Torn carpal pad

Hi my dog tore his carpal pad but not as high up as yours - I was really freaked out initially but his healed really fast.  I got something called Cut Heal and wow did that help.  Initially there was a piece of his pad hanging off and then that disappeared and in three days he had a seam where the new had replaced the old piece.

So - my thought would be to get some of this Cut Heal (I got it from a farm supply store) and see if that helps - many here are more knowledgable than me though so hopefully they will chime in

here's a link to photos

Thanks for your reply.  It's not actually the pad that's torn, but where the pad attaches to the leg.  I'll look for some Cut Heal, but it does say to only use that for minor cuts. 

I called the vets office and they said they'd have him call me - haven't heard from him yet - but the vet tech said it's probably not as big of a deal as I think it is.

I talked to the doctor I work for (I do research at an orthopaedics clinic) and he said that if it were a person they wouldn't want to restitch it but rather have it heal/scar over on it's own if it's reopened. 

 So I guess I'll just have to keep her bandaged and out of commission for a while.

yea I knew it was up where it attached - for what it's worth his was a significant tear.  Both DH and I thought it needed to be stitched but a few here said that they don't generally like to stitch these areas.  The Cut Heal is like a fish oil type thing - I think it's probably similar to a liquid preparation H which has shark oil that shrinks tissues.  I was told it is used frequently with hunting dogs and flyball dogs as they are the most likely to have these sort of injuries.  Anyway good luck with what you do, wrapping and rest is your best bet for the long term

I'll definately give the Cut Heal a shot then.  Thanks for the suggestion. 

I wonder how many vets would say to stitch a tear like that.

 Good luck I hope it heals quick!

SkiDogBailey

I wonder how many vets would say to stitch a tear like that.

no idea, I would've taken him in if it lingered but his stopped bleeding and just looked nasty. 

Thanks.  I ordered some Cut Heal today.  I'm bringing her back to the vet  tomorrow and though it doesn't look great to me he said it sounded ok and he'd probably just take the stitches out and let it be.  I just don't want to have it be a wound that she keeps licking at that never heals (my neighbors dog has one of those) and I don't want the stitches to have been for nothing.  And I was just wondering about how often vets would stitch that because sometimes it just seems like vets around where I live are super expensive (it's an expensive place to live) and I wonder how much of what they deem necessary is truly necessary.

Thanks again for your help/advice. 

Wondering how everything turned out with Bailey?

My 1 -1/2 year old Lab had the same thing happen 2 months ago...I rushed him immediately to the vet where they stapled it back on. 2 weeks later the staples were removed and within the day it ripped back open. Next step was surgery, where the vet put in many stitches. 2 weeks later the stitches were removed. While still at the vet's office it broke back open a bit. Vet stated that it did not heal has she had hoped  but to let him go to see what happens and to bring him back in 2 weeks. She said not to wrap it, just let it be. Unless seriously bleeding started then call. By the end of the day it was ripped completely back open, with little bleeding.

Bailey ended up getting stiches from the vet and I kept it wrapped up for a couple weeks to let it heal.  Unfourtunately she kept chewing bandages off and hated the cone over her head...but I work at a hospital so I just took bandages home and kept re-bandaging it.  When she would chew off the bandages it never looked too opened up so I didn't worry.  After 2 weeks I brought her back to the vet and he said it looked great, rebandaged it and said to leave it for another few days then take the bandages off for good.  Well, once I took the bandages off it re-opened quite a bit and I was pretty worried about it, but the vet said that it's a really hard place to heal - the blood vessels feed the pad right there where it tends to tear, and that he "knew it would open up" and that wounds there "always do" but not to worry and it should heal fine.  So I let it be, unbandaged, let her run outside with it, swim, etc.  It never looked swollen though, just looked open and it kind of scared me, but I let it be and it healed well.

I did try the cut-heal mentioned above while I was leaving it open, in hopes that it would aid healing and help keep it uninfected.  She's doing great now.

Thanks for updated post...glad to hear Bailey is going good. Cash's injury now looks a little better and actually is looking like it is starting to heal on it's own. Wish my vet would have known/said that chances of it staying closed was slim to none before and not after spending $700.00 on staples and then surgery & stitches and none of it working. Well, now I know...I feel a little better that it is not something we were doing wrong AND that in time this will heal on it's own.

Hint: Cash was also chewing on the bandages (the cone on his head was a pain) so we put a softball sock on it. Worked like a charm...he never touched it while the sock was on!! LOL

Thanks 

 I really do recommend this product from my results

Cut Heal

 Glad to hear it!  I noticed this morning that my dog split/sliced  another pad so he has just had Cut Heal put on - I tell you that stuff works!

This time of year we'll see a lot more of these pad injuries - the dry soil in some places just sucks the life out of those pads. Our tendency to make weekend warriors out of our pets doesn't help either.  We call it "blowing a pad."

I've always found that a few days of total rest (with application of the cut heal), then another week of no strenuous activity, is worth it in the long run.  The pad heals quicker and there's less chance of re-injury, even the trickiest blown pads. 

 Hey Becca it is the metacarpal pad (I think) the 'big' one.  He has what looks like a slice in it way at the back near the leg- he sure shows no signs of it bothering him, I only noticed because I was doing his nails.  I'm not going to run him with the bike but walking seems fine - he has tomorrow off due to my obligations anyway LOL