Dog shoes/paw protectors

aonb

My poor old Pepper is in the wars again.
You may remember; 16 yr old terrier, diagnosed with growths in liver & bladder.Bit incontinent, he has more warts/lumps/bumps than a warthog, but is in GREAT form - eating for Ireland (food obsessed ) and full of the joys & loves his routine/chews/cuddles/ripping stuffed toys apart and his walks! He gets 2 or 3 tiny walks/day - only strolls really (SO boring!) but Im anxious that we keep this up, as he loves it so, and its good mental stimulation for him.

Anyway, he has a growth on his front paw. Its like another 'pad' growing between his large pad & toe pads. This has been there for nearly a year. Im NOT taking him to the vet about it at this stage, but am just wondering about Dog Boots/Paw Protectors as he is VERY lame yesterday/today on this paw. We walk on a country lane but I think I will start walking him in the field (softer)behind our house (none of the dogs enjoy that walk for some reason) So, has anyone got any advice about paw protectors? Do they stay on? Other ideas/suggestions? Is there something I can soak it in to 'harden' it off? As I say, Pepper is on borrowed time, he does not need another stressful visit to the vet, and at this stage, Im not inflicting any more on him, but suggestions/advice would be very welcome.

tk123

I've used them a few times for cuts/broken nail. I got great ones in MaxiZoo that are neoprene so have a bit of a stretch to them compared to the 'walker' ones on zooplus - the stretch was really handy when Bailey had an accident and basically scraped off chunk of his pad and the side off one of his nails (against a wall ) - I was able to stretch it as I was putting it on so compared to the zooplus ones that are like socks going over so rubbed and hurt him. The only think I've found is that they don't really last that long - they wear down but you can do a diy job with tape etc.

Glad to hear Pepper is in good form btw!!

muddypaws

Maybe contact these guys, based in Waterford, they could give you advice and maybe make a made to measure boot for you. http://www.dogbootsactive.com/

DBB

Is it an interdigital cyst he has aonb? Older dogs, particularly terriers seem to be rather prone to them, I know I dealt with them a lot with my old Westie.
It's like a hard lump between the pads, which is really quite sore and makes them lame? Feels a bit like a pea? Does that sound right?
It has always been said they're caused by a grass seed or splinter, but apparently they can also be caused by an autoimmune reaction, which was almost certainly the case with my Westie... there's no way he got THAT many splinters in exactly the same spot!
I used to bathe his foot in warm (as warm as he could bear) salty water... but I'd imagine epsom salts would be great for it rather than table salt. I'd fill a shallow dish with the water and salt, and have him stand in it for a few minutes, several times a day.
I'd also suggest, if he'll let you, putting a poultice on it... maybe a bread poultice, or (I know you're a horsey person!) an Animalintex poultice? Or both? And bandage it onto his foot with Vet Wrap.
How would that sound?:)

aonb

DBB, thanks for that, but the growth on his paw (between his toe pads) is very soft/squisy. I used to bathe it in salted water, will start that again. I cant decide whether to bring him back to the vet again - realistically there is absolutely no point as they wont operate/remove it... its been there for about a year - but just the past couple days he stops when we walk down the lane to lick it, so something has definately changed
He is very stressed by all the vet visits, and since our lovely older vet has retired and the practice taken over by a big local vet practice, Im just not happy with the vets there - they have no real interest in the dogs stress/anxiety... (brought my other dog there earlier this week with a gastric upset - I dont think the vet even looked at his face, and never asked how Pepper was doing)

Muddypaws, thanks for that pointer, will go and check Proactive Paws out.

I went to Maxizoo this a.m and brought home a pair of paw protectors. They only had Medium, no Small. It was too big, but he just stood there with the protector on, paw lifted, looking at me with that look on his face that just says "Godsake woman take this bloody thing off" (his humans are a bit of trial to him sometimes!). Might just go with the vet wrap as DBB suggested (& sneak in a poultice while Im at it too)