Cut/torn Pads

[piper]

Jazz tore her pad quite badly nearly 2 weeks ago. It ended up needing stitching. The vets said confine her for 2 weeks as they are slow to heal. I asked about keeping something over it and was told it was best left open so that is what I have done.

Jazz has been shut in all day every day since it was done with the other dogs left outside. Active toys have been taken away, play with other dogs when we are home has not been allowed. She has had 20 minutes a day outside in 4 x 5 min bursts to go to the toilet. If she starts to run around she gets called back in.

The stiches have almost all pulled out and it is opening up again, it is nowhere near healed. We are off to the vets again tomorrow AM as they can't fit us in tonight (I did discuss with them why we needed to come in) but I am really annoyed and disappointed as I don't know what else can be done to help it.

Anyone have any tips? I am unsure if I should get it restitched, when 1 of our oldies did similar they stitched it but told me that pads don't stich well and it may pull open again, which it did. When that happened they decided to leave it to heal by itself, I think they may have trimmed some tissue off - it was about 12 years ago now so can't be totally sure.

If they do restitch it should I go with my instinct and cover it?

[Bullbreedlover]

Jazz tore her pad quite badly nearly 2 weeks ago. It ended up needing stitching. The vets said confine her for 2 weeks as they are slow to heal. I asked about keeping something over it and was told it was best left open so that is what I have done.

Jazz has been shut in all day every day since it was done with the other dogs left outside. Active toys have been taken away, play with other dogs when we are home has not been allowed. She has had 20 minutes a day outside in 4 x 5 min bursts to go to the toilet. If she starts to run around she gets called back in.

The stiches have almost all pulled out and it is opening up again, it is nowhere near healed. We are off to the vets again tomorrow AM as they can't fit us in tonight (I did discuss with them why we needed to come in) but I am really annoyed and disappointed as I don't know what else can be done to help it.

Anyone have any tips? I am unsure if I should get it restitched, when 1 of our oldies did similar they stitched it but told me that pads don't stich well and it may pull open again, which it did. When that happened they decided to leave it to heal by itself, I think they may have trimmed some tissue off - it was about 12 years ago now so can't be totally sure.

If they do restitch it should I go with my instinct and cover it?

My young girl sliced open the bottom of her pad the other day, on the colour bond in her kennel run Not too serious. But it is a good cut all the same. No limp whatsoever. She is not even worried about it. I certainly didnt think it was necessary to take her to the vet. It is healing. slowly. I am bathing it every day in savlon and applying betadine. She is on restricted play and is not allowed back in the kennel until we fix it tomorrow.

I have every confidence it will heal but I think it will be a slow process. The wound does look really good.

I would never go with stitches in this case.

Have you got a photo. How bad is it?

[ness]

Piper if TerraNik doesn't see this try PMing her. She just went through this with Soaks.

[piper]

I have every confidence it will heal but I think it will be a slow process. The wound does look really good.

I would never go with stitches in this case.

Have you got a photo. How bad is it?

Jazz has had plenty of small tears and slices that I haven't bothered with. And even this 1 I left for a day or so as I didn't think it looked that bad but then I got home 1 day and it had torn further. It is the pad up by the wrist and it was basically split in 2 with 1 section hanging off and a large area of exposed flesh. I don't have any pics of it before but will try and take some now. I am really reluctant to get it restitched but don't want it reopening either. The wound is clean, but it is hard to tell what it looks like with the way the stitches go through it.

[piper]

Ok, I just took these with my phone. They sort of show how the skin is lifting and howit went all the way from 1 side to the other through the pad. We have no idea what she did it on - we were playing frisbee and she skidded to get it, I can't find anything where it happened that would have cut her so I suspect it just tore open.

[Bullbreedlover]

Oh so it is the dew claw pad!!!!

is surgery to remove the cut part an option?

If it is not going to heal together as in stitching then is it best to remove the part of the pad?

only asking here. I have never come across this before.

If surgery is not an option and you have to leave the two parts separate then did the vet discuss this with you.

If the stitches havent worked now then will they ever work?

[piper]

Oh so it is the dew claw pad!!!!

is surgery to remove the cut part an option?

If it is not going to heal together as in stitching then is it best to remove the part of the pad?

only asking here. I have never come across this before.

If surgery is not an option and you have to leave the two parts separate then did the vet discuss this with you.

If the stitches havent worked now then will they ever work?

Is it the dew claw pad? Never heard it called that - it is the 1 furthest up the leg, so I guess so.

With my old boy I am fairly sure they trimmed a section off, I am going to discuss this tomorrow. Of course these things always happen when your favourite vet is away on holidays. The guy I saw was very new, had never seen him before and he was not very confident at all, 1 of the other vets did the surgery.

I doubt restitching will work - the best way I can describe it is they have pulled the tough outer layer away, if you look at the photos most of the pad is now soft pink flesh rather than the thick black stuff, with the thick black skin hanging off attached to the stitches. And I am sure this is exactly how it happened with Reagan.

Someone else has suggested glue, so I will ask about that as an option as well.

[piper]

The good news is no more stitches at this stage. The bad news is at least another week of confiement, which I was gig to do anyway.

Today's vet thinks it needs to be covered to keep it clean and dry. Which is what I thought all along. There is enough new tissue there that she thinks will hold but has put a paraffin dressing and wound gel on and given me some to reapply in a few days.

Hopefully this will work, but it looks like the next hereding trial and maybe the Royal will be out.

[sheena]

When my girl was a pup, I had had her home for less than a week, when she cut her pad badly on some colourbond sheeting. From memory the vet covered it & bandaged it up well, & it healed in no time. He also gave her a shot of penicillian & tetnis (I think). So glad your girl is on the mend. How did she cut it in the first place

[nynka]

I would bandage that one. Worth a try given you have tried it without bandage and it didn't work that well. Good luck.

[Bullbreedlover]

The good news is no more stitches at this stage. The bad news is at least another week of confiement, which I was gig to do anyway.

Today's vet thinks it needs to be covered to keep it clean and dry. Which is what I thought all along. There is enough new tissue there that she thinks will hold but has put a paraffin dressing and wound gel on and given me some to reapply in a few days.

Hopefully this will work, but it looks like the next hereding trial and maybe the Royal will be out.

Hopefully all will be good Piper

Healng thoughts for Jazz.

My girls pad is healing very very well.

I have no shows for ages so we wont be missing out on anything.

We have totally dismantled the colourbond where she hurt herself so she wont be doing that again.

Isn't it funny how you never think something like this will happen, until it does.

Edited July 24, 2010 by stonebridge

[TerraNik]

Ahsoka has just recovered from a pad injury (rear leg, 2nd toe). It was the full depth of the pad.

She wasn't healing after 1 week so had surgery (debridement) and sutures put in. She had a bandage on the entire time (all up 3.5 weeks) changed every 3 days. Sutures were removed after 14 days. She was crated the entire time except for on lead toilet breaks. Its now been just over a month and her pad is now completely healed and she's even back at flyball!

So I would amp up the crate rest and bandage.

Edited July 24, 2010 by TerraNik

[piper]

Ahsoka has just recovered from a pad injury (rear leg, 2nd toe). It was the full depth of the pad.

She wasn't healing after 1 week so had surgery (debridement) and sutures put in. She had a bandage on the entire time (all up 3.5 weeks) changed every 3 days. Sutures were removed after 14 days. She was crated the entire time except for on lead toilet breaks. Its now been just over a month and her pad is now completely healed and she's even back at flyball!

So I would amp up the crate rest and bandage.

Thanks, I am wishing now I had gone with my instinct and kept it bandaged in the first place. We change the dressing at home on Tuesday and then again Friday or Saturday at the vets so they can check on it.

Sheena - no idea what she did it on, we were playing in the back yard. First I thought it was on some old garden edging but when I checked that out it is not at all sharp, the top is sort of a rolled edge. I threw the frisbee she went and got the frisbee, ran back with it, gave it to me then started licking the foot and holding it up.