UPDATE: Look at Spud's Toe, Please

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I have no idea. Hot Spot?  Allergy?  Are allergies presented in just one toe like this or usually a greater area of the paw?   Yesterday is was really much darker than the rest of his skin. I thought it looked bruised.  Blue/black.

My guess it that he stubbed it outside on the lawn debris ~ tree branches, sticks, rocks or he ran into the baseboard when he slides on the wood flooring.  He does this a lot.

 He will play, then suddenly stop and start licking the foot and settle down.

If it was broken, would he still be able to walk?  Dogs are funny that way so who knows.

He did not move much last night because he just would not move~ petrified when I put Antibiotic Ointment  on his toe and wrapped it in a sock.  He was mortified. 

He is eating, drinking, but a bit more ..I'd call him a tad depressed.

UPDATE

We've sat with him all week and he stopped licking the toe and most days it was not ' blood red' but just not right. No worse, no better.  One person was with him at all times, just to get this healed.   It really looked like it was slowly healing.   

You've got to know Spud, even well, HE HATES HIS FEET TOUCHED. 

He ran when he was outside and today he even jumped  off the back of the couch instead of going around. 

I felt pretty stupid making a vet appointment for this afternoon after seeing him act his normal playful self.

Still, we thought we saw more swelling and did we see oozing today? And we were right.

The vet said, and that was one of my guesses, he slammed his toe into something.  Now, the nail bed is infected.  Is there something in there?  We don't know yet.  Most likely, he will loose the entire nail. No big deal. One less for me to try and cut for awhile, I suppose.

He received a shot of Prednisone, and a  6-pack of antibiotics to last until Tuesday's follow-up appointment.  We are to soak it in Laundry detergent 3Xs per day, and clean with alcohol.

After the shaving ( I think he was  nicked) it is red again and you can clearly see a pus pocket or a swollen bump to the side.

Thanks for just being out there  :)

Whew, those are some nasty lookin' feet 

There is some ozzy stuff coming out of this side but I can't capture in pics.  You get the idea though

UPDATE THREE: Final update

The vet was very pleased with Spud's quick progress and our care given at home.  He saw two vets; the first examined, then he called in the vet who had done the work the week before.  Both very happy.

The toe split open many times during the week and drained and now is on to healing.  No swelling, no pain, no follow-up visits.  We are to continue the soaks for 10 days and complete this course of antibiotics.

We really were blaming ourselves as the nail had gotten a bit too long. He said, they were not too bad at all, that this was a splinter issue and he probably stubbed it too.

So here is our plan- each month, along with Heartworm med, he will get a tiny snip to keep them trimmed and the quick drawn back a bit.  An easy schedule to follow and make sure things are on time. 

He also mentioned, he sees some too short, and that will also cause problems.

So everything in moderation.

I want to thank you all for checking up with us ~ good grief, Ann and Mr. Haley wrote me even though her poor boy had an upper GI that day.  My dog certainly lives a much better life because of our DK Community.  My apologies for not answering you all personally, as I have had some other family illnesses to work through this week, but I saw what you wrote and knew you were there!    THANK YOU ALL

One important note to mention here...Osteomyelitis in Dogs

A Dog's claw and the anatomy are not the same as a human. The quick and claw are, in a way, an extension of bone.  In a dog, a claw infection can become a bone infection very quickly.  So, if you see your dog with a red toe, don't wait this one out like I did.  It won't heal with just topical antibiotics. See a vet and get treatment

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Joanne, if you get a minute let us know how Spud is doing.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Yup.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Sorry, I fell asleep early last night. Really appreciate everyone's opinion.
Early this AM, while Spud was still asleep, it was dark blue/black. I'm assuming last night, he was not awake licking it, to make it raw and red.
Waiting for FJ to wake up and let me know how he feels today.
I'll update this evening

Okay, just got a call that he is leaving it alone :)
We will see what today brings

[Bonnie and Kona]

Hoping Spud improves dramatically today.

[Lynette Main]

ooowww,that looks like it hurts.Its really red from licking.Trip to the vet is in the future I think...

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Poor guy.  I have no idea either, except do dogs get splinters?  If he is playing outside, maybe that's possible.  Does he limp?  I'm hoping he's not in pain.  When dogs seem depressed, it might be because he's in pain.  Let us know how he's doing.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Ouch, that looks very sore, I hope it heals quickly!  

[nate]

Keep in mind that Hot Spots are as much their own illness as they are a symptom of others -- dogs either start licking 'nothing' (an allergy, itch, boredom, etc) , or something triggers it ( splinter , cut , bite , etc ).  Once the redness and swelling go down, there may be something else wrong.

Most of our hotspots look like this:
- red , moist, inflamed skin.  mild to significant loss of hair.  you can see the pores on the skin.
- sections may have a milky white to yellow/green pus on it.. like a film
- sections may have dried off into a dark red/ blue-black spot.

We can keep most hotspots in check by routinely rinsing them with water, patting dry, and using a cool compress of Burrows Solution ( it's an old time astringent that helps dry out the skin ), then pat dry again ( ever 3-4 hours sometimes). Our vet said to be judicious with antibiotic creams, because they can lock in the moisture and just make things worse.  If that doesn't work, we next try sulfodene or animax-- i use a little medicine bottle with a dropper and get it right onto the affected areas.  That's cleared up everything, and I feel a lot better when I can avoid using Animax since we use similar stuff in his ears regularly ( there have been stories of too many corticosteriod medications leading to cushing disease , and it's hard to keep pups from licking this stuff )

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

Joanne, I'll not sure if this is the same thing Spud has but my old (13) lab Gus has had a version of this sore on his foot for years. I've had it aspirated many times over the years and it comes back as a non cancerous cyst. The cause of the cyst is Gus chewing on his toes. He chews when his ears are starting to build up to a full blown yeast infection. The cyst won't go away but usually is not red and inflamed. I've used stop chew sprays with no luck, distraction toys, and wraps. His foot will heal up while on steroid's and AB's. But when his allergies and anxiety flares up then we have to call the vet. Surgery is an option but my vet feels it will likely come and the procedure is quite invasive. At Gus' age I don't want to do that to him. So I treat the ears, allergies, and take care of the sore. When all factors are controlled his paw looks normal with a lump.
I hope what Vern has is something simple and easily taken care of!!!

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

I just realized I called Spud, Vern :/  I suck at remembering names.  I hope Spud's toe is improving.  I have an appointment for Guss' sore paw this week too.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Ah, poor Spud. I hope today he is feeling better!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Update on Spud today?