Chronic Paw Pad Injury?

    • Bronze

    Chronic Paw Pad Injury?

    Stepping out of lurk mode for this. I’ve tried searching but can’t find much. Sorry this post is so long, but I’m really at my wits end with this and I need some fresh opinions, suggestions, advice, anything really.
    One of my dogs, Maya, seems to chronically tear up her paw pads. Every few months one or both of her back feet either cracks, chaps, splits, or peels. The first couple of times I figured she had cut her foot on something, but now I don’t know what’s going on. It doesn’t seem to be tied to weather, or much of anything. I’ve investigated everything she could be injuring herself on and don’t think that’s it. It’s obviously painful for her though, and I really want to get to the bottom of it. 
    She’s not an active dog, quite a couch potato really. She is crated when I’m not home, and she has some severe stranger phobia/aggression so for now at least she isn’t being taken out for walks. We have a fenced yard, and she’s always supervised outside. I’ve combed the house and yard for anything that could do this and found nothing. Plus I have another dog with no similar issues. Maya is a 3(?) year old mix and healthy except for this. She doesn’t have any contact allergies or skin problems.
    I have hardwood and linoleum floors and clean with diluted vinegar only. Both dogs are raw fed and supplemented with fish oil. No recent changes in diet or brands of anything. They get a bath every six months or so with extremely diluted lavender castile soap. No topical flea/tick preventatives. I’ve tried moisturizing and “musher’s secret” without change. When they start to split or peel I’ve used calendula cream or antibiotic ointment but neither makes a big difference. My vet seems stumped and pretty much just gave me antibiotics and suggested boots. I’m afraid to try boots because I don’t want to wrap up her feet so that they can’t get air circulation and heal. Plus, at this point Maya isn’t keen on me touching her feet so I’m sure shoes would not go over well.
     
    I’m desperate for some other ideas. Has anyone seen something like this? Or know what might cause it?  I'm posting pictures of her back left foot. It's much worse than the right.

     

      


     And one of the whole dog, for good measure:

      

     

    -Rebecca 

    • Gold Top Dog

    Poor Maya...that has got to hurt.  I understand that a Zinc deficiency can cause cracked pads.  You might try to supplement with Zinc for a couple of weeks to see if that helps at all.  You are already doing Omega 3s...so that's good.  Have you tried applying vitamin E on the pads?  It may help too.  And, that could be the times she wears boots, just for a little while to keep the E on.

    The other thing that comes to mind...is maybe a raw diet isn't the ticket for her.  You might consider putting her on a premium kibble for a couple of months to see if you see any change.  If not, you can always go back to the raw diet.

    Unlikely, but maybe she is allergic to vinegar...try cleaning the floors with something different (maybe just soap and water)...just to see.  I think its going to tale a lot of testing to see what change will help.

    Just some thoughts...best of luck!

    • Gold Top Dog

    That's a very thorough post! Have you tried inspecting the inside of the crate?Don't just use your eyes but run your fingers over the bars from the inside.There may be sharp burrs on the wire and she could be damaging her pads when she stretches out.

    Tena

    • Bronze

    Thanks for the input!

     
    Barbara- It hasn't slowed her down much in the past, but it's worse this time and I can really tell it's bothering her. She is favoring that paw, and minimizing her trips off the couch (not that she wasn't glued to the couch before). I haven't tried applying vitamin E yet. For now I'm leery of putting anything on there since she's so sore, but that's definitely something to try when this episode is over. It may help prevent it in the future.

    I have tried rinsing the vinegar after I clean the floors instead of just wiping it up and letting it dry. That doesn't seem to make a difference. I may have to try a different floor cleaner, but I'm almost afraid that something I switch to will irritate it more.

     
    I have considered that it might have to do with nutrition, but switching her off raw would be my very last resort. I did run across some information on zinc responsive dermatosis, but I don't think that quite fits. With the exception of her feet, her skin and coat is in great shape. Plus, I perused the USDA's online nutrition database and looks like animal products tend to have the highest zinc content (with the obvious exception of specifically fortified stuff). It's possible it could be something else though, so I may try adding a canine multivitamin.

     

    Tena- I have gone over the crate with a metaphorical fine tooth comb and everything seems to be smooth enough. She always has a cushy bed in there as well. I've replaced all the beds with cedar chips inside in case that is an irritant, even if it's not the cause.

     

    It occurred to me that something I haven't changed may have switched formulas. I'm going to try washing all the dog bed covers in just borax to see if it could have something to do with our detergent. I may try switching brands of fish oil temporarily to see if it makes a difference. We don't treat the yard with any chemicals or fertilizers at all. Is there anything else that she might come into contact with that I can try? I will definitely get some boots to try and prevent it from happening again, but I think it would just be more irritating to try them now. Plus, I'd want to condition her to think the boots are great so that she'll put up with them and if her feet already hurt that won't be possible. Any recommendation for boots that I can try after she is well healed?

     

    Sorry this is so long. I'm just trying to cover all possible bases. I really appreciate any help though. -Rebecca

    • Bronze

    I don't know why that posted all in one block. I tried to edit it but I can't seem to get any paragraph breaks in there. Sorry!

     

    *Nevermind. Fixed! 

    • Gold Top Dog

    I probably just missed it but have you taken her to the Vet for an opinion? 

    • Bronze

    JackieG- I did. She said it didn't appear to be a contact allergen since it's only her back paws and there's no irritated skin anywhere else. I explained to her that it has happened before but to a lesser degree. I haven't taken her to the vet for it before this though, so I'm not sure she believed me. She pretty much said it looks like an injury, or possibly extreme wear from too much walking/running on concrete. But I don't walk Maya on concrete at all and I've searched everywhere for something she could be cutting herself on and I can't find anything. The vet gave me an antibiotic ointment (which I've tried before) but also said it wasn't an infection, just to use the ointment to prevent it from getting infected.

     

    -Rebecca 

     
     

    • Puppy

    Hello, did you ever find a remedy for Maya? I'm going through the same thing with my lab. Steriods were the only thing to work for two weeks, then as soon as it wore off, went right back to all paws being cracked and infected. I'm $600 in with the Vet with test and samples.. and he is stumped. Going to try switching to a no grain diet.

    • Moderators
    • Gold Top Dog

    I have never seen this before, but a second opinion might be a good idea. Have you had any allergy tests done? No grain is a good plan, the test would should what they are allergic to it may not be a food allergy. I'm going to do some research too and see what I fine. Good luck and please keep us posted.

    • Puppy

    Hello! My dog has was sounds just like this! The vet is stumped  and says its infected three paws. He prescribed her antibiotics and steroids but I'm worried that will not work. I really want to know what it is, please let me know if you ever found anything more out or did anything that helped your pet get better, Thanks!

    • Puppy

    @ThreeGreenSheep

    Stepping out of lurk mode for this. I’ve tried searching but

    can’t find much. Sorry this post is so long, but I’m really at my wits end with

    this and I need some fresh opinions, suggestions, advice, anything really.

    One of my dogs, Maya, seems to chronically tear up her paw

    pads. Every few months one or both of her back feet either cracks, chaps,

    splits, or peels. The first couple of times I figured she had cut her foot on

    something, but now I don’t know what’s going on. It doesn’t seem to be tied to

    weather, or much of anything. I’ve investigated everything she could be

    injuring herself on and don’t think that’s it. It’s obviously painful for her

    though, and I really want to get to the bottom of it.

    She’s not an active dog, quite a couch potato really. She is

    crated when I’m not home, and she has some severe stranger phobia/aggression so

    for now at least she isn’t being taken out for walks. We have a fenced yard,

    and she’s always supervised outside. I’ve combed the house and yard for

    anything that could do this and found nothing. Plus I have another dog with no

    similar issues. Maya is a 3(?) year old mix and healthy except for this. She

    doesn’t have any contact allergies or skin problems.

    I have hardwood and linoleum floors and clean with diluted

    vinegar only. Both dogs are raw fed and supplemented with fish oil. No recent

    changes in diet or brands of anything. They get a bath every six months or so

    with extremely diluted lavender castile soap. No topical flea/tick

    preventatives. I’ve tried moisturizing and “musher’s secret” without change.

    When they start to split or peel I’ve used calendula cream or antibiotic

    ointment but neither makes a big difference. My vet seems stumped and pretty

    much just gave me antibiotics and suggested boots. I’m afraid to try boots

    because I don’t want to wrap up her feet so that they can’t get air circulation

    and heal. Plus, at this point Maya isn’t keen on me touching her feet so I’m

    sure shoes would not go over well. I’m desperate for some other ideas. Has anyone seen

    something like this? Or know what might cause it? I'm posting pictures of her back left foot. It's much worse than the right. And one of the whole dog, for good measure: -Rebecca

    Dear Three Green Sheep--

    I understand how frustrating this situation can be--it took me a year and a half to figure out that Woody's paw pads were breaking open and sore right after he got his Trifexis for the month.  Then they slowly healed, and again developed the cracks and lesions on the days immediately following the next dose.  I found out that the back pads in particular take a lot of wear and cell turnover is faster--so this ends up being where an autoimmune thing, or something a little different called 'drug emergence' can manifest.  I tried everything mentioned here, and a lot of it helped, but it was stopping the Trifexis that really healed it.  I feel bad about making him take a medicine that was doing this for so long! My other dog didn't seem to have any problems with it.

    • Gold Top Dog

    @woodys feet

    @ThreeGreenSheep

    Stepping out of lurk mode for this. I’ve tried searching but

    can’t find much. Sorry this post is so long, but I’m really at my wits end with

    this and I need some fresh opinions, suggestions, advice, anything really.

    One of my dogs, Maya, seems to chronically tear up her paw

    pads. Every few months one or both of her back feet either cracks, chaps,

    splits, or peels. The first couple of times I figured she had cut her foot on

    something, but now I don’t know what’s going on. It doesn’t seem to be tied to

    weather, or much of anything. I’ve investigated everything she could be

    injuring herself on and don’t think that’s it. It’s obviously painful for her

    though, and I really want to get to the bottom of it.

    She’s not an active dog, quite a couch potato really. She is

    crated when I’m not home, and she has some severe stranger phobia/aggression so

    for now at least she isn’t being taken out for walks. We have a fenced yard,

    and she’s always supervised outside. I’ve combed the house and yard for

    anything that could do this and found nothing. Plus I have another dog with no

    similar issues. Maya is a 3(?) year old mix and healthy except for this. She

    doesn’t have any contact allergies or skin problems.

    I have hardwood and linoleum floors and clean with diluted

    vinegar only. Both dogs are raw fed and supplemented with fish oil. No recent

    changes in diet or brands of anything. They get a bath every six months or so

    with extremely diluted lavender castile soap. No topical flea/tick

    preventatives. I’ve tried moisturizing and “musher’s secret” without change.

    When they start to split or peel I’ve used calendula cream or antibiotic

    ointment but neither makes a big difference. My vet seems stumped and pretty

    much just gave me antibiotics and suggested boots. I’m afraid to try boots

    because I don’t want to wrap up her feet so that they can’t get air circulation

    and heal. Plus, at this point Maya isn’t keen on me touching her feet so I’m

    sure shoes would not go over well. I’m desperate for some other ideas. Has anyone seen

    something like this? Or know what might cause it? I'm posting pictures of her back left foot. It's much worse than the right. And one of the whole dog, for good measure: -Rebecca

    Dear Three Green Sheep--

    I understand how frustrating this situation can be--it took me a year and a half to figure out that Woody's paw pads were breaking open and sore right after he got his Trifexis for the month. Then they slowly healed, and again developed the cracks and lesions on the days immediately following the next dose. I found out that the back pads in particular take a lot of wear and cell turnover is faster--so this ends up being where an autoimmune thing, or something a little different called 'drug emergence' can manifest. I tried everything mentioned here, and a lot of it helped, but it was stopping the Trifexis that really healed it. I feel bad about making him take a medicine that was doing this for so long! My other dog didn't seem to have any problems with it.

    I would suggest an apt with a vet who does TCVM -- the feet literally are part of the window to the inside of the dog.  There is something out of balance somewhere.  http://www.tcvm.com is the Chi Institute.  But a better locator is http://www.tcvmherbal.com/

    TCVM vets diagnose totally diffe5rntly than most vets and honestly, don't just make an apt with a vet who does acupuncture.  NOT the same.  The TCVM vet is going to give a very different full body exam -- looking more deeply than just  how often this happens.  

    Feel free to email me at callieatcritturs@yahoo.com if I can help.

    • Puppy

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