Bloody Paws

[Daisy'sMom]

So we've noticed something with Daisy recently and wondered if anyone else has experienced this. First of all, Daisy is obsessed with chasing the ball, the orange and blue Chuckit! balls are hands down her favorite (which are excellent, by the way, and worth the price). But really, I've never seen a dog so obsessed. Anyway, my husband takes her outside every day to throw the ball a decent distance so she can run and get good exercise outdoors. She LOVES this more than anything. However, we're noticing after she comes inside that she has bloody paws on her two front legs. And it's not the bottom of her feet, it's the paws/pads that are a little bit up her leg, we joke and call them her "thumbs". They are raw and bloody on both legs. Daisy can run faster than anything I've ever seen, we are trying to figure out if they're bloody from how crazy fast she is with gripping the ground and running? Those pads/paws seem too far up her leg to get irritated, I'd think it would be the pads on the bottom of her feet that would be irritated, but am I wrong? And this happens when she runs on any type of surface. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm not terribly concerned but I feel bad for her, then she wants to lick them obsessively to make them feel better.

[daking]

if its what im thinking, it could be from her back feet, the nails scratching as they cross. It is common with runners who are racing on a track. the spikes from the runner in front can cause a bloody mess as the person in rear steps down the person in fronts kick back will scratch and cut

[deepnite10]

Toby looks like he s galloping like a horse when he run s..and completely lifts each paw in stride..im thinking she may be dragging a paw if she s not getting enough heigth with each stride..

[Daisy'sMom]

Daisy runs like a deer when running for fun, she has a gallop, but when she's chasing the ball it's more like a jaguar or greyhound, she's low to the ground and fast.

[lindamarie]

I believe the "thumbs" you refer to are the dewclaws on the dog.
They can be removed. Some people have them removed during neutering.
Here's on article.......and you can google more if you'd like to know more about them.
About Dogs - Dewclaws

[Daisy'sMom]

I think you're on to something Linda. It's the actual black pad that's about 1/2 in. further up the leg from the actual dew claw nail. I can't tell from the article you attached if the dew claw is considered the nail only or the pad as well? I'll have to ask our vet next time we're in. I wonder if the dew claw is somehow catching on that pad as she runs. Who knows!! Thanks!!

[lindamarie]

You are very welcome! But, I do think this is the problem. Google a picture and compare.

Editing to add picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dew_claw

[Daisy'sMom]

That's it! It's Letter "E"!!! The letter "E" pad is bloody after she chases the ball. Weird!!! Thanks for sending that link, I didn't think to do an image search of the anatomy of a dog's leg and foot. Thx!!

[Daisy'sMom]

We were at the vet with Daisy for her infected eyes on Wed. so I asked them about her paws. They said most likely it's from when she's chasing the ball so hard that when she reaches it to retrieve it she has to "put the brakes on" and when she skids those front pads touch the ground even though they are up by the dew claw. Makes sense! They could see where the abrasions are that are healing so that's why they think it's from actually skidding. All they said was to just be cautious of the surface she runs on and they also said they make much better boots these days for pets that she can wear to protect her feet when running outside. Not sure if we'll try them or not, depends on if they continue to bleed everytime and how much/often. I'll look into them for now and see what they're like.

[daking]

if you were to look at boots, check neo-paws they are in toronto, but ship. I highly recommend them!! zebra mussels in the lake and ice chunks in winter dont stand a chance