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Deep Ulcer Between Beth's Toes


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The vet just cleared Beth to get on the furniture again! :yay She is going to be sooo happy to be able to lie on my bed (which my friend has dubbed The Giant Marshmallow) again, her favorite place. Still going to try to prevent her from running into the bedroom to get on it with a flying leap, though.

 

The foot is looking good except for that rubbed knuckle top -- even there the scab is getting smaller but it still looks so red and shiny and hairless. I'm not that much expecting it's going to grow hair again after the repeated abrasions, which will draw visual attention to her duck foot. :(

With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)
And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad

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Good idea, but it would be pretty hard for me to manipulate the full-size bed and box spring in a tiny bedroom without assistance. It's just a basic metal under-frame at least -- not a particularly high bed. Beth is an excellent leaper, and does seem to take care with that foot. Hopefully she is OK getting off as well as getting on.

With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)
And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad

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I'm in California now, but I got such wonderful updates on Beth yesterday from the tech who's taking care of her. The vet said her foot looked great and as of yesterday: she doesn't need to wear the muzzle, she doesn't need the bootie on to go outside, and she doesn't need to be on Tramadol! I was actually sort of shocked about so many quick transitions at once, but I'm sure the vet wouldn't rush them if he didn't really think she was ready, as she's been doing fine with all of them. It makes me wish I was there to see her walking! (Sort of -- it's great to be on vacation with a friend after all the stress of the past six weeks or so.) Jess has been sending me lots of cute pics too (too much work to get most of them online on someone else's computer), but Beth is clearly not missing me in the least. I think she thinks she's become an official staff member at the hospital....

With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)
And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad

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I think she thinks she's become an official staff member at the hospital....

 

:lol Sutra had the same idea. Since he spent a decent amount of time under the care of our vet, he was allowed to lay on a bed behind the front counter. So later, anytime we went there he thought it was time to go behind the counter and help the front desk gal :wub:

Kristin in Moline, IL USA with Ozzie (MRL Crusin Clem), Clarice (Clarice McBones), Latte and Sage the IGs, and the kitties: Violet and Rose
Lovingly Remembered: Sutra (Fliowa Sutra) 12/02/97-10/12/10, Pinky (Pick Me) 04/20/03-11/19/12, Fritz (Fritz Fire) 02/05/01 - 05/20/13, Ace (Fantastic Ace) 02/05/01 - 07/05/13, and Carrie (Takin the Crumbs) 05/08/99 - 09/04/13.

A cure for cancer can't come soon enough.--

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I picked Beth up this morning after returning from being on vacation for a week. There's been good progress in my absence -- all of the areas on her foot that needed to close up have done so, although the skin is still delicate and needs to regrow hair (although I'm skeptical about how much will regrow where there were deep granulation areas). She hasn't been using a bootie or been muzzled or needed to be on any more pain meds since early last week!!

 

The vet wasn't in today, but his instructions via the techs are to walk Beth for 10-15 minutes max to start with, mostly on grass, then slowly build up. I'll bring her in for an appointment Friday so I can get some more detail.

 

Meanwhile I let her come up the seven carpeted stairs to my office room for the first time since her injury a little bit ago -- she is happily sacked out on her big dog bed here. This room is one of her favorite spots, and now I can finally be on the computer again without being separated from her. :blush She apparently did really well staying at the vet's all week, but she seems really zonked today -- I guess it's normal, I feel that way too after my trip!

With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)
And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad

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Aaaaaaaaaaah, good news! :) :) :)

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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Yay Beth!

gallery_7628_2929_17259.jpg

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

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I think this will be my final update on this thread, though I suspect I'll have some other toe-amp questions down the road...

 

We went to the vet this morning since he wasn't in the office when I came back from vacation and he hadn't seen Beth in close to a week. He said her foot is completely healed now. :yay And to my surprise she is now free from all walking restrictions (the instructions I'd been following after I got back were 10-15 minutes mostly on grass)!! We can go back to our normal walks on pavement or wherever, I just have to rebuild her exercise tolerance. :thumbs-up

 

The foot has not come out cosmetically perfect, sigh. There is a hard, rounded lump of tissue right above the amputation site that will probably never go away -- it doesn't really show when she's standing on the foot but it deforms the shape of it otherwise. The vet doesn't think it's a sign or will be a cause of problems for her; I guess time will tell. And the areas that had to granulate in to heal almost certainly won't regrow hair, and this unfortunately includes the knuckle of her remaining middle toe that got so abraded by the wrap. Hopefully as the rest of her hair fully regrows it will cover it a little more, and the skin will get a bit less red than it is now so freshly closed up. There is no one more unfortunately obsessed with cosmetic details on my hound than I, so this is hard for me, but I know I'll notice this stuff less over time.

 

I know the important thing is that Beth is happy, pain-free and doing all her normal behaviors, though I've been trying to keep her from getting too nuts jumping around. I'm really scared of the prospect of letting her run again later in the summer (for fear of her damaging the remaining toes on that foot), but one thing at a time....

 

:gh_bow

Edited by PrairieProf

With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)
And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad

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And the l-o-n-g road of recovery is finally at an end!!! Yea!!!!

 

Take it easy for a bit yet, sweet Beth. Your mama can't take a relapse!

 

xoxoxoxoxo

 

Desi

Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog.

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Thank you! Yes, the taking it easy part will be tricky ... it was 98 degrees out this evening and she tried to jump and twirl on the grass to celebrate the joy of pooping. :rolleyes: I'd say she has some pent-up energy....

With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)
And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad

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Anne, I will bet that in time, her skin that is red will turn back to white...Ace's abraded areas have all returned to a normal color...and since she and Beth are of similar coloring, I bet she'll be fine :)

Kristin in Moline, IL USA with Ozzie (MRL Crusin Clem), Clarice (Clarice McBones), Latte and Sage the IGs, and the kitties: Violet and Rose
Lovingly Remembered: Sutra (Fliowa Sutra) 12/02/97-10/12/10, Pinky (Pick Me) 04/20/03-11/19/12, Fritz (Fritz Fire) 02/05/01 - 05/20/13, Ace (Fantastic Ace) 02/05/01 - 07/05/13, and Carrie (Takin the Crumbs) 05/08/99 - 09/04/13.

A cure for cancer can't come soon enough.--

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So happy that this has come full circle! Thank you for all your updates.

 

On a side note, we tried medication on Kasey during his allergic testing days that would help to rebuild the surface skin and promote hair growth. He, as most greys, have a lot of hair loss on their big beautiful butts, but aside from this, his ears were extremely red and raw from allergies. The idea was to repair and strengthen his skin and as a bonus we would get hair growth. Believe it or not, the meds worked and you could see hair regrowing on his butt, in turn his skin strengthening on his ears. Not sure how far you want to go cosmetically, but there are meds out there that may help with hair regrowth. We gave up after about a month, since the pills were rather large and he needed 2 to 3 a day (not to mention expensive.)

Proudly owned by:
10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 2010
12.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015

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Huh, interesting ... I don't think this is the same thing, though, since we're talking about scar tissue from deep wounds in the hairless areas, not hair loss on basically intact skin.

 

This has been the best Fourth of July weekend I can remember, because I'm so thrilled about having Beth mostly "back". We are now taking up to 25-minute walks (and I'm sure she could do more, but I don't want to overdo it increasing length too fast); Saturday we went to a M&G and Sunday we went to a friend's backyard barbecue where there were other dogs she knows. I've missed this sort of thing so much! She did fine and seemed very happy!

Edited by PrairieProf

With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)
And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad

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