Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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While clipping Jack's nails, I noticed her paws are starting to look different. I don't think there's anything wrong right now, but her pads feel more worn and smooth, as if they've been polished. Maybe this is because of the extra pressure on them now? I've noticed a difference in her traction - in our building's lobby, she's slipped more often lately. I thought of walking her on grass whenever possible instead of the sidewalk. Any other suggestions?
Same here. His paws definitely look much different than before the surgery. Johnnie is a front-leg amp, so his remaining leg and has become super-muscular and the paw pads are plumper than before, because of the weight they are bearing now.
Johnnie is a Golden Retriever so he grows a lot of fur around his pads and toes and I have to cut them every two weeks to prevent him from sliding on the floors.
Whenever I can I have Johnnie walk on the grass instead of the cement. Besides giving him more traction my impression is that a softer surface has less impact on his joints.
Our awesome Golden Boy was diagnosed for OSA in April 2014 in the proximal humerus, front-leg amp on 05/20/2014. Finished chemo (Carbo6) on 07/10/2014. Ongoing treatment: acupuncture + K-9 Immunity Plus ( 3chews) and home-cooked no-grain diet. Stopped Apocaps because of liver issues. Liver issues: controlling altered enzymes with SAM-e and Milk Thistle. October 17: started having seizures. Taking fenobarbital for seizures. April 18: started prednisone.
Interesting observation about the shiny feet, but that makes total sense. Our Wyatt Ray has very shiny soft paw pads.
Daniela is correct, walking on grass as much as possible is much less stress on the joints. When you play catch, fetch, chase, etc., do it on grass as much as you can. And cutting fur between the toes is also helpful. Any slippery surface can be very tough on a Tripawd, especially as they age. We use Pawz booties in places like the vet's office, anywhere we're going where there will be shiny slippery floors. What's really great about them is that you can put 3 in your wallet and always be ready for any slippery situation.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Glad I didn't have to start a new thread for this topic. Here's my situation:
My dobie had her leg amputated and I need to start paying more attention her paws. She has some cracks on the pads, some fine ones and one or two slightly large ones. They also seems a bit rough/raw in general. She doesn't seem to experience any pain but does lick them quite a bit when she's relaxing. (Although she licks more at the paws in general and not really on the pads themselves; also, she's an obsessive-compulsive dobie so the licking has always been a problem.)
There are absolutely no paw care options where I live. Recently, my brother went to another country and looked for creams for her foot pads. He told the vet at the pet shop about the cracks in her paws and the vet said that applying cream would only make the pads softer and more susceptible to injuries. His only recommendation was to limit her contact with cement/concrete, which is very difficult for us to do without confining her completely.
Here are my questions:
- What would you recommend for paw care? (Apart from nail and hair trimming)
- What do I use to clean the paws, and how often should I clean them?
- At what point should I be concerned about cuts/cracks in the pads? Are there ways to seal or heal these?
(If anyone has links to resources that I can read through, that would also be great.)
Thanks!
Boy that is a great question. We've been lucky to never have real issues with Wyatt or Jerry's paws so I'm not really experienced with that.Do her paws stink at all? Dogs sometimes develop yeast infections when they have too much moisture between their toes. Are there any signs of too much moisture?
I do know that musher sled dogs rely on paw wax to keep their paws from cracking so I'm not sure why a vet would be of the opinion that a paw conditioner wouldn't help. When Wyatt's paws do get a bit dry we use an assortment of paw conditioners on him. They're made with organic, all natural ingredients like Dr. Harvey's Healing Cream, which has shea butter. Can you get shea butter there? If so I would feel perfectly OK putting some on her feet at night, as long as you can be sure she won't slide around on your floors afterward, it might make her paws a bit slick when you apply.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I've been meaning to say hi to you! My dog grew up in Sierra Leone and I can sympathize with the lack of choice of products and limited veterinary care. Kudos to you to putting so much effort into making sure your girl gets the right care.
I spoke to my vet about this as well after posting and was told that I have to be careful not to put any ingredients that would soften paws, just like the vet told your brother (what those might be, I am not sure). My vet recommended looking for products with wax in them and I had good results using Musher's Secret during the winter to protect her from salt.
I also saw this DIY paw wax recipe, which contains shea butter like Jerry recommended, melted with beeswax. Could you get beeswax? Here are a couple more recommended paw creams - you could see what these companies use and try to replicate what they do.
If she's licking and her paws stay moist, it can take longer for them to heal. Does anyone have good recommendations for preventing licking?
jerry, her paws certainly don't smell like roses but I wouldn't say they really stink either... doesn't seem to be moisture either. (I'll need to double check that though, because it's been raining here and she was walking on wet ground, so can't really tell).
We don't have shea butter (nor beeswax) but we do have cocoa butter (human version). Would that be okay? I'd probably put it on at night, while she has the cone one, so that she doesn't lick or slip. But I am worried about the pads absorbing chemicals (I heard they do - is that true?)
I could ask my mom to get shea butter from SA (she'll be coming here in a week), but I was hoping to apply something immediately. Should I clean the pads at all with plain water?
@dcjack, hi too you too 🙂 Sounds like your dog has quite a story there!! At least here (surprisingly) there are a couple of animal organizations as well as a bone specialist who could do the amputation. I wonder how it is in Sierra Leone though? Can't imagine there being anything there for animals!
I would be cautious about cocoa butter. I know chocolate is dangerous for dogs and would be concerned that cocoa butter contains whatever is problematic. But I don't know enough about it- hopefully someone else does!
What about coconut oil? That is definitely safe for them to ingest if she licks some off and I see it in some of the paw creams.
And yes, Sierra Leone has very, very little in the way of animal services. There's one incredibly talented and hardworking vet in the entire country who works with dogs (I think there are one or two more who work with livestock). Here's an article about him - Gudush Jalloh stayed in the country through the civil war to care for dogs, risking his life. We happened to live just a block from him when I was there and I loved chatting with him. He's done incredible things.
Glad her paws don't stink too much. Most dogs feet do have a slight aroma but if you notice hers are stinkier than usual that could be an issue. Obviously not the case though, yay!
Hmm I can't find anything about whether or not cocoa butter is safe for dogs. Weird. Coconut oil is though, so I like that tip!
Gudush Jalloh stayed in the country through the civil war to care for dogs, risking his life.
Wow. Thank you for letting us know about Dr. Jalloh. You are so lucky to have known him. I just read the article and some others about him, I just want to cry and at the same time be happy for people like him in this world. He has a Facebook page and website but there's no recent activity and no way to donate 🙁 Poor doggies. I can't imagine.....
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
izzyabraham said
But I am worried about the pads absorbing chemicals (I heard they do - is that true?)
Absolutely. Dogs are sentinels for problems like chemicals on lawns, water, etc. See:
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Don't have coconut oil but can get some... I saw the vet today and he took a look at her paws. He said they are normal and look the same as his dog's paws, so not sure what to think now.
Dr Jalloh is amazing!! But I read that there are only 4 vets in the country - that's awful 🙁
Hi again!!
Just want to confirm that normal, human coconut oil is safe for dogs? Her crack in the remaining back paw has gotten bigger and got me worried. For the record, the vet who did her surgery said her cracks look normal and his dogs have the same.
I managed to get hold of some coconut oil and will put it on before bed and cover with a sock, but just want to make sure it's safe before I do so... thanks!
izzyabraham said
Just want to confirm that normal, human coconut oil is safe for dogs?
Please keep in mind that we are not vets, and we recommend consulting a veterinary nutritionist with any concerns regarding diet and supplements. But yes, it is our understanding that pure coconut oil is good for dogs.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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