staging.vettimes.com

Tag: paw

  • Sterile pyogranulomatous cysts are worth bearing in mind

    Interdigital cyst
    An interdigital cyst in the paw of an English bull terrier – image by Nottingham Vet School (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) via Flickr.

    I recently saw a very large, and very friendly bull mastiff that presented with what appeared to be typical interdigital cysts. These had been chronically recurrent and previous histopathology indicated a pyogranulomatous reaction.

    However his lesions responded poorly to three weeks’ of cephalexin antibiotic therapy and, in fact, he developed several lesions on his other feet.

    Cytology revealed mild bacterial colonisation, and it occurred to me this might be an immune-mediated reaction (his blood work and TSH/T4 were all within normal limits) – and, hey presto, we got a rapid clinical response to steroids.

    In spite of being under control he has also developed an acute erythematous otitis externa, so I think a food trial is my next line. Watch this space…

  • Check out pad wounds thoroughly

    A veterinary nurse treats a paw wound on a large dog.
    A veterinary nurse treats a paw wound on a large dog. Image ©iStock/Mypurgatoryyears

    Last Saturday I had a “walk in” – a very cute spaniel that was limping slightly and had a cut pad. The owner thought she might have trodden on something.

    A good palpation didn’t seem to suggest the presence of any foreign body and the dog was very stoical. My previous experiences suggest any foreign material produces a lot of pain that is exacerbated by palpation – sometimes with dramatic effect!

    However, the insistence of the owner made me look closer and I could just see a glint of a firm object deeply embedded in the pad. A pair of rat toothed forceps later and I extracted a 5mm slither of glass from the pad.

    The result was a happy dog and owner, but oh – I could so easily have sent that poor dog away!