He was playing frizbee on a tennis court because of so much rain and mud. He isn't used to the rougher surface since our dog park is grass and mulch. He must have scrapped between his toes on the front paw. Up top. He stopped playing and starting licking it. He isnt much for grooming himself so this let us know he got hurt. He also won't let you look at him if he did hurt himself without a battle of wills. We let him be and took him home. He continued on and off to lick and so finally we saw that he had what I would call road rash. The fur was scrapped off and it was red. No bleeding or limping. Just sore. He left it alone at night but again come morning started the lick. So I took him over to the vet. She said she thought we should just watch if. If it changed briing him back. I avoided antibiotics right away because he does have a quirky stomach. Didn't want to deal with that if not needed. We did try to stop the licking. He didn't do it excessively. Just enough that it concerned me again the next day. And he loves to dig in the mud at the park and does get rather dirty when he runs. It has been a muddy mess on and off for weeks here in IL. Now the nail bed looks red and swollen and I decide to see the vet yet again. This time she put him on antibiotics and agreed it looked like an infection starting up. Trying to read the name 200mg cefpodoxime? I asked if she found it rough on the gut. She said she doesn't see that often with it. It is used for the skin problems. 2 weeks-once a day. Day one was fine. Day two fine. Day three he is sick. Foamy, drooling a bit and seems like he needs to vomit. He refused his breakfast which is not like him at all. I stopped the pills and his toe is no longer red and he hasn't licked it in 25 hours now. Which I think means it isn't bothering him anymore. The vet wants to see him tomorrow to put him on another drug. I would rather wait and see at this point because of his stomach being messed up now. I hate drugs!! What should I do? Give him a few days and watch the foot? He was running like the wind today without any problems or concerns. Don't some things just work themselves out?
I would feed him a little bit of live yoghurt to help to soothe his stomach.....You can give it to him in a spoon several times a day.You should finish the antibiotics course now you have started it.The other thing for upset stomach is tree bark powder mixed in the food.
Susan,
I agree with Catherine's suggestion. I use something similar and it is a safe herbal tablet (I think you can get it in liquid form) and it is called 'Slippery Elm'. It is brilliant for upset stomachs and loose poo and it does work because I have used it on my boy, R/White, Ray when needed. If you do a 'google' search you should be able to read about it. It is from the bark of the North American Elm Tree.
Hope your boy gets better soon.
Pat
Hi Susan
I am sorry to hear your boy is poorly and best wishes for a speedy recovery. It is such a worrying time when a dog becomes ill and knowing the best course of action to follow. I hope that the comments from Catherine and Pat are helpful.
Best regards - Gayle
Zzzzzz I am so tired, Dublin was up since 4am yet again, pacing around and distressed. He needs to find the right weed I guess or grass etc. to make him vomit. At least that is how is acting outside. He finally about 7am threw up bile. This poor guy from only two days on that medication is still sick. He seems the worst overnight into the morning. Then he eats again and seems okay, normal activity but overnight it starts up. As if having an empty stomach for too long starts it up. We started the yogurt last night and I am going to give him boiled chicken and rice for a few meals to see if I can't get him settled. I knew this might happen! Then again his foot looks great and he seems okay at that end of things. Thanks for the help you guys.
Saffy has always had a 'problem' stomach, she would get Colitis and Gastritis, and ended up with a stomach Ulcer. So when as a last resort, I tried some Bionic Biotic, and I found that it really did do what it said on the box, it reduces the chance of the gut playing up, it also has a side effect of coat growth, but just a tablespoon-full on her food every time she eats, keeps her from having a ''runny tummy'', although I do have to say that she is still occasionally sick, but she will be fine when she has her tea, or her breakfast.
Could this 'thing' on her foot be a 'lick granular'??? they sometimes lick their feet over and over again. Until they have a big red using saw on their foot....
No, I was concerned he would develop the "habit" of licking his foot. It had all the fur scraped off by the nail while scraping it on a rough surface playing frizbee. He went down and stopped playing so we knew he got hurt. It is now all scabbed over and healing well. Swelling is gone and he stopped licking it Saturday so I knew it was healing well. It was the antibiotics for sure that caused this. Funny someone at the dog park told me today his husky had scraped his face last week there and it got oozy so the vet also put their dog on the skin bacteria antibiotic. Not the same as ours, but same family of drugs. His dog is sick too and won't eat now. His has a quirky gut too. All I can hope is that the rice, yogurt and a few days will heal him. If not I will bind that Bionic Biotic you mentioned. Thanks so much.