tornadosgirl Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) Tornado is nearly 12. About a six weeks ago, he nicked an artery near the edge of the lowest pad on his right hind leg. It gushed. It is impossible for me to handle him when it comes to touching his legs, even when muzzled. He goes beserk. (This is nothing new).We brought him to the vet (where he behaves) and they wrapped it. After a few days, when the bandage was removed, the paw was fine for a few days. Then it started gushing again. This bandage on and removal went on a few more times up until his dental about 10 days ago. While he was sedated for the dental, the vet cauterized the artery, stitched it up and bandaged it. It was okay for a few days then it started bleeding again, slightly. We brought him back and got it bandaged up again. Now the bandage has fallen off and it's bleeding some, from time to time. We keep his movement around the house limited. He is due to get the stitches out in a few days (Thursday). I'm just wondering if anyone has a grey with a similar history, in terms of a wound next to a pad keeps opening and doesn't completely heal. I was thinking that perhaps we should get a booty and put it on his paw for like six months, to give it time to really heal. Or should we bring him to some kind of specialist that deals with skin integrity- but what kind of specialist would that be? Our carpets, floors and rugs are covered in blood, so I'm at my wits end. But more than that, it can't be good for this wound to stay open. He has finished up a round of antibiotics. Now what should we do? PLEASE. Can anyone offer any suggestions? Edited September 28, 2011 by tornadosgirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 When Angel cut her foot in a similar position and it was stitched and reopened again after 3 weeks, I put a bootie on for the next 4-5 weeks. (Bought 4 of them so they could be washed). The bootie kept it clean and also made it so that she didn't put so much pressure on it. I leash-walked her for a further month. These things take their time unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xan Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Hm! That's a tough one! I don't have any experience, but a bootie seems like a good idea 'til you're really sure it's healed once and for all. It makes me wonder about ... something ... adhesive. Like that liquid bandage stuff or super-glue (except the solvents can NOT be good for the health!) Duct tape? I've used that for corns and a pad wound that took forever to fill in, and it sticks amazingly well, for days. Maybe that's your answer? Quote My Inspirations: Grey Pogo, borzoi Katie, Meep the cat, AND MY BELOVED DH!!!Missing Rowdy, Coco, Brilly, Happy and Wabi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornadosgirl Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 ........... Like that liquid bandage stuff or super-glue (except the solvents can NOT be good for the health!)....... Forgot to say, when it first happened we brought him to the e-vet (Tufts) and they massively sedated him and put the super-glue on the toe. So we spent about $400 and it opened up as I got him in to the car to bring him home. Duct tape. Maybe. Wonder if our vet would go for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Might try something like a butterfly bandage directly over that area and then a rather firm wrap to keep the foot from spreading out much for 2-3 weeks. Rotten problem to have. Hope you can get it resolved. Quote 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 IllinoisWe 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KF_in_Georgia Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 The only thing I wonder about with a bootie is if he'll let you touch him to put it on, change it when necessary, etc. Actually, that's the same question with duct tape. Quote Kathy and Q (CRT Qadeer from Fuzzy's Cannon and CRT Bonnie) and Jane (WW's Aunt Jane from Trent Lee and Aunt M); photos to come. Missing Silver (5.19.2005-10.27.2016), Tigger (4.5.2007-3.18.2016), darling Sam (5.10.2000-8.8.2013), Jacey-Kasey (5.19.2003-8.22.2011), and Oreo (1997-3.30.2006) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatterseaBrindl Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) Once the stitches are out and the wound is holding, I have found that a toddler-sized sock is a perfect fit on a Greyhounds foot. They pull up pretty high on the leg, and then you can just tape around the top to keep it held up. Nixon ripped his hind toenail last winter and the grandkids socks did a wonderful job of keeping the foot clean and dry. He wore a sock for two ot three weeks with no ill effects. Edited September 25, 2011 by BatterseaBrindl Quote Nancy...Mom to Sid (Peteles Tiger), Kibo (112 Carlota Galgos) and Joshi. Missing Casey, Gomer, Mona, Penelope, BillieJean, Bandit, Nixon (Starz Sammie), Ruby (Watch Me Dash) Nigel (Nigel), and especially little Mario, waiting at the Bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornadosgirl Posted September 28, 2011 Author Share Posted September 28, 2011 Update: Last night (Tuesday) the vet had to apply a tourniquet to get the bleeding to stop. Blood work is being done to see if he has a blood clotting disorder. They may test for VonWilldebrand's Disease. He may need surgery on the arteries in his leg, to find "the bleeder". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racindog Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 (edited) Yes I have had 2 greyhounds sustain foot injuries that continually recurred and were chronic due to the injury and/or its location on the pad. Once the initial injury occurred both dogs endured its re-injury and bleeding etc. for the rest of their lives. A board certified vet after researching it told me there was nothing that could be done , he joked about naming it "Slims Syndrome", and I could see it myself when I looked at the wounds in question. In his case there simply was nothing to hold the toe on but skin- the ligamets etc. having shriveled up. Tuffoot (www.tuffoot.com) sprayed on most every night helped some by toughening the foot as well as could be expected but the bottom line is they both needed Therapaws for the rest of their lives. Slim had to wear his everytime he went out or one of the toe injuries would badly tear and reopen; Minny didn't have to wear them every time because sometimes you could see when his was beginning to separate in time and then put them on. Other times it would just reopen. But bottom line is IMO you will just need to get a pair of Therapaws and he may need to wear it the rest of his life. The up side is they really arn't any trouble and they work great-they stay on and they did protect both of my greyts feet from being reinjured which they surely would have been if they hadn't been wearing them. I came to the conclusion that greyhound feet were just a lot weaker than regular dog feet-never heard of it in other breeds. BTW, with his histroy I wouldn't let any incisions /cuts be made without a good supply of Amicar on hand. Aminocaproic acid could be a lifesaver if he needs it. Edited September 28, 2011 by racindog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Just another thought...if he does end up needing to have surgery, I'd consider a biopsy if there's any abnormal-looking tissue in the area. Hopefully it's 'just' related to injury/bleeding issues, but I've known of a couple similar cases (not greyhounds) where it ended up being hemangiosarcoma. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyt_dog_lover Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Second the AMICAR suggestion. Cant hurt to try... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornadosgirl Posted October 4, 2011 Author Share Posted October 4, 2011 (edited) Just another thought...if he does end up needing to have surgery, I'd consider a biopsy if there's any abnormal-looking tissue in the area. Hopefully it's 'just' related to injury/bleeding issues, but I've known of a couple similar cases (not greyhounds) where it ended up being hemangiosarcoma. We will probably be going the surgery route for Tornado. He had another "episode" of uncontrollable bleeding last week and had it cauterized again. He has had extensive blood work and testing for tick related issues. Everything came up fine. I just never thought about it being anything other than an artery issue. So thanks for the suggestion. Edited October 4, 2011 by tornadosgirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.