I found out what was wrong with Ranger now i feel AWFUL because its my fault :(
 

Well some of you might have seen my thread about Ranger and him hurting one/both of his hind legs, or possibly having something like LP. It was horrible, I was a mess, of course.
Well I let him out in the backyard this afternoon and when I went to get him, he was doing the same thing as the other day.

I picked him up and started feeling him all over, and when I turned him on his back, I found sores on each of his hind paws, the left especially bad. I checked them the other day, but it must have taken a day or two for the skin to open and fall off.

I feel HORRIBLE and like such a bad mommy because I did this to him!! Its my fault and I feel really bad and want to cry :(

Don't feel bad..... you did not do anything wrong that I can see....I see someone who cares about her baby....

Thank you, but I still feel bad! I made him run/walk further than he was capable of :(

I am sorry about your furbaby having sores on his paws. Hope they get better soon. Do you know what was causing the sores?

Dont feel bad , you didnt know he was hurting. I have seen some balm that you can get for paws it's supposed to protect them from extremes like hot and cold. :animal-pa maybe you could try this.

raw coconut oil is great for sores as it is a natural antibacterial and antifungal and safe for them to lick and he will lick as they love the taste so i would put it on and use a wrap over the paws so they can heal

Thanks Lisa. I took him on our run, which I always do, but I had stepped it up a notch earlier that week. Too bad too because he really loves going.

Thanks, but its sooo hard not to feel bad! I was going to look into something like that, but I don't want to put anything on them that might sting. When they are all healed I will look for something. Thank you!

oh dear! :( I'm so sorry! Big hugs to you and Ranger! Don't blame yourself - it's not your fault! :love:

Thanks Debbie! I actually tried to wrap them, I am sure you can imagine how that went! I will get some of that for the future though, I love homeopathic remedies.

Amanda, I am sorry about little Rangers feet. I dont know ANYTHING about that because I so do not run. My little ones miss out on that great activity! Ha Ha
Ranger will be fine and heal up. I am happy to hear this as bad as that sounds because at least its not something that requires surgery! Give Ranger extra love from our gang.

Amanda, I am so very sorry that Ranger has sores on his little footsies. I have found the absolute BEST of the BEST wound medicine is Herbal Wound Spray made with 100% pure Emu Oil. The company that makes it is Laid In Montana, here's a link: Buy emu oil online - All natural products from Montana . We used the spray on a young stallion who got silly and cut his back leg on a piece of wire right at the hock - there wasn't much to stitch, but Doc did the best he could and left the Herbal Wound Spray for us to use twice daily. The results were incredible..... the healing was slow, which was a good thing, from the inside out, but once it was healed the hair even came back chesnut - with no white. He does have a bit of scar tissue because we got lazy once the wound closed up - we should have continued the treatments for another 6 weeks or so, but it was winter and cold.....

I would strongly recommend the Herbal Wound Spray - I use it on me and on both of my surgery incisions and they have almost disappeared.

Dont blame yourself, your a great mommie. Hope he feels better soon.

Thank you! Poor bud, he was playing with Ryder this evening and the carpet rubbed it raw again :( Thanks for the hugs!!

I gave Ranger the extra lovin' from your kids. He pushed me away, so I don't know what that says :p I am so glad I figured this out and feel silly for immediately "going there," but I can't help but worry about the worst. Thank you!

That sounds really interesting and a great product to have on hand. I am going to have to get me some for the pony and dog first aid kit. Those horses can get themselves into the most horrible messes, can't they? My newest arab gelding came up lame last week so we took him in this morning and found a bone chip in his fetlock!! Great! I guess it's my bad animal luck month. I can't complain, it could all be MUCH WORSE!!

I like to think I am a good mommy but things like this make you wonder!! Thank you though!!

My little guy had his paw stung by a hornet there was nothing I could do it happened lucky he was not allergic.

Oh no! That would be awful! My golden got stung by a wasp and the entire left side of her face swelled up SO BAD, I had to take her to the vet- TWICE!!

Awwww! Thank you so much! You are such a mommy, always know how to make me feel better! Also, you know me WAY TO WELL!!! Lookie here....

Bark'n Boots™ Grip Trex™ Dog Boots - all-terrain, all-condition, all-season paw wear - from Ruff Wear

Unfortunately, they don't make Shox for doggies :( I wanted to get matching shoes, but I would feel soooo bad making him wear pink tennies!!!!

And no, you're right, he would be sooo sad to watch the world go by- HE wants the world to watch him! Plus, he is great motivation to run with and doesn't pull me off my feet like the dumb old lab!!!! I love you and Roxy too!

Poor little Ranger has such a bad mommy. :D Seriously, isn't it the worse, thinking that you are doing something good for him and instead it was kind of bad? You've got to hand it to the little fellow, he's a real trouper, but now that you know he'll do something even when it hurts, you need to be on your toes! So many people think, "lazy dog", or "spoiled dog", but he didn't stop, until he really needed to. No one's a perfect mom; we all make mistakes, good mommies learn from them, and help others learn by their mistakes as well. So in my book that makes you a good mommy, and next time Joey plops his little butt down, and won't take another step, I'll think of Ranger.

By the way, I think some of the creams and lotions you use to soften a dog's pads might not be a great idea for dogs that really need a tough pad. It's like when you're learning to play the guitar, you develop calluses, but if you overdue the lotions the skin never toughens up, although, something might be needed temporarily.

Wow, that must have been some walk! Ranger must be in great shape. You should be proud of that. There's no way you could tell he was hurting his pads. Don't beat yourself up!

A couple questions and a couple suggestions:
* Are you sure it was just wear and tear on the pad, or is there salt or a chemical on the road that might have irritated it? If there's a chance it was a chemical, make foot-washing after walks part of your regular routine.

* I'm sure you've looked into it, but I Googled and one of the first things to come up was the below link. It suggests washing the feet twice daily now that they're cracked. Use an anti-bacterial soap and treat them with an antibiotic to prevent infection.

How to Help a Dog With Winter Paw Pad Injuries: Dog Paw Injuries, Cracked Dog Foot Pads are Common in Winter

Those booties you found look pretty cool. If you get them, just make sure they're not putting too much torque on his ankles. I'm always leary of heavy-duty booties on Yorkies because they can create false pivot points on tender ankles. I think you'd be better off starting with a fleece or nylon sack and no heavy duty sole.

This link shows the kind I like for the snow. They might work just to protect the pad. Unfortunately, the sizes aren't small enough for most Yorkies. :(

Dog Booties

Oh Amanda, don't beat yourself up!! Sometimes, it is SO hard to figure out what is wrong with these guys, I've been there - many times! You did figure it out though, so now he is on the mend and all will be well with you doting on him. :D

Kingston has really sensitive feet and he refuses to wear the boots. I found these Companion Road® Bootie Socks - Apparel - Dog - PetSmart he really is no bothered by them and moves normally.

Thanks Nancy :rolleyes: I figured you would jump in sometime!!! I felt really bad because he DID stop, I just thought he was being stubborn. It took a bit before I stopped to think that something must really be wrong. :( But yes, I did learn, and knowing Ranger, if he stops, there is something really wrong!

I wasn't going to put anything on it right now as I don't want to soften them up, I know he needs the calluses. This happened to my golden a few years ago and we actually brushed betadine on her pads to toughen them up, but I am leary doing that with Ranger or Ryder, they are just too small! Oh, and never Ryder because his feet RARELY touch the ground as it is. :p

Thanks Mike. I am sure the pads are just worn, and not from any chemicals. We haven't had a speck of snow, and it takes ALOT for them to do anything to the roads. I always make sure never to take him through anything spilled on the road or anything wet. His front paws are worn pretty close to the owie point, but not there yet.

I was wondering that exact thing about those boots. I actually found a product called musher's wax I think, which may be a better option. The Ruff Wear company actually has these boots, too, which may be softer and not so much torque. Bark'n Boots™ Skyliner™ Dog Boots – All-weather, paw protecting dog shoes - from Ruff Wear they look less harsh, don't they? The other problem is finding ones that would fit him, I looked at a few "sack types" rubber and nylon, but they weren't small enough.

I just looked at the link you sent, and I think those would be the most practical way to go. It looks like thier smallest size would fit him! And they are cheap, which is great!

Thanks for your advice, I figured with you guys being out in the salt and stuff you may have a better idea that I. Thank you!

Thanks Anne. It is so frustrating when you can't figure it out! I had looked at his feet but I think it took a day for the sores to become really apparent. He is obviously feeling better, because he doesn't want to be doted on anymore! He was sucking it up for a while! :p

Those are cute, but like you said, they are way to big for Ranger. Check out the link in Mike's (Alaskayorkie) post. They are dog booties that mushers use, and they come in little sizes. I think I am going to get some of those and see what he thinks. Knowing him, he would refuse to walk with shoes on, but those seem less obtrusive.

Isn't funny that as parents we always remember the mistakes we made and feel guilty, while our kids just remember how awesome we were? I'm sure that your little Ranger still thinks you 'hung the moon'! What a lucky guys he is to have a mommy that cares....;)

Aww, you're a wonderful mommy! Do you know how many people on here don't bother to take their pups for exercise at all? Me included- At least not as much as I should! I can't wait to see pics of him in his new shoes! :p

Sounds like you're on top of it! I've heard good things about the musher's wax. That might solve it.

I like those all-weather booties too. The ones I sent are designed more for snow and would likely get holes in them pretty quickly. They could be patched, but it might be more work than it's worth.

If you want to experiment before spending a bunch of money on booties, you could get an old pair of work gloves or fleece gloves and cut off the fingers. Then buy a strip of velcro and wrap around the top. That might give you an idea of how well he'll tolerate them. Of course, it takes some "conditioning" before he'll do much walking in them.

AmandaWash keep the emu oil out of reach of the doggies. I was using it because it is great for your skin and Max took it out of my makeup room and ate it :( I couldnt find the packaging for about 3 weeks.