Dark Red Spot On Paw Pad

[TheRiverClyde]

Luna has been limping on and off for a week now. I've made an appointment with the vet but can't get seen until Thursday coming so she's had to persist until then. It's not a constant limp, I notice it when we're out walking sometimes and it will be on both grass or pavements. It will last a few strides then go away. Or when she's just stood up from lying down a long time she'll limp for a bit as if she is stiff.

 

Today I was checking her paws for corns and noticed a dark red (blood coloured) circular mark on one of her pads. It's on the leg she's limping on. It also looks like there could be more coming through on her other pads. I can see two much smaller fainter versions of this large one.

 

Anyone know what this could be? I'll be going to the vets on Thursday but do I need to make an emergency appointment or give her any home medical attention until then?

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

I have also taken a photo but I'm trying to figure out how to post it

Edited February 12, 2017 by TheRiverClyde

[Guest LazyBlaze]

Am I right in saying that you've not had Luna for all that long? (Think I remember this from reading another of your posts, sorry if I'm wrong). Anyway, it sounds as though her paw pads are just sore/worn, possibly from walking more than she is used to. When we first got Blaze he got tender spots on his pads as he wasn't used to walking on pavement for any great distance (I think frequently they are turned out on soft ground when they are kennelled). Anyway we just had to build him up gradually with the walking to allow his pads to toughen up a bit, and we also rubbed them with surgical spirit to help harden them a bit (although don't do this if the skin is broken). Sounds very like tender spots of wear though, just from unaccustomed use.

 

I'm also in Glasgow (*waves*) .

[greysmom]

You can use a product like Musher's Secret or Bag Balm on her pads to see if it helps her. Apply when she's going to be laying down for a while and cover her paws with a toddler sock after you smooth it on so she doesn't lick it off. (Put her muzzle on if she's ticklish or you think she might snap. Have someone else feed her yummy treats while you're working on her feet.)

 

If it *is* from walking, the pad may look worn, and sort of "flat" (with no pawprint), and it may be quite sore.

[Guest LazyBlaze]

You can use a product like Musher's Secret or Bag Balm on her pads to see if it helps her. Apply when she's going to be laying down for a while and cover her paws with a toddler sock after you smooth it on so she doesn't lick it off. (Put her muzzle on if she's ticklish or you think she might snap. Have someone else feed her yummy treats while you're working on her feet.)

 

If it *is* from walking, the pad may look worn, and sort of "flat" (with no pawprint), and it may be quite sore.

 

Yes, Blaze's worn bits felt dimpled compared to the rest of the pad; just thinner/softer and obviously tender. We've used both Musher's Secret and Bag Balm to keep the pads supple and protect them a bit and both are good products (although to get them in the UK they usually need to be dispatched from US. But it's worth the wait. Only similar UK product would be Vaseline, but the Musher's and Bag Balm are better IMO). The OP might need just to take the pavement walking a little easier for a short while until Luna's pads get used to the regular wear.

 

Luna's a lovely name btw. Is she a GAL gal? Blaze came from the GAL. Hope she's settling well.

[TheRiverClyde]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Yes, Luna is very new. We'll have been together two weeks tomorrow so I guess all the new walking on pavements is doing it. There isn't a huge amount of grass close where I live so maybe that's not been helping. And I'm limited to the grass I can walk on at night as so many people don't pick up their dogs poo and usually Luna or me ends up standing in it in the low light. And I also worry about not being able to see glass or other objects she could stand on. There's only a few well light grassy patches we can go to at night. So our walking surfaces aren't ideal at the moment.

 

I'll definitely get one of these products you both mentioned. And I'll use Vaseline until it arrives. I'll get the vet to check her paws too to make sure.

 

She doesn't even make a fuss, or lick her paws and pull to get on the grass. Shes such a wee trooper. I wish I had a huge grassy garden for her!

 

Yay! Another Glaswegian Greyhound owner! I thought I may be the only one on here. It's nice to see someone from Glasgow although I do love seeing so many Greyhound owners from all over the world on here. I live in North West Glasgow.

 

I got her from the Retired Greyhound Trust (West Scotland branch). I had never heard of GAL, thanks for letting me know about them.

 

I named her Luna as I got her during the Lunar New Year so I thought it was fitting. (and I LOVE the moon 😊)

 

If you would recommend one of the products better than the other which one would it be? Mushers Secret or Bag Balm?

Edited February 13, 2017 by TheRiverClyde

[greysmom]

The Musher's is specifically for paw protection, usually from cold/snow/ice, hence the name. Bag Balm is more a generalized moisturizing product than can be used for a variety of issues including corns, small scrapes and cuts, bruises, dry ears and nose.

 

You might check in with your group to see if there are UK products that are comparable.

 

Smooch sweet Luna for us!

[Guest LazyBlaze]

I'd probably recommend the Musher's for the paws, since it's specifically designed for them. Bag Balm is more of a multi-purpose product, really similar to Vaseline but seems to heal things as well. Both will last AGES. I've had my pot of Musher's for about 5 years and still plenty left. The Bag Balm tin is tiny but a little goes a very long way too. You could use a surgical spirit rub temporarily to help the tender spots toughen a little and then use Vaseline to keep the pads supple in the meantime.

 

Greytalk is a great resource, I get all the best tips from here! So glad I found it.

[TheRiverClyde]

Thanks very much for helping greysmom and LazyBlaze. Me and especially Luna really appreciate it!

[TheRiverClyde]

Just had a look online and Musher's Secret is sold through Amazon.co.uk with delivery within 10 days so I'll be able to get it no problem in the UK.

[TheRiverClyde]

Finally figured out how to post a photo. I know I've already had great advice but wanted to add the photo for refer and for anyone reading the post in the future.

 

 

The mark is on the third pad from the left.

[RaineysMom]

Could that be the start of a corn showing? :

[PrairieProf]

That looks to me exactly like oozing from a puncture wound and likely tiny foreign body. My Cocoa had that and only limped on hard surfaces and especially rough ones (like the rougher pavement of the street, as opposed to the sidewalk). She would get the dark circle after walking right around the nearly invisible puncture hole. Or it could possibly be a bruise. Does the dark wash off?? If you wash it and look really closely, can you see any tiny hole or tear? That is NOT ordinary wear (and doesn't look like a corn to me, although my greys have not had corns).

 

It needed two excavations to get the tiny, tiny little stones/glass beads out of Cocoa's paw -- one after an xray, one after an ultrasound when she was still limping after the first excavation (ultrasound will show foreign bodies that don't appear on xray). It took a good while after that for the hole to really heal up and all limping to stop.

 

I recommend you get to the vet for further inspection. Don't worry, the excavations didn't require general anesthesia or anything dramatic like that; I think they might have done a local for the second, deeper one.

Edited February 14, 2017 by PrairieProf

[greysmom]

There is some wear on the pads, but I agree there's something else going on on that pad. Could be a deep bruise from a rock, or as mentioned above, a foreign body or puncture.

 

The musher will still help the other pads. You should add in a daily soak of that foot in Epsom salts. It might be called something else in the UK - magnesium sulfate? Twice or three times daily would be even better. And see what your vet says.

[Guest LazyBlaze]

I'm still inclined to think hard wear, given the very short time you've had your girl and all the pavement walking she's been doing since. Your photo looks very similar to how Blaze's pads looked when we first got him and were a bit gung-ho with his walking without realising that he wasn't used to hard surfaces. He had the darker red spots too; we spoke to GAL about it and they said it was very common in the early weeks (many of the hounds have been used to softer surfaces all their lives). But from your photo it does look quite sore, so it's worth getting your vet to check there's nothing else going on, a small piece of glass or something, or possibly corns, which the breed are prone to (the tiny white spot on the pad next to the red one maybe?). As greysmom says I would probably give it a good soak in Epsom salts to see if you can see anything untoward. Let us know how she gets on at the vet on Thursday. Hopefully all you're dealing with is wear that needs a bit of healing time.

 

Sending lots of TLC to the lovely Luna, she looks like a sweetheart from that wee glimpse.

[GeorgeofNE]

For what it's worth, I NEVER go out at night without a very bright LED flashlight.

 

If you had one, you could see where you were walking and what you were walking on! They're small, light, and easy to tuck in a pocket, and super bright!

[TheRiverClyde]

I gave her paws a wash and the marks remained. They do look like bruising and I couldn't see any punctures around the marks. There is also much smaller versions on some of her other pads showing too which makes me think it's bruising from walking on hard surfaces.

 

I put Vaseline on her pads as they look cracked and I'm waiting for the Musher's Secret to be delivered to help make the process of getting used to hard surfaces easier.

 

As for using the torch out while walking, I tried it once but she seemed a little scared by it and kept stopping to back away from it and looked hesitant. But I'll try it again and get her used to it as it's better than what she could possibly stand on. I'll get an LED torch, thanks for the tip GeorgeofNE.

 

Yesterday she was lying on the couch on her left side. She turned sharply to her right to lick her back area and she yelped out in pain. As well as her paws being worn I think there may be something wrong with her shoulder or muscles around her shoulder/back area. Her skin does this strange recoil movement when I clap her there.

 

I can't wait to we see the vet. My paranoid androidia is returning full force now. I'll keep you updated on what happens with the vet.

 

Many many thanks again on all the support and advice.

[greysmom]

They are usually sleeping when it's dark so they're not use to being outside during the night!

 

Good thoughts for you both and let us know what happens!

[Guest LazyBlaze]

Yesterday she was lying on the couch on her left side. She turned sharply to her right to lick her back area and she yelped out in pain. As well as her paws being worn I think there may be something wrong with her shoulder or muscles around her shoulder/back area. Her skin does this strange recoil movement when I clap her there.

 

 

Sounds like maybe a muscular trigger point (makes the muscles and skin twitch). She might appreciate the application of heat to the area (hot towels or a heated blanket on a very very low setting) and a gentle massage. She could be carrying some tension in her shoulders/neck possibly from an old injury or maybe just even from tensing up in the cold. Heat and gentle massage can work wonders.

 

Good luck at the vet, and in general with your girl. Sounds like she has landed on her feet with a caring owner!

Edited February 14, 2017 by LazyBlaze

[PrairieProf]

I highly recommend Pawz disposable rubber booties (Medium is the size for a greyhound). I use them whenever my greyhound has any issues with her pads, on top of always using them when there are winter issues like ice and salt. Thin and light but MUCH more effective protection than Musher's Secret, which I have personally never found to do much. You can get them on Amazon. Kind of a pain in the butt to put on for each walk but I LOVE them.

Edited February 14, 2017 by PrairieProf

[TheRiverClyde]

Thank you all very much again for the replies. All the advice has been helping us loads.

 

Sooo, lots to update on now! The limping problem is due to pain in her shoulder. There was so much trading of questions and information with the vet I forgot exactly what she said it was but it was something along the lines of a strained/strethed muscle or ligament. She's on anti inflammatories for 10 days to calm it down and then the vet will review it from there and I'll keep an eye on her from home over the 10 days.

 

The initial red spots on her paws that first had me worried have died down. Seems most likely to be bruises from the walking on hard surfaces so I've got the Musher's Secret ordered and I'm going out today to buy boots. I'm sure my dog shop does those disposable rubber boots PrairieProf suggested, so thanks for the tip.

 

She was limping much worse last night and on inspection of her paws I found a little white head in the middle of the largest red spot I showed earlier in the photo. After about an hour of frantically reading about corns worrying over how I was going to deal with them I realised it was actually a tiny peice of glass! It had unbelievably managed to get stuck exactly in the middle of the red spot leading me to think it was a corn! 🙈 Anyways, glass shard is out, I've been applying Vaseline to her pads to sooth the cracks so hopefully with the added boots and Musher's Secret her paws will soon be better and cracking these dreaded hard pavements instead.

 

She's also now managed to upset her stitches from her neutering op with excessive licking. So I'm off out today to buy her a head cone then start a twice a say wound cleaning routine!

 

Man, thank goodness you all are here. Your helping make Luna healthy and happier and also helping de-stress me a whole lot! 😂

Also, I didn't realise they weren't used to walking at night. She seems fine with walking in the dark now and also fine with the torch too. She adapts to new things so quickly! They are amazing creatures these dogs!

[XTRAWLD]

To help her paw pads heal up, may I recommend trying to soak her foot in a warm epsom salt bath? If you have a tall container, like for yogurt or something, it would work best. Mix a bit of epsom salts and warm water and have her stand in it, if she's a tolerable pooch to that sort of thing. Soak it for about 5 minutes and then just pat dry and let her stay off her feet. Try not to let her lick, but it won't harm her if she does. If you can try to do this twice a day for about a week and she should feel some relief after having glass stuck. I had to take "something" out of Ryder's paw pad, I still don't know what that something was but I think it was glass, and I softened the pad first with epsom salts to help draw it to the surface for a couple of days, then I got it out and continued to soak until it healed.

 

Also, as noted, she's new so she's not used to walking around so much on pavement, so her little paws haven't quite hardened yet. Reduce your walks for a little bit if you can until her body can catch up.

 

I have had my share of limping issues with Ryder all his life, but not paw related, so I can certainly sympathize.

 

Glad you resolved it.

Edited February 17, 2017 by XTRAWLD

[TheRiverClyde]

To help her paw pads heal up, may I recommend trying to soak her foot in a warm epsom salt bath? If you have a tall container, like for yogurt or something, it would work best. Mix a bit of epsom salts and warm water and have her stand in it, if she's a tolerable pooch to that sort of thing. Soak it for about 5 minutes and then just pat dry and let her stay off her feet. Try not to let her lick, but it won't harm her if she does. If you can try to do this twice a day for about a week and she should feel some relief after having glass stuck. I had to take "something" out of Ryder's paw pad, I still don't know what that something was but I think it was glass, and I softened the pad first with epsom salts to help draw it to the surface for a couple of days, then I got it out and continued to soak until it healed.

 

Also, as noted, she's new so she's not used to walking around so much on pavement, so her little paws haven't quite hardened yet. Reduce your walks for a little bit if you can until her body can catch up.

 

I have had my share of limping issues with Ryder all his life, but not paw related, so I can certainly sympathize.

 

Glad you resolved it.

That's a good idea, I didn't think to reduce her walks, how stupid of me.

 

The Epsom salts, do they help heal/sooth the paws or is it just to help draw any object out?

 

I put the Pawz rubber boot on the paw she was limping on (the same one she had the glass stuck in) and I definitely saw a reduction in her limping.

[Neighsayer]

If she doesn't do well with the cone, you can do a homemade bitenot collar. Fold a bath towel lengthwise, wrap it around her neck, secure with vetwrap. It prevents them from being able to reach their stitches. I used it for my girls after their sprays. You can make it wider or thicker as needed. There are videos on YouTube to explain how to make one. Much cheaper than buying an actual bitenot collar.

[XTRAWLD]

The epsom salts do both They make the skin more soft and tender so that it's easier to remove the object. It soothes because it's able to work to relieve tension. If you've never had a epsom salt bath for yourself, it's wonderful at helping to release tense muscles and also helps to heal open sores.

[TheRiverClyde]

Sorry for the late thank you, I wasn't able to get access to the site for a while. Thanks for the tips, I've never heard of Epsom salts before this forum so I'll get those and treat Luna to a paw soak. She stood well for me the last time washing her feet out so should be fine during the salt soak.

 

I really wish I read your idea Neighsayer about the towel as a cone before I spent £8 on one from the vets! 😂 Oh well, I know for future.

 

 

 

Sounds like maybe a muscular trigger point (makes the muscles and skin twitch). She might appreciate the application of heat to the area (hot towels or a heated blanket on a very very low setting) and a gentle massage. She could be carrying some tension in her shoulders/neck possibly from an old injury or maybe just even from tensing up in the cold. Heat and gentle massage can work wonders.

 

Although her limping as stopped her skin/muscles around her shoulder and face still twitch when I touch the shoulder. I'd like to try the massaging you suggested LazyBlaze but have no idea how to do it. Could you give me an idea of how you would do this on a dog please? Edited February 21, 2017 by TheRiverClyde