally she needed an NSAID and no running for six weeks. She seemed to get over that in later years. I would bet it is an injured toe on your girl. Oh Jilly definitely limped with hers. Quote Susan, Jessie and Jordy NORTHERN SKY GREYHOUND ADOPTION ASSOCIATION Jack, in my heart forever March 1999-Nov 21, 2008 My Dancing Queen Jilly with me always and forever Aug 12, 2003-Oct 15, 2010 Joshy I will love you always Aug 1, 2004-Feb 22,2013 Jonah my sweetheart May 2000 - Jan 2015 " You will never need to be alone again. I promise this. As your dog, I will sing this promise to you, and whisper it to you at night, every night, with my breath." Stanley Coren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 You really need to get some films done but, if i had to guess I think a tumor would be low on the list as this seemed to happen acutely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tinams8 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Tumors tend to be on the larger bones or up at the shoulder. My dog's toe looks just like that, happened after lots of running, and she's going for an xray on Tuesday. The vet looked at it and said possibly an arthritis type inflammation from a previous injury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Buck had a broken toe on one front paw and a mast cell tumor on the other. That looks way more like a dislocated or broken toe than a tumor. That is exactly what his broken one looked like. He had a matching healed one on the back when I got him -- as well as an amputated toe on the other back that looked like that but missing the bottom digit. Take her in for x-rays and that will probably tell you. FWIW, one of my former vets, whom I respect greatly, refused to splint Buck's broken toe as he said splints cause more trouble than they are worth. He just was on rest for about 3 or 4 weeks as best I can remember -- that was several years ago -- and came out fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mattbta Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 FWIW, one of my former vets, whom I respect greatly, refused to splint Buck's broken toe as he said splints cause more trouble than they are worth. He just was on rest for about 3 or 4 weeks as best I can remember -- that was several years ago -- and came out fine. Splints are about the worst "fixes" for broken toes in a greyhound. Usually, they cause way more harm than good. Around here broken toes get padded with cotton sheeting, gauze wrapped for comfort with a bit of vet wrap. Trojan's recent broken toe healed well this way and he used all four paws the whole time he was healing (especially important in an old hound with a weak hind end) and being leash walked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Smiley Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Definitely worth a visit to the vet. Not to scare you, but just to offer up another possibility for the swelling . . .Smiley developed a swollen toe overnight and began biting/licking it incessantly. Our vet worried that it was a tumor and gave us 48 hours for it to go down on antibiotics. When it didn't, he removed the toe to be safe. The biopsy revealed a very severe infection. It was a scary ordeal, but turned out okay. I would err on the side of caution and get an exam just to be sure. Keep us posted and hugs to your girl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mattbta Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Sorry about the late reply. The swelling did not go down so we took her in. The vet sedated her to get a better look and got curious so she did some x-rays. There is a small hairline fracture near the claw. Not much we can do about it other than the rimadyl for swelling. It sure is hard to keep her from doing zoomies especially with the 70* weather we've had lately. Thanks everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Sounds like leash walks are in order. Glad you know what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Glad you got it checked. The good thing is a hairline fracture is likely to heal well & completely in just a few weeks. Dislocations & torn ligaments take longer with uncertain futures. Leash restrictions for sure, even for potty walks. The girl is on house arrest. Heal quickly & milk this for lots of extra treats like frozen kongs stuffed with the best of the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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