Split webbing

[Carla]

Hello.

I am asking for advice. My galga who is 6 yo and full of beans split the webbing of her external toe in the back leg. Back in August

I took her to the vet and they stitched her up. And after over a month and all healed and walking in the lead. In the first run she split it again.

after two months of resting she opened it again further.

vet told me to surgically finish off cutting the split which I did at the end of November 

now in February I let her off the lead and it is bleeding again. She yelped once when running but otherwise she does not seem in pain or licking it. The vet has told me to leave nature to do its work and clean the wound after the walks. 
i just don’t know what to do. This situation has left me stressed and hating to walk her also she does not enjoy the freedom of running like mad as she normally did.

has this happened to anyone before. All the posts I see it says that everyone recovered and they were fine.

thanks in advance

carla

[greysmom]

Webbing repairs very rarely hold since the skin is so thin, and they take forever to heal because there's so much stress at those places.  

There's no need to stress over this though.  Dogs do just fine without having webbing and I've had dogs who's whole foot was "unattached" so to speak. 

You're basically going to be managing an open wound, so it's going to take time - another 2 or 3 months.  Keep it clean and dry as much as possible.  Cover it with a boot if needed during the bad weather.  Try and keep her from running - exercise restrictions on leash if necessary - for 4-6 weeks to give the wound a chance to heal.  If you want to help speed things along a daily soak in warm epsom salt water will keep the wound clean and promote healing.  You can use some antibiotic spray - Neosporin spray or another type of wound spray are the easiest, but creams or ointments also can work.  If it gets infected it's going to take longer, so keep a watch out.

You can do this.

[FiveRoooooers]

You might also try using EMT gel to close the wounds. Once the gel dries, keep the foot covered with a boot or sock to keep it dry and give the area a chance to heal. If you don't have a dog boot, ask your vet for an IV bag, they work great in a pinch! 

[cleptogrey]

i went thru this with annie. our late wonderful(old fashioned country style) vet had me clean the site 2xs daily with hydrogen peroxide. yup- to form scar tissue. it was a royal PITA to rebandage 2xs daily, but i got really really good at bandaging. it worked, no problems what so ever. she had the Vulcan salute and continued to run like the wind w/ absolutely no pain or bleeding. 

[Carla]

Hello,

Thanks for your advice. The vet who operated on her told me to leave it and don’t do anything. Just clean it after the walk as they think it will not split any further. In her case, she had surgery to finish off the split and she was on the lead and with the wound covered for 2 months. And as soon as she run it opened.

This is the reply from another vet who I asked for a second opinion (although too late)

Quote

”This is a problem that is recognised after cutting back a web where the cut is taken back too far. Unfortunately I can't suggest a solution as I feel that any attempt at reconstruction will fail. However, it will not split any further and is unlikely to cause a serious problem. They always heal quickly but of course open again after exercise.”

She has been in total for 6 months without playing or running and it is a nightmare.

Thanks for all your replies. I am just worried sick she will never be able to play in her bouncy ways she likes.

Also apologise for the font size. It has gone bananas.

regards

carla

Edited February 16, 2023 by Jeff
Font & Format correction

[cleptogrey]

2 hours ago, Carla said:

Hello,

The vet who operated on her told me to leave it and don’t do anything. Just clean it after the walk as they think it will not split any further. In her case, she had surgery to finish off the split and she was on the lead and with the wound covered for 2 months. And as soon as she run it opened.

 

seriously, try to hydrogen peroxide. you girl needs scar tissue then it won't open and bleed again.  i poured it on the first couple of times, then used a baby medicine dropper to squirt it on the area. 

[greysmom]

I would start searching for a good boot for that foot.  Make sure it fits properly, keep the toenails on that foot really short, and perhaps use a toddler sock underneath the boot to help it stay on when she runs.  If the foot doesn't get so much torque put on it, it may not split so easily.

You still need to keep her quiet.  I just spent two years - TWO YEARS - keeping a two year old under exercise restrictions.  It can be done.  But it takes daily leash walking, lots of brain games, and a ton of patience.

You also might look into getting a second opinion from another vet.

[Carla]

thanks for your kind replies.

I can clean her with peroxide mixed with water. But peroxide stings. I use it a lot for myself. But I can give it a shot.

I don’t know how to download pictures so you can see them. It says they have too many MB, file size too large. 

I have asked two vets. The one that I showed you his reply and her vet that did the op. I have contacted other vets but no reply.

The wound is not bleeding it is just a bit raw. I wash it when I get back from the walks.  Both vets say to let her run but taking it easy which is difficult for a hound when it goes bananas. I am letting her off the lead, but on her own so she does not go mad playing but at least she is moving her muscles a bit. I live in a tiny flat so there is not much I can do in the house. She is bored out of her mind and I have back problems so longs walks on the leash cause me so much pain. It has been a struggle these past 6 months.

I have tried many boots but they all come off when she runs. If anyone knows of a boot that will keep up with running please let me know.

Sorry, I am all over the place, also new to this forum so I am still learning how it works. to resume:

-How could I download pictures in this forum? Any way to make them smaller?

-I will try peroxide but what percentage and  what proportion of mix with water?

-I have also tried the Epsom salt. But what concentration have you used?

-do you know of any boots that would keep on when she runs?

Thanks again. I live on my own with my galga. She is my only company and being able to walk together was our only joy (apart from her loving to eat 🙂). I have read in so many places that all hounds are fine after a split webbing but mine even after surgery and so many months rest don’t seem to fully resolve. 

 

 

[Jeff]

2 hours ago, Carla said:

-How could I download pictures in this forum? Any way to make them smaller?

Upload not download.
Upload to, (or link to in this case) not download from.

• go to https://imgur.com/
• Click NEW POST, green button upper left (I am using a laptop, not a phone)
• Open your file manager, select your image, click, drag and drop to where it says DROP IMAGES HERE

Your image should show on that page when it is done uploading, now we need to get it here ...

• Right click on the image on that webpage, and select copy image address.
• Then, just paste it here, it needs to end in .jpg, my example looks like this:
   

https://i.imgur.com/GR2QD8e.jpg

and this is the result

 

 

[Carla]

Thank you Jeff. I will give it a shot.

kind regards

carka

[ramonaghan]

Are you in the UK? I had some great leather moccasins for my girl Sweep, but the company is US-based so I'm not sure the shipping cost or time would be worthwhile. The nice thing was that she could still feel the ground so she didn't do that goofy "I'm wearing shoes" walk with them, and they stayed on well. Something similar with a leather sole like these Muttluks might work. 

The EMT gel cited above is a good idea, or Derma gel is also excellent; it was recommended to us by the surgeon who did Sweep's amputation.

Best of luck! Foot/toe problems are so frustrating with these guys.

Edited February 16, 2023 by ramonaghan

[Carla]

Thank you Ramonaghan

i am in the UK. I will have a look at the links you have sent me. The boots can be a problem when she runs, but definitely will have a look. I have never heard of any boots that keep on when a greyhound is running. Also I have read about the issues of hurting themselves as they don’t have the same grip.

it is just crazy! I was a skin cut. And it has been half a year since.

thanks so much for your advice 

[Carla]

[Carla]

[Carla]

[Carla]

Hello,

Thanks Jeff for helping me with attaching the pictures.

These are some pictures of her webbing split. It is not infectec. The vets say that it will not split further but as you can see it is still raw.

Thanks for your help

Carla

[FiveRoooooers]

12 hours ago, ramonaghan said:

Are you in the UK? I had some great leather moccasins for my girl Sweep, but the company is US-based so I'm not sure the shipping cost or time would be worthwhile. The nice thing was that she could still feel the ground so she didn't do that goofy "I'm wearing shoes" walk with them, and they stayed on well. Something similar with a leather sole like these Muttluks might work. 

The EMT gel cited above is a good idea, or Derma gel is also excellent; it was recommended to us by the surgeon who did Sweep's amputation.

Best of luck! Foot/toe problems are so frustrating with these guys.

 The pics are helpful (thanks Jeff!). Your gorgeous pup is clearly more interested in napping, awww. 

Keeping the wound clean and free of infection is obv important, but with all the "wet" cleaning the area may not have the opportunity to scab over and resolve. *If she were mine* I would use one of the glue gels above, let it dry, apply a fleece sock from here, and use something like the Active Walker boot for activities. The denier boots from DogBooties are also great and you could graduate to that once a good scab has formed and continue using it until you're convinced the area is healed. I've used both of these products with terrific results for several senior campers. Good luck! I hope you can get this resolved. 

[Carla]

Hello,

thanks for your reply fiverooers. Yes, lua is a very lazy galga. But she has two buttons, on or off. Either she is passed out on the sofa or she is playing and running like a lunatic.

 

I have ordered Dermagel and trophy EMT gel. I will try them and see which one works best.

However the dermagel containd alcohol. Will this sting? Are these gels easy to remove?

I think for boots if she is off the leash I don’t think the will stay on. The only ones that I saw that might have a chance are the dogmoc but I am in the UK.

I will keep on trying as the main thing with her wound is that it does not get infected, heals and more important that it does not split any further with both vets say it is unlikely. So I will keep my fingers crossed.

if anyone else has more ideas please let me know.

thanks for your kind support

carla & lua

[ramonaghan]

3 hours ago, Carla said:

I have ordered Dermagel and trophy EMT gel. I will try them and see which one works best.

However the dermagel containd alcohol. Will this sting? Are these gels easy to remove?

It's a very small percentage of alcohol, so I don't think it stings. I've used it on two dogs with no reaction whatsoever from either. The board-certified surgeons at the specialty clinic that treated Sweep's cancer swear by it.

It wipes right off if you need to remove it; it doesn't harden, so you will need to cover it. I believe the EMT gel does form a "scab" but I don't have firsthand experience.

[JaimeL]

In the US there are thin rubber booties called PAWZ. They are like little balloons, those pulled over the softer felt/fabric booties might keep every thing on. They are somewhat difficult to get on which is why I think they would not pull off easily. Purple is the color size for most greyhounds. Check your local pet store or online.

[Carla]

Thank you very much for all your kind advices. I Will give it a shot and see how it goes. As long as it does not get infected or splits further I will be happy. Let’s see if Mother Nature also helps and she heals so she can go back to a normal life.