what to put over my dogs foot?

Question

my 171/2 yr old lab has arthritis. he is on deramaxx, it has made a big differance he can get up himself and walk. i carry him down the 5 steps that lead to yard he tries to do it himself but i wont let him i am afraid he will get hurt i help him back up his toes are curled under on one of paws the trouble is 2 of his toes have boo boos from him dragging his paw i put a baby sock on his foot but that didnt work other than that he is doing well

Answer 1

WOW! Congratulations on having a large breed like a lab live so long. We just recently had to have our 13 year-old yellow lab put down. She had been nearly lame on her back end for over a year. We took her out five times a day to do her business, having to hold up her rear end with a towel draped under her belly each time. Sadly, she got bone cancer in her left shoulder and was in too much pain to continue on.

I commend you for carrying him down the steps to go out. Unfortunate that his back toes are curling under. That is almost always a sign that he has untreatable nerve damage in his spine. He can't feel that his toes are curling under, but he'll feel the pain from the sprain hours later.

When my girl started doing that, I found that putting booties on her back feet made the toes stay out straight. The booties are available from hunting supply houses such as Cabela's and Bass Pro Shop. I had mine left over from her hunting days, so it has been awhile since pricing them. I believe they are less than $10 for the pair and are available online. If your dog never hunted, or has never worn these booties, he WON'T like them. They strap on very easily, so you can put them on just for when he needs to go out.

Again, you are a great dog owner and I can't say enough how lucky your friend is to have you! Best of luck to both of you.

Answer 2

There are booties available at stores, they may be thicker fabric than some other choices. You could try to get what the vets have at the office usually called vet wrap and comes in a variety of colors. Although you'd have to wrap it every morning and unwrap at night to let the foot breathe. It would let you control exactly where the wounds( like an ace bandage). Last option would be too make your own (if your handy with a needle and thread) buy some good fabric like upholstry fabric, and make a little bootie. Good luck i hope you can make him comfortable, one toe at a time!

Answer 3

wow, you must have taken very good care of him to be that old! We have a 10 year old black lab who drags his back feet but not like you describe. If you have a feed store or other large pet supply store, try to find Vet Wrap by 3M. Then after dabbing the sores with hydrogen peroxide apply with a gentle salve like vaseline and cover with a gauze square and wrap the vet wrap around it (not too tightly). It is self adherent and will allow the sores to heal and protect the foot from more damage. Check and change daily. Good luck!!

Answer 4

Don't Put lotion puppies paws are very touchy and although you permit your puppy stroll on a newly waxed flooring they may be able to be very sick/ill. So i suppose lotion is out of the query. It's now not dull to invite a query if you do not know the reply incidentally..

Answer 5

I agree with Sylvie - I saw some at pet store the other day.

Answer 6

try a regular tube sock with a layer of duct tape over the whole thing. it makes it harder for him to get off and harder to chew thru.

Answer 7

You are so lucky to have had your dog share your life for so many years! Check out this website. I think it may help.

http://handicappedpets.com

Answer 8

There are doggy booties that you can buy for him to wear.