My dog wears hind-paw braces like the ones shown in this photo
http://orthopets.com/HindpawnerveDevice.htm
He has open sores on his pads/toes and I can't figure out how to help them heal. He has had open sores continuously for probably a year.
He has a spinal injury with permanent nerve damage. Without the braces he would hyper extend his ancles and he would walk with his rear feet flipped over backwards, with the top of his foot on the ground.
That said, he is very athletic and energetic and gets around really well. His main goal in life is to chase other dogs or a stick.
The combination requires him to wear his braces while he is awake. They protect his joints and feet (mostly).
His left rear leg has more nerve damage than the right, so he mostly uses his right rear leg. The right side of his right rear leg is the strongest, so he really pounds his right most pad on his right rear leg.
This right rear pad has a big hole in it. There is usually some fluid or dampness in the hole.
I'm looking for any advice on healing this sore.
My current routine is:
- I wash his feet at night in warm water with KetoChlor or ChlorhexiDerm shampoo. I dry them with a towel. I place a non-stick over the sore and put a cotton baby sock on the foot with the sore.
- In the morning I replace the sock/non-stick pad. I put a new non-stick pad and 2 ruff wear dog socks on the foot with the sore, and a single sock on the other foot. Then I put his braces on.
Thanks for your help.
-Kelly
Owner of Tbone, the wonder dog.
http://tbones-tale.com/
help needed with open sores from hind paw brace
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KellyFelkins
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:15 am
Re: help needed with open sores from hind paw brace
Hmm. Interesting product--I hadn't seen that one. Koi, my paraplegic, will be having surgery Sat. to release his contractures, then he will use an OrthoVet splint http://handicappedpets.com/www/index.ph ... lints.html . Is OrthoPet a custom product?
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KellyFelkins
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:15 am
Re: help needed with open sores from hind paw brace
> Is OrthoPet a custom product?
Yes, they are custom. You make a cast of (in this case) the legs and orthopets in Denver will make the braces. I think they prefer to work through vets but in our case we worked directly with the company. Very nice people and I highly recommend them and their product.
I'm still looking for advice on managing his sore pads.
-Kelly
Yes, they are custom. You make a cast of (in this case) the legs and orthopets in Denver will make the braces. I think they prefer to work through vets but in our case we worked directly with the company. Very nice people and I highly recommend them and their product.
I'm still looking for advice on managing his sore pads.
-Kelly
Re: help needed with open sores from hind paw brace
I just watched your video, that's impressive.
Have you asked OrthoPets if they have any kind of cushioning you could use in the footbed of the splint?
You might call around your city for orthotists/prosthetists who practice on humans. You could probably find one willing to look at your dog's appliance and they would know all about how to ease or cushion such a thing to correct the way it supports his weight.
My only experience is with basic dragging sores (toes or hip/ankle) and the best thing for that is crate rest.
I remember a dog that had a front leg splint for radial nerve damage, of a similar design, and the dog was only able to wear it 10 hours a day. I'm not sure how many hours your dog wears his splints.
If his paws are getting wet in the grass when he plays, it is probably making him slip a little in his splint, which causes blisters..and when he's running around in the sand of the dirt road, he is probably getting grit in the splint and it is going to rub him raw. Wonder what would happen if you crate him till it heals, then try the splint again but with some kind of protective boots covering the splints so dew and sand can't get in. No personal experience with this, just thinking out loud.
I think you might want to ask the vet about putting him on antibiotics if the sore has a hole in it.
Have you asked OrthoPets if they have any kind of cushioning you could use in the footbed of the splint?
You might call around your city for orthotists/prosthetists who practice on humans. You could probably find one willing to look at your dog's appliance and they would know all about how to ease or cushion such a thing to correct the way it supports his weight.
My only experience is with basic dragging sores (toes or hip/ankle) and the best thing for that is crate rest.
I remember a dog that had a front leg splint for radial nerve damage, of a similar design, and the dog was only able to wear it 10 hours a day. I'm not sure how many hours your dog wears his splints.
If his paws are getting wet in the grass when he plays, it is probably making him slip a little in his splint, which causes blisters..and when he's running around in the sand of the dirt road, he is probably getting grit in the splint and it is going to rub him raw. Wonder what would happen if you crate him till it heals, then try the splint again but with some kind of protective boots covering the splints so dew and sand can't get in. No personal experience with this, just thinking out loud.
I think you might want to ask the vet about putting him on antibiotics if the sore has a hole in it.
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KellyFelkins
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:15 am
Re: help needed with open sores from hind paw brace
Thank you, thank you. This is the type of advice/discussion I was hoping for.
> I just watched your video, that's impressive.
Yeah, dogs are resilient. This dog is amazing. I think it helps that he is so bright and athletic.
> Have you asked OrthoPets if they have any kind of cushioning you could
> use in the footbed of the splint?
Yes. Martin of OrthoPets is pretty creative and a joy to work with. He has created inserts for the braces that provide some padding. Unfortunately, they also take up space, which throws the custom fit off and tends to pack the foot inside the plastic, cup like shape at the bottom.
At this point I think there are two things that contribute: the impact of Tbone walking, and the moisture that collects and softens his feet. The padding helps the former, but increases the later. My sense is that the later is a bigger problem, or perhaps the later would be a bigger problem if we could get the sores to heal in the first place.
> You might call around your city for orthotists/prosthetists who
> practice on humans. You could probably find one willing to look at
> your dog's appliance and they would know all about how to ease or
> cushion such a thing to correct the way it supports his weight.
Great idea. I'll do it. For one thing, I'm always looking for a fresh perspective.
> My only experience is with basic dragging sores (toes or hip/ankle)
> and the best thing for that is crate rest.
I think we could heal the toes with crate time, but it would take weeks or possibly months, and I can't bare to crate this wonderful, interactive, energetic boy for that long. This may take parenting skills (or stamina) that I don't have.
> I remember a dog that had a front leg splint for radial nerve damage,
> of a similar design, and the dog was only able to wear it 10 hours a
> day. I'm not sure how many hours your dog wears his splints.
Tbone wears his braces from roughly 8am to 10 or 11pm -- 14 or 15 hours. This may be big part of the problem. I've recently started removing the braces earlier in the evening, sometimes 8 or 9pm, to give his feet some air.
> If his paws are getting wet in the grass when he plays, it is probably
> making him slip a little in his splint, which causes blisters..and
> when he's running around in the sand of the dirt road, he is probably
> getting grit in the splint and it is going to rub him raw. Wonder what
> would happen if you crate him till it heals, then try the splint again
> but with some kind of protective boots covering the splints so dew and
> sand can't get in. No personal experience with this, just thinking out
> loud.
Thanks for thinking out loud. It's helpful. Yes, his paws get wet if he is in wet grass (or on the beach, or anywhere near water, because he loves water and will find it and, at the least, sit down in it). I don't think he gets blisters, but something does go wrong. Perhaps they are blisters.
There have been times when one foot or the other seemed to heal. The foot seems pretty healthy for quite a while. Then one day I notice a small crack in the center. In a few days the crack grows and eventually it becomes a big draining hole.
I didn't think of it as a blister. I originally blamed it on brace giving the pads too much protection, such that the pad was building up and not being sanded off which would happen if he was walking around on them normally. The theory was that the pad gets thicker, dries out, and then cracks.
I had another idea about this recently -- maybe he gets athletes foot. Maybe some bacteria or fungus attacks his toes. I've decided that no matter how healthy his feet look I will continue to wash them regularly with anti fungal shampoo.
Does this seem plausible?
> I think you might want to ask the vet about putting him on antibiotics
> if the sore has a hole in it.
Yes. Periodically we put him on antibiotics.
Any thoughts about the shampoo we've been using? KetoChlor or ChlorhexiDerm? Once when his toe was in really bad shape we took him to UC Davis veterinary hospital. I expected they would want to perform surgery or at least stitch up the wound and put him on antibiotics. Instead they inspected it, cleaned it gently with saline, wrapped it up and sent us home. We continued to clean with saline for a while and it healed nicely.
I think the saline is less destructive than the shampoo. But I think that sooner or later bacteria or fungus start working on him again. I'm trying to wash his feet mainly with saline and then occasionally shampoo with the KetoChlor.
Thanks for your comments and suggestions.
-Kelly
> I just watched your video, that's impressive.
Yeah, dogs are resilient. This dog is amazing. I think it helps that he is so bright and athletic.
> Have you asked OrthoPets if they have any kind of cushioning you could
> use in the footbed of the splint?
Yes. Martin of OrthoPets is pretty creative and a joy to work with. He has created inserts for the braces that provide some padding. Unfortunately, they also take up space, which throws the custom fit off and tends to pack the foot inside the plastic, cup like shape at the bottom.
At this point I think there are two things that contribute: the impact of Tbone walking, and the moisture that collects and softens his feet. The padding helps the former, but increases the later. My sense is that the later is a bigger problem, or perhaps the later would be a bigger problem if we could get the sores to heal in the first place.
> You might call around your city for orthotists/prosthetists who
> practice on humans. You could probably find one willing to look at
> your dog's appliance and they would know all about how to ease or
> cushion such a thing to correct the way it supports his weight.
Great idea. I'll do it. For one thing, I'm always looking for a fresh perspective.
> My only experience is with basic dragging sores (toes or hip/ankle)
> and the best thing for that is crate rest.
I think we could heal the toes with crate time, but it would take weeks or possibly months, and I can't bare to crate this wonderful, interactive, energetic boy for that long. This may take parenting skills (or stamina) that I don't have.
> I remember a dog that had a front leg splint for radial nerve damage,
> of a similar design, and the dog was only able to wear it 10 hours a
> day. I'm not sure how many hours your dog wears his splints.
Tbone wears his braces from roughly 8am to 10 or 11pm -- 14 or 15 hours. This may be big part of the problem. I've recently started removing the braces earlier in the evening, sometimes 8 or 9pm, to give his feet some air.
> If his paws are getting wet in the grass when he plays, it is probably
> making him slip a little in his splint, which causes blisters..and
> when he's running around in the sand of the dirt road, he is probably
> getting grit in the splint and it is going to rub him raw. Wonder what
> would happen if you crate him till it heals, then try the splint again
> but with some kind of protective boots covering the splints so dew and
> sand can't get in. No personal experience with this, just thinking out
> loud.
Thanks for thinking out loud. It's helpful. Yes, his paws get wet if he is in wet grass (or on the beach, or anywhere near water, because he loves water and will find it and, at the least, sit down in it). I don't think he gets blisters, but something does go wrong. Perhaps they are blisters.
There have been times when one foot or the other seemed to heal. The foot seems pretty healthy for quite a while. Then one day I notice a small crack in the center. In a few days the crack grows and eventually it becomes a big draining hole.
I didn't think of it as a blister. I originally blamed it on brace giving the pads too much protection, such that the pad was building up and not being sanded off which would happen if he was walking around on them normally. The theory was that the pad gets thicker, dries out, and then cracks.
I had another idea about this recently -- maybe he gets athletes foot. Maybe some bacteria or fungus attacks his toes. I've decided that no matter how healthy his feet look I will continue to wash them regularly with anti fungal shampoo.
Does this seem plausible?
> I think you might want to ask the vet about putting him on antibiotics
> if the sore has a hole in it.
Yes. Periodically we put him on antibiotics.
Any thoughts about the shampoo we've been using? KetoChlor or ChlorhexiDerm? Once when his toe was in really bad shape we took him to UC Davis veterinary hospital. I expected they would want to perform surgery or at least stitch up the wound and put him on antibiotics. Instead they inspected it, cleaned it gently with saline, wrapped it up and sent us home. We continued to clean with saline for a while and it healed nicely.
I think the saline is less destructive than the shampoo. But I think that sooner or later bacteria or fungus start working on him again. I'm trying to wash his feet mainly with saline and then occasionally shampoo with the KetoChlor.
Thanks for your comments and suggestions.
-Kelly
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GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily
- Posts: 5011
- Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2003 7:00 pm
- Location: St. Helena Island, SC
Re: help needed with open sores from hind paw brace
The stinky thing about sores is they need to drain and need to be open to do that. In human cases, it is practicable. In our pups' cases, not so.
I would seriously pad while in brace and remove everything to air dry which is what you do. I guess hyou have already explored putting the pressure on a different part of theleg/foot? I am presesntly recovering from a surgery that I had no clue would be so tough. More bones splinter as others try to accommodate the 'cast' / 'brace' I have to wear. So I pad those areas, now growing, to diminish the pressure of the hardness of the cast. I have had casts removed and reinstalled with 'hanging' cast to take the pressure of th cast off the fracture. Bracing and pressure points are devils but eventuallyl another weightbearing location can be found and allow the pressure points to heal.
I am sorry you are having this issue and yeah, living by the sea, salt water is the BEST healer! I have had to abrade dailyl (or twice daily) infected wounds on a pup. My dad also had his chest opened up and left that way so the staph infection could heal. I have had a hose put in my leg and taped to the outside of a cast to allow the infection from the gash heal from under the cast. I also had a hose in my stomach coming out and taped to my leg (yeah, that was awful) to allow nasties to leave before they did any damage to the surgical area. Allowing things to leave the body is the theme here, and once the germs are gone and healing can begin, you hopefully can find another pressure point for the brace. I'm thinking a 'hanging' type, like I had... That'll take some thinking.
I would seriously pad while in brace and remove everything to air dry which is what you do. I guess hyou have already explored putting the pressure on a different part of theleg/foot? I am presesntly recovering from a surgery that I had no clue would be so tough. More bones splinter as others try to accommodate the 'cast' / 'brace' I have to wear. So I pad those areas, now growing, to diminish the pressure of the hardness of the cast. I have had casts removed and reinstalled with 'hanging' cast to take the pressure of th cast off the fracture. Bracing and pressure points are devils but eventuallyl another weightbearing location can be found and allow the pressure points to heal.
I am sorry you are having this issue and yeah, living by the sea, salt water is the BEST healer! I have had to abrade dailyl (or twice daily) infected wounds on a pup. My dad also had his chest opened up and left that way so the staph infection could heal. I have had a hose put in my leg and taped to the outside of a cast to allow the infection from the gash heal from under the cast. I also had a hose in my stomach coming out and taped to my leg (yeah, that was awful) to allow nasties to leave before they did any damage to the surgical area. Allowing things to leave the body is the theme here, and once the germs are gone and healing can begin, you hopefully can find another pressure point for the brace. I'm thinking a 'hanging' type, like I had... That'll take some thinking.
Karen, Andy's ^i^ mom
Lethal White Aussies Rule!
INTERACTIVE RESCUE SITE!
http://www.s8.createphpbb.com/lethalwhiteauss/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LethalWhiteAussieRescue/
Lethal White Aussies Rule!
INTERACTIVE RESCUE SITE!
http://www.s8.createphpbb.com/lethalwhiteauss/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LethalWhiteAussieRescue/
Re: help needed with open sores from hind paw brace
I just keep thinking in the back of my mind...and I don't mean this the wrong way because like you I am a great admirer of the work of OrthoPets...but something that comes to mind is that you asked them to make you an appliance that would work for him longterm. If he has been having sores for a whole year, and if it now appears necessary for him to have extra padding, and the padding crowds the foot, then...he may need the boots redone. Like kids who grow out of their shoes (several hundred dollar shoes I imagine...), or shoes wear out, or the foot changes. Perhaps his foot has changed, or possibly the fit was never quite right to begin with. If it worked for him without sores in the beginning, then it must have been a good fit.
Moisture is the enemy in Army boots. Wool socks wick moisture. Nowadays places like REI have high tech socks to wick moisture in hiking boots. I wonder if different socks would make a difference.
Here is a link to an archived webpage. This used to be a fantastic webpage when it was live, and it had photos of different paw conditions in racing greyhounds. I hope reading the text is still helpful.
www.therapaw.com/pawPadConditions.html
Here is another expensive suggestion, but if you want to keep him off of it for a while but give him exercise, then renting a wheelchair is an option. I know this is getting a bit extreme, redoing the splint, renting a wheelchair. I hope you can find an easier to way, I am just saying any ideas, in case they make someone else think of a really good idea.
I don't know anything about fungus in paws but considering he is in shoes all the time and sometimes damp, that sounds like a good thought.
Moisture is the enemy in Army boots. Wool socks wick moisture. Nowadays places like REI have high tech socks to wick moisture in hiking boots. I wonder if different socks would make a difference.
Here is a link to an archived webpage. This used to be a fantastic webpage when it was live, and it had photos of different paw conditions in racing greyhounds. I hope reading the text is still helpful.
www.therapaw.com/pawPadConditions.html
Here is another expensive suggestion, but if you want to keep him off of it for a while but give him exercise, then renting a wheelchair is an option. I know this is getting a bit extreme, redoing the splint, renting a wheelchair. I hope you can find an easier to way, I am just saying any ideas, in case they make someone else think of a really good idea.
I don't know anything about fungus in paws but considering he is in shoes all the time and sometimes damp, that sounds like a good thought.
Re: help needed with open sores from hind paw brace
Koi's original custom splint flip flopped against his leg and tried to make a sore. We used baby socks to cushion it and to help protect his dragging toes. They're cheap (especially from Dollar Tree) and are easy to wash and dry. White ones can even be bleached, if drainage is a problem. They're also so thin they may not bulk up his splint too much, and changing them relatively frequently might help.
The high-tech socks Carol mentions might help, although they might have to be resewn to fit a pupper.
The high-tech socks Carol mentions might help, although they might have to be resewn to fit a pupper.
Re: help needed with open sores from hind paw brace
i'm thinking maybe if you leave the area uncovered at night so it gets air it would help to heal. also, you might try "healtastic" on the area that cracks. i wear sandals all the time and my heals always got dried out and would crack but this product is helping a lot. you might even put the healtastic on the area at night. it's non greasy. you can get it at most drugstores like walgreen's, CVS etc.