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Yesterday-ish we noticed Buddy (my boy <3) was limping, so I got him down on the ground in a "rub my tummy" position and checked his foot and he's got a split toe. Ouch. My mom thinks he got it from the concrete on our porch. I put some bagbalm on his toe but he probably licked most of it off . I didn't walk him yesterday at all because I didn't want it aggravating his foot. Today his limp seemed worse so no walk. When I gave him his dinner (about 15 min. ago) he wouldn't put any weight on it. He wouldn't even sit for his dinner like I normally have him do . I'm going to go put some more bagbalm on it after dinner and put a dog bed out there on the porch for him to lay on so he's not on bare concrete and I've got a dog toy with treats in the freezer getting ready to occupy him tomorrow since he can't go on a walk. Is this a good way to be handling his foot?
If you want to know more about him just look at the first post on my other thread "Any Advice For Improvement?" and that tells it all, but some basic info on him is he's a six year old male yellow lab and a big but healthy boy with moderate exercise.
jacksdad wrote:open wound? if so, what's the chance of a vet visit ASAP?
no walks good call. do cut him slack for not being able to do things like normal, which I know you will
Kind of an open wound, although I'm checking it regularly and it doesn't appear to have gotten worse which is good. My mom checked it too and said same thing. There's no blood around the wound or on the concrete to suggest it bled at some point, although there is a scab which suggests it may be healing. The best way I can think to describe it is like skin layers. It looks like maybe the outer layer on the pad of his toe split but it didn't go all the way down and hit blood. Maybe just deep enough to make it tender? As for vet- closest vet closed on Sundays but Mondays are good if we have to go. I put the bagbalm on it before bed so maybe that'll help. I'll keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get worse.
On this same page there is a sticky thread about first aid for pets. It mostly offers links to other articles you can find. I myself have posted a couple of links to articles about caring for your dog's feet. Do have a read through that, and especially find the ones I posted, as they pertain specifically to foot care for your dog.
If an opportunity comes to you in life, say yes first, even if you don't know how to do it.
Is is the pad that is split? If so they normally heal pretty quick. Maya has skinned one of hers at the moment, they are very sore when they are open but they do heal pretty quick. We don't go to the vet for a split pad as it seems to be a fairly common injury for running dogs.
Took him to the vet and got his foot checked The vet thinks he has: 1. An infection or 2. he has a small tumor in his toe. 1 is the likeliest because since I've been giving him his antibiodics he's started putting weight back on it. If it is 2 the vet will just remove the toe instead of having to go through the more costly and difficult procedure of disecting the tumor out of the toe. But I haven't seen him even lift up his foot anymore so it must be doing better. Thanks for your advice. Bye.
Darn it, it's almost like Buddy's trying to get sympathy or something. First his front left paw split and almost healed, and now his back left paw has split. So now he's walking on his nearly healed front and lifting his freshly injured rear. Oh boy. I'm highly confident now that it's the concrete because he never got split toes at the old home and he spends a lot of time on the concrete porch. Now they're BOTH wrapped up and sprayed with apple cider vinegar to keep him from chewing them up. Is it possible to put lotion on a dog's paws to keep them from cracking?
I have an old dog with thin pads, and my vet suggested I found a beeswax-based cream and rubbed that into his paws. It works a treat, and doesn't matter if he licks it off. Rub it right in and keep him off light-coloured carpets until the cream has been absorbed (or licked off).
Aloe vera gel is good too.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
Hm! Musher's Secret has a five star rating. Pretty cheap too. And beeswax gelly stuff. Sounds great.
And what a surprise he chewed his bandages off again As if the apple cider vinegar sprayed bandages wouldn't be deterent enough, I put a sock soaked in it over night over top of that to really make it repulsive. Sigh, I guess he likes the taste or he just doesn't care. We've tried deodorant too and that didn't work (though that might have been the variety because even my mom couldn't smell it). Any quick suggestions for keeping them on?
an elizabethan collar (or "e-collar" they sometimes call them now) will drive your dog crazy but will definitely keep him from chewing for a day or two until the pad has healed up a little.
When Murphy had a rash on his inner thighs he was able to get his little snout around the e-collar. I had to put two on him - the regular one and then a soft one that a friend lent me - to get more material between him and the rash...but he was really bugged by it enough that he got around those, too.
Maybe the apple cider vinegar was irritating enough to make him really want the bandages off.
In any case, good luck. Hope the musher's secret works (for future prevention) if you end up buying it. You should be able to find it at a regular pet store and not have to order it online.
position and checked his foot and he's got a split toe. Ouch. My mom thinks he got it from the concrete on our porch. I put some bagbalm on his toe but he probably licked most of it off 
. I didn't walk him yesterday at all because I didn't want it aggravating his foot. Today his limp seemed worse so no walk. When I gave him his dinner (about 15 min. ago) he wouldn't put any weight on it. He wouldn't even sit for his dinner like I normally have him do 
. I'm going to go put some more bagbalm on it after dinner and put a dog bed out there on the porch for him to lay on so he's not on bare concrete and I've got a dog toy with treats in the freezer getting ready to occupy him tomorrow since he can't go on a walk. Is this a good way to be handling his foot? 
As if the apple cider vinegar sprayed bandages wouldn't be deterent enough, I put a sock soaked in it over night over top of that to really make it repulsive. Sigh, I guess he likes the taste or he just doesn't care. We've tried deodorant too and that didn't work (though that might have been the variety because even my mom couldn't smell it). Any quick suggestions for keeping them on?