Callus and limping - Page 1

I have two questions I could use some opinions on. I have a 9 year female that has elbow callus. She is a house dog. The callus have been there sometime but in the last few months they seem to be getting raw. We did put in new carpet about 1 year ago.. my vet said try bag balm but it doesn't help. Anyone have anything they have found that will help? I also tried putting moleskin on it but she took it off pretty quick.:>) Second question. A two year old male, elbows OFA normal. He has had a limp in his front leg(s) on and off for some time. Pano does seem to run in his line so I just dismissed it as that. But lately it seems he limps more on gravel. I have checked his pads,pushing on them, no cuts, cracks etc.Also he can be limping one minute and seems OK the next. If you have a stick in your hand he feels NO pain at all. Loves a game of stick. Can Pano cause pain on and off that quick?

I'm surprised bag balm is not working.You could try some A+D ointment or vitamin E gel caps......you stick a pin in it and squeeze the vitamin E on the wound. Good luck

Two year old male: friends from us also have a 2 year male with recurrent limping of a front leg. Did you check the shoulder? With this dog, it turns out now, that it is a chronic inflammatory disease of the biceps muscle tendon. This tendon can also be calcified. Presently this dog gets injections locally against the inflammatory process. You can induce pain by pressure on this tendon and flexion of the shoulder joint while the elbow joint is streched. You should look for an orthopedic vet to check this disease process. The info, I got is, that this disease process is only unilateral.

Thanks for the response. I will try the Vit E and or A&D ointment for the callus. I think I will just bring stick dog in for a check up and see what my vet can figure out on him.

Trailrider-- You might also want to bring the 9yr old in for a checkup. She might be using her elbows also for added support to compensate for another problem. She's 9 and may need a little help also getting up--a thick foam bed 4-6 inches high might make it easier to get up, and prevent a bigger problem in the future. Just make sure you lean the bed up against a wall--when she starts to slide off and stand, the bed stays put and gives her support. My suggestions are only if it's more than an ointment fix.

LMH She does have one bad elbow... she can sleep anywhere she wants in the house, my bed included.I could put some foam in a crate, she like to lie in there too, the door is left open. One elbow is worse than the other and my vet just felt she laid more on that side. I think it is this new carpet. She went in this spring for bloodwork and checkup and they found her healthy.

Trailrider-- If the elbows are raw, she must be rubbing on them more extensively, or she is biting them (no easy task). Watch her carefully, and see what's contributing to the problem. She might be allergic to something in the carpet---but, somehow I think it's more a friction issue caused by added weight on the joint. Feel around her body and look for signs of pain. She might need support in getting up from the floor. If it's an allergic reation to the carpet, I would think she might also be chewing her feet and scratching. When she stands, is she sliding down on her elbow, because the rug is slippery? Ointment will help the symptoms, but I'd want to know what was causing them. Good luck. By the way, what happened with the bee sting? Is this the same dog?

LMH I don't think it is an alergy to the carpet. I think it is that the texture is not as soft as the "old" carpet. Therefore when her weight is on it laying down and her getting up she is probably getting something like a rug burn. She also lays in her crate some and the upstairs is carpeted but older also. She does lick at them, more her left, when I see her I tell her to quit.She is still pretty active girl and doesn't seem to have trouble getting up. If it weren't for djd in one elbow she could go all day long. This is the same dog that got stung.After starting the meds (pred & antibiotic) she got slightly incontinent which bugged me because I am not much for giving drugs unless necessary. So I slowly weaned her off the pred sooner that the vet recommended, but her swelling was on its way down and she recovered quickly back to a GSD from a Sharpei. Thanks for asking.

You might want to try to pad her elbows someway. An old long sleeve t-shirt, gauze pads, vetwrap. Most will work as long as they are not wrapped too tightly and extended down the leg to the pastern.

Forgot to mention that old tube socks with the toes cut out will also work.