Not: Osteo In A Toe - Yeay!

[Xan]

Vet called: nothing bad showing on xrays, so they're going ahead with the amputation and dental. That's good, but it's still sort of bad. I'm so confused!

[cristar]

Good wishes for your boy. He'll be just fine without that stinky toe to bother

him anymore.

I know you're worried but he'll soon be home and on the mend.

We had a male years ago that was missing a toe when we adopted him. Didn't hinder him

at all.

Also had a sweet male that was on pheno and bromide for seizures. Every time he had to have

anything done I worried about him seizing because of the stress. He never did. He always came

through everything with flying colors.

He'll be just fine.

[greysmom]

 

Any news yet??

[Xan]

No news ... yet ......

[Batmom]

Keeping fingers and toes (I still have all mine) crossed!

[galgrey]

[Xan]

We'll be going to pick him up shortly! Vet said he did "brilliantly", didn't need any teeth extracted (yeay!), and he's waking up normally! :

 

So, I've been spending some time looking over bandaging tutorials, and others' stories of toe amputations, joined the group Anne sent me to on FB called "3-toed Greyhounds". It looks like we may have a tough couple weeks ahead, but we can do this.

 

Now we wait for the path report!

 

Thanks for all your good thoughts! Keep 'em coming for a nice, boring healing!

[Batmom]

So glad he can come home!

[45MPHK9]

Glad to read this good update.

[lovinggreysslp]

Glad to hear your update! We can exchange bandaging stories for the next couple weeks!

[TwiggysMom]

Great news!

[greysmom]

 

How's Brilly today???

 

Bandaging is always a pain, but keep on top of it. The hospital told me to keep Dude's bandage and splint on for 2 weeks. *I* wanted to take it off after about 7 days, but did what I was told. Dude developed bad pressure sores from the splint and required 6 more weeks of bandage changes to take care of those - long after his amp site had healed.

 

Elastikon tape is brilliant! Buy lots!

[krissn333]

I second the Elastikon. It is worth EVERY PENNY!

[Remolacha]

so glad things went well! Hoping for a nice boring recovery. Boring is good!

 

I don't know if they gave you a splint or not, but if they did, I wouldn't keep it on for more than a week at most.

[Xan]

 

Glad to hear your update! We can exchange bandaging stories for the next couple weeks!

How's it going with Cosmo? How often are you changing the bandages?

How's Brilly today???

Bandaging is always a pain, but keep on top of it. The hospital told me to keep Dude's bandage and splint on for 2 weeks. *I* wanted to take it off after about 7 days, but did what I was told. Dude developed bad pressure sores from the splint and required 6 more weeks of bandage changes to take care of those - long after his amp site had healed.

Elastikon tape is brilliant! Buy lots!

First night down! I spent the night with him in the living room, so everybody else could get some sleep. He rested, not comfortably, but at least not restless, for all but about an hour in the middle. We worked our way outside for a pee, he drank some water, and after much whining and standing woefully despite all my encouragement and petting and water-holding, he finally found his way back to lying down, where he stayed mostly quietly until around 7am! I call that a pretty good first night! He's had his pain tramadol; meloxicam, cephalexin, pheno and thyroid will come at 10 {just finished with that}, he ate a good breakfast and DH took him out for a full potty. He's now resting quietly. We fenced off the other two dogs, but they all seem to want to keep in within eyeshot of each other, or whining ensues on all sides. Funny, considering they're not exactly a cuddly bunch! But, pack is pack, right?

The vet wants to do the bandage changes herself, so she can keep an eye on his progress. I'm going to watch carefully, and will kibitz if necessary. I will also use my judgement about how long to keep the bandage on. My vet does have some experience with greys, thank goodness. There aren't a whole lot of them out here, so that's a big bonus. Luckily, Brilly is not a big licker or chewer, so that will make life easier for all of us. If/when necessary, I have lots of bandage stuff, including some elastikon. (Darn greyhounds! ) I've been reviewing all the great tips on the Never Say Never blog page.

Question: does anyone use the athletic bandage, the stretchy stuff for sprains and support? I saw it in the drugstore yesterday and wondered. It sticks to itself, and is re-useable, so maybe it would replace at least some of the vet-wrap, where it didn't actually touch the wound area to get soiled, but to hold "the whole banana" together. I just hate throwing stuff away, and wadded up vet wrap kills me. Yeah, I'm like that.

So, here he is yesterday evening, dopey and droopy in the rear, panting like a freight train ...

And here he is this morning, chillaxing after his meal and meds.

(Yes, my rug is that dirty! )

Aaa..nd now he has gotten himself up on the couch while my back was turned! : I'll have to be fast to help him down, later!

Oh, and splint: BLEH!! We used one when he broke his toe years ago, and he still bears the scars! Ptui! No splint. It doesn't look like he needs it, so far, based just on his level of mobility already.

[KF_in_Georgia]

I've used the drug-store "skin-colored" (depending on your skin) wrap in a pinch. I seem to remember it was more expensive than the vet wrap and wasn't reliably sticky enough to reuse. It's why vet wrap sticks to itself and makes you throw it away--very sticky; the people bandage wrap isn't that sticky.

 

I suppose you could use it with safety pins or bandage clips, but I'd be afraid of hurting him putting the pins or clips in. Also afraid he'd eat them right out of the bandage the moment my back was turned, even if he didn't normally mess with the bandage. (How is your boy with toys? My guy is reasonably nice to toys--except when there's something sticking out on it. Label, ears, a nose--Sam will go for the sticky-outy parts. Safety pins and bandage clips would qualify as "sticky-outy parts.")

 

Brilly and my Sam look a lot alike--all the way down to their inability to get their entire body on a bed--and their matching abilities to pose next to the dustiest, hairiest parts of mom's house.

[NeylasMom]

Sort of thinking out loud here, but I wonder if cold laser therapy could be useful at all in healing, of the wound itself or helping the skin in between the toes stay healthy or promote healing if sores start to develop. We did a few treatments a week for a little while when Zuri punctured the skin in between 2 of his toes. A stick must have punctured it, because he literally had a large deep hole about the width of a pencil going back into his foot up where the webbing between teh toes "meets". Anyway, the laser therapy was really helpful in speeding up the healing.

 

Also, the vet had be do bandage changes in between visits, especially as we spread them out further. We didn't pad the toes with anything (his whole foot was wrapped), but we used a product that I think was really helpful in preventing sores. It was a gel, can't for the life of me remember the name, but I can look when I get home. It has wound healing properties, but I think more than anythign else it kept the area lubricated. My vet swears by that stuff as well.

 

Glad he's home and doing well. Keeping my fingers crossed for a negative path report.

[macoduck]

Xan, have you looked into using PawFlex bandages?

http://www.pawflex.com/#

[Jerilyn]

There’s Brilly, with the sickly toe,

It’s gone and he’ll feel much better.

All worried were his good people,

Cause they love him so much!

http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html

I don’t know the origins of Brilly’s name, but this is what I always think of.

Hope the handsome guy is back to full speed soon.

[Xan]

I've used the drug-store "skin-colored" (depending on your skin) wrap in a pinch. I seem to remember it was more expensive than the vet wrap and wasn't reliably sticky enough to reuse. It's why vet wrap sticks to itself and makes you throw it away--very sticky; the people bandage wrap isn't that sticky.

 

I suppose you could use it with safety pins or bandage clips, but I'd be afraid of hurting him putting the pins or clips in. Also afraid he'd eat them right out of the bandage the moment my back was turned, even if he didn't normally mess with the bandage. (How is your boy with toys? My guy is reasonably nice to toys--except when there's something sticking out on it. Label, ears, a nose--Sam will go for the sticky-outy parts. Safety pins and bandage clips would qualify as "sticky-outy parts.")

 

Brilly and my Sam look a lot alike--all the way down to their inability to get their entire body on a bed--and their matching abilities to pose next to the dustiest, hairiest parts of mom's house.

I'm not sure if we're talking about the same thing. I've tried the human version of vet wrap, and agree it doesn't stick enough. I'm thinking now of the stuff people wrap on sprained ankles or whatever, that used to need those spiked clips. Now, they sell self-adhesive versions, so presumably no clips necessary. I'm thinking it might be worth having on hand, either for them or us!

 

Oh, yes, the "sticky-outy-parts"! Always a target, right? As all the eyeless, noseless, earless and tailless stuffies in stuffy hospital can attest!

 

Posing in a dust pile is pretty easy around here, I have to confess! : I used up too much of my lifetime housecleaning budget earning a living back in the day, I always say!

 

Sort of thinking out loud here, but I wonder if cold laser therapy could be useful at all in healing, of the wound itself or helping the skin in between the toes stay healthy or promote healing if sores start to develop. We did a few treatments a week for a little while when Zuri punctured the skin in between 2 of his toes. A stick must have punctured it, because he literally had a large deep hole about the width of a pencil going back into his foot up where the webbing between teh toes "meets". Anyway, the laser therapy was really helpful in speeding up the healing.

 

Also, the vet had be do bandage changes in between visits, especially as we spread them out further. We didn't pad the toes with anything (his whole foot was wrapped), but we used a product that I think was really helpful in preventing sores. It was a gel, can't for the life of me remember the name, but I can look when I get home. It has wound healing properties, but I think more than anythign else it kept the area lubricated. My vet swears by that stuff as well.

 

Glad he's home and doing well. Keeping my fingers crossed for a negative path report.

I've sure been reading a lot of mentions of cold laser therapy! My vet doesn't have it, or we might give it a try. My only experience with lasers was with a bite wound Brilly took to the neck, where another vet used it to clean and neaten the wound. It healed beautifully. I know: not the same thing at all.

 

Pogo did that, with the spike between the toes! Ick. It was a thick grass stem, and it worked its way all the way through his foot!!

 

I had thought of the lubrication possibility, as opposed to the cotton/padding between the toes. Any idea what that product was? I bet any of the greasy antibiotic type ointments would work, or even maybe coconut oil? I'm all for doing the bandage changing myself (control freak much? ), but I'm willing to see where my vet is going with this first.

 

Thanks for the good thoughts for the path report!!

 

Xan, have you looked into using PawFlex bandages?

http://www.pawflex.com/#

 

I just stumbled on those yesterday! Doesn't it look like something that should be easy to make or approximate? If a wound didn't need anything but protection from the elements, with possibly a bit of absorption, a baby sock and plastic wrap should get a potty walk sufficiently squared away. The vet gave us a fabulous boot, made of something like woven nylon, with a hard sole, two velcro tapes, and a drawstring top. So far, it works great, easily fitting over the bandage, and staying on and stable. I was just going to use IV bags, but this is a lot easier to secure and walk in!

There’s Brilly, with the sickly toe,

It’s gone and he’ll feel much better.

All worried were his good people,

Cause they love him so much!

http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html

I don’t know the origins of Brilly’s name, but this is what I always think of.

Hope the handsome guy is back to full speed soon.

That IS where his name comes from! It's really "Brillig", but he only hears that when he's in trouble. He was an only dog for about a year, so I was calling him and the 3 cats Brillig and the Slithy Toves. Sounds like a British band from the '60s, doesn't it?

[NeylasMom]

I'll look at the bottle when I get home Xan and let you know what it is. Coconut oil could potentially be a good, and fairly cheap option. It's supposed to have healing properties as well. Don't know anything about applying it near an open wound though.

[Xan]

Thanks, Jen! That would be great. Anything new that helps, right?

 

I've tried coconut oil on a skin rash on another greyhound, and it was very helpful. Not an open wound, but ... I've also been using it (mixed with CET toothpaste) to brush the dogs' teeth, and I've been very impressed with it. No more red gums, and Brilly's dental went surprisingly well, with no upset gums afterwards. I've even taken to using it myself mixed with baking soda as a toothpaste! I have sensitive teeth, but this actually, somehow, keeps them from being sensitive. Color me happily surprised!

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Glad to hear Brilly is faring reasonably well. Which toe was it again? Lasers can't be used over areas with cancer so wait until your path comes back before you ask...

[Xan]

Oh! Good to know about lasers over cancer! Thanks for that!

 

The toe is the inside left front; non-weight-bearing, thank goodness.

[lovinggreysslp]

I am so glad to hear that Brilly is doing well. Cosmo's toe is healing much better than Larry's toe amp a few years ago. I have been taking the wrap off every night and letting his paw get some airtime. I got quite a scare this morning though when I was unable to find a wrap on any of Cosmo's paws! I knew I had rewrapped the night before but all four paws were wrap less. Apparently a 1/2 inch of elastikon is not enough to keep a wrap on Cosmo the kicker. We found the brand new wrap under his dog bed. On the positive side, his paw looked awesome so tonight he is going commando until the morning, with muzzle on at bedtime.