Foot Pad injury

[diane silver]

Emma has had a foot pad injury(?) for about a month now.  She's been licking her pad which has caused it to become red and she's also has been limping. She's been to the vet a couple of times who prescribed antibiotics and Prednisone, but it doesn't seem to be improving. Last week the vet sedated her to see if there was anything imbedded, but she didn't find anything.  She cut the hair in between her pad and took an x-ray which was negative.  I've soaked her foot in Epsom salt, sprayed Cortisone on it, but it seems that at night, especially, she's constantly licking, panting, and clearly very uncomfortable. Yesterday I bought a soft collar and she did wear that last night, which definitely prevented her licking, but I'm at my wit's end!  Anyone have any other suggestions? I really would appreciate any thoughts so my girl can heal.  Thanks.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Is she only licking the pad on one foot? Any biting or licking of any other paws or body parts? Is the pad abraded at all? 

I have no idea what this could be. The prednisone should have quickly relieved anything related to a bee sting, insect bite, or allergic reaction. 

[diane silver]

She's only licking one pad and other than being red, which I think is from her licking it, I see no abrasions, cuts, etc. She still has a few days left of the Prednisone (taper).

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm stumped. Did the vet offer any theories of what it could be? 

[diane silver]

No, she's stumped also . . . .

[Stella]

See a canine rehab practitioner / rehab vet / canine chiropractor and get her neck checked. Licking and chewing, especially when it is only one foot, can be due to a problem in the neck or upper thoracic area, or lumbar spine if it is the back leg. Just as we would get pain or pins and needles and want to rub the area, a dogs response is to lick and chew.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I would keep her in the soft collar for a few days.  Murph had a pad injury from running on a tennis court a few years ago.  The vet put antibiotic cream on it...bandaged it....and he wore the soft cone when I couldn't watch him to prevent the licking.  It healed in a few days.

[Moe]

My dog will obsessively like hot spots. They can be on her paw pad or anywhere on her fur. Vet prescribed all the same stuff that yours did but without leaving it alone it will never heal. She ended up having to wear the cone for 6 weeks last time. She even eats with it one. Currently she has been wearing the cone for about 3 weeks. I can't take it off for even a second or she'll rip it open and we'll have to start again. Hers will start as a bug bite, scratch or burr stuck in her fur and spiral out of control. When they were on her paws I tried put a sock on her an use athletic tape to keep it on. She was able to rip it off. Stick with the cone till it is healed. Sorry that this is happening to you. I know it is tough to watch. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

If it isn't imperative to have air freely circulating, you might try putting a child's sock on her foot when you want to have the cone off and she is under your supervision or when she goes outside to potty.

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Loki had a foot pad injury a month or so ago from running like crazy at daycare, after about a week from the time he stopped licking it and let the steroid cream and antibiotics work he was back to his old self, I guess he was running around so much he rubbed the pad raw? It was his front left mostly but his front right was a little sore too so I just put his winter boots on him and he seemed to leave them be. Good luck to you!

[Richard Crowe]

There are dog booties available.  We purchased an incomplete set at Petsmart that was on sale because it was missing one bootie.  Since we only used one of the booties on a foot with an abrasion, missing one bootie from the set didn't bother us and the price was great (about two bucks for three).

We also sprayed the bootie with a bitter apple, no chew spray.  Between the bootie and the spray the foot was protected and healed quickly...