Bleeding Feet...arthritis? Above And Behind Pads.

[Urismom]

Almost-13-year-old Uri's feet have been bleeding - after finding dots of blood everywhere for a few weeks, it took me a while to trace it to which dog and where. He has pink raw spots on his feet, on the outer toes, behind and above the pads (so not right on the pad). They open up and are bloody after he walks, then settle down, but stay raw, then repeat at the next walk.

 

He has arthritis and is on meds, I have noticed he is limping worse but I don't know if it's a chicken or the egg thing - is he limping, and a change in gait is causing the outer toes to drag? Or is there some reason he has these wounds and the pain from them is making him limp?

 

I'm trying to care for them - ointments, maunka honey, bandaids, socks, but not much is helping. Has anyone seen wounds like this before? Occurring symmetrically?

 

I wish there was a way I could help them heal and not re-open without a vet visit. As he ages and gets more anxious, vet visits become more and more traumatic for him.

 

 

 

 

[cleptogrey]

if he is dragging them that's the cause. as to why he is dragging them i would suspect the arthritis. therapaw booties can be a temporary fix. we had this when visiting my sister, her drive way was a highly textured with some non-skid material in the bricks, but it was temporary- only when felix jumped out of the car did he scrape his pads just enough to leave dots of blood everywhere. i stopped the bleeding with quick stop and parked the car so he jumped out onto grass. the dragging in your case sounds like it will lead to knuckling. try some booties and watch.

[greysmom]

Yes. Therapaws or another padded walking boot will probably help. Plus the boot may help him with his proprioception (knowing where his back feet are). My dogs always "duck walk" with boots on - very funny to watch! - then they get used to them and the walking goes back to normal. He needs to wear them every time he walks on hard surfaces to be effective. I would also add in twice daily soaks with epsom salts for about a week. His feet need to be kept dry otherwise, so they may need to be wiped off after potty trips if it's raining.

 

If the boots don't help heal the lesions a vet visit is in order, probably for xrays - to see if there is some underlying issue.