Torn Carpal Pad: Stoic Greyhounds, Dramatic Greyhounds, And Sometimes

[Samwise]

So Sam has a pad his left front paw which has been tender for almost two weeks, the majority of which he has spent limping and whining. He spent almost a week hopping around like a tripod! Although he was getting better on his own, we took him to the vet this morning to make sure it wasn't anything too serious. The vet examined the pad, the paw, the leg, and the shoulder, and said that maybe there had been a cut or a corn on the pad of the paw, but that he looked okay. The vet joked that greyhounds come in two varieties-- the stoic, and the dramatic. And Sam can definitely be a drama queen!

 

We took Sam to the dog park this evening now that he has been given a clean bill of health. He was finally running and playing normally. It was such a joy to see him finally acting like himself again! He was as happy-go-lucky as I've ever seen him.

 

Well, withinn five minutes of getting home and Sam hopping up on the couch, I noticed a few speckles of blood. "Oh," I thought, "he must have nicked himself. I looked over to his other side and saw a huge bloodstain, on the blanket and on his paw. "OH," I thought. "THAT'S A LOT OF BLOOD."

 

Upon closer examination, it turns out he tore the carpal pad on his right paw (not even the one he had previously injured) almost clean off. It was wildly bloody, but it doesn't seem to bother him too much. He wasn't really limping, and he let me disinfect and wrap it. We're totally stumped as to how it even happened. He didn't fall or collide with anything (or anyone) at the dog park, so we can't figure out how he manage to hurt himself so badly.

 

I guess the vet was sort of right-- greyhounds can be stoic, dramatic, or sometimes both! We wouldn't have even noticed Sam's injury if I hadn't spotted all the blood. So when its nothing, he makes a fuss, but when it's serious he plays it cool.

 

Have any of your dogs torn their carpal pads? Are your pups stoic, dramatic, or both?

 

 

[KF_in_Georgia]

Carpal pad injuries tend to be sharp turns, hard stops, and rough terrain rather than falls.

 

Silver is stoic in everyday life, but she'll yelp (or scream) at the vet's.

 

Tigger is a screamer at the vet's, and a cry baby at home. He also lets out a yell when he's pulled too hard on the leash and I haven't given in and let him lead me where he wants.

[turbotaina]

Heyokha nearly completely severed his running in the back yard. He had to get it sutured and we had it X-rayed to make sure he didn't fracture the stopper bone. Sutures were internal and external and the vet wasn't 100% it could be salvaged, but it did heal. And no, he didn't make a peep, just stood there bleeding all over. . This is the same dog who was so focused on what I was eating that when he accidentally bumped into my foot on the ottoman as he approached for full on begging, he screamed bloody murder.

[Guest AimeeBee]

George has torn his carpal pads when out playing before. They bled quite a bit, but he really didn't seem to notice. I just kept them clean and sealed up with emt gel and they healed pretty quick.

 

He's been very stoic with "bigger" things (two cuts that needed stitches have been all we've encountered so far, thank goodness). However, he did manage to scare my father with the dramatic bellowing greyhound scream. The crime? Dad reached over to pet him and then get a hold of his collar before answering the door. That was a fun phone call.

[Batmom]

Stepping in poop? Scream of death, shattering windows for miles around.

 

Cut leg down to the icky inner bits? Not a peep.

 

Hugs and hopes for good healing ... and no more blood!

[TXRedbo]

Redbo regularly scrapes up his carpal pads (and his metacarpals), even when playing and running on soft grass. He barely even notices during and after his playtime, but he'll cry and whine when I cut off any dangly bits. At this point, I just let him nibble any loose pieces off. I swear he feels better.

 

Gives a whole new meaning to tenderfooted.

[cleptogrey]

felix has done this numerous times. he HATES bandages, so once it stops bleeding i've given up on cleaning up shredded vet wrap and he just licks the slice to death and chews off the extra pad. sounds pretty gross, but as long as it's not gushing blood and he's not limping(due to the bandage- he's a true drama queen) i just let it be. this dog has ripped off his stop pads, sliced and diced all of his pads on his front feet and then some- skinned his pasterns stopping! that's what part of the territory of having an active greyhound.