Nancy
Well-known member
My little Shih Tzu was limping badly for a while. I checked her all over and she didn't seem to be in terrible pain anywhere. I took her to the vet and they thought it was arthritis. So put her on some fancy arthritis medication to see how she did. She did very well on it. I asked them about keeping her on it permanently and then found out it would cost an enormous amount of money for the script. So scrap that. They then told me to put her on Glucosamine and Chondroitin, and gave me the dosage. They also told me that I could give a baby aspirin. I did both. The Glucosamine and Chon. takes a little while to work, but it has worked, and very well. I abandoned the baby aspirin.
However, she was still favoring one leg. So I did a more thorough body search. This is what I found. between her toes, there were a couple of spots of hardened pine sap which had accumulated some debris. I massaged them with some salad oil, got them softened, and removed them.
Then I noticed that one of her foot pads was particularly touchy. She's very furry, so I clipped off the foot fur, and found a nasty sore between her toes. I cleaned out any debris, then used Sulfladene (over the pet counter) to lessen the inflammation, and then took a swab and used Neosporin. I did this a few times per day for a couple of weeks.
It all cleared up and she is walking very well now, no limping. I do think she also has a small touch of arthritis, so I kept her on the Glucosamine/Chond.
She's now a happy camper.
So I suggest giving your beloved dog a very close up personal inspection of her foot pads, especially between her toes. If they are sore, she may not like you doing it, but speak softly to her and go slowly. If she is otherwise healthy, eating, eliminating well, alert, maybe it is something going on with her feet, or nails. I had an elderly cat once that got toenail infections and they were nasty. I have also heard about dog's toenails splitting and getting infected that way.
Maybe it's something basic like that.
However, she was still favoring one leg. So I did a more thorough body search. This is what I found. between her toes, there were a couple of spots of hardened pine sap which had accumulated some debris. I massaged them with some salad oil, got them softened, and removed them.
Then I noticed that one of her foot pads was particularly touchy. She's very furry, so I clipped off the foot fur, and found a nasty sore between her toes. I cleaned out any debris, then used Sulfladene (over the pet counter) to lessen the inflammation, and then took a swab and used Neosporin. I did this a few times per day for a couple of weeks.
It all cleared up and she is walking very well now, no limping. I do think she also has a small touch of arthritis, so I kept her on the Glucosamine/Chond.
She's now a happy camper.
So I suggest giving your beloved dog a very close up personal inspection of her foot pads, especially between her toes. If they are sore, she may not like you doing it, but speak softly to her and go slowly. If she is otherwise healthy, eating, eliminating well, alert, maybe it is something going on with her feet, or nails. I had an elderly cat once that got toenail infections and they were nasty. I have also heard about dog's toenails splitting and getting infected that way.
Maybe it's something basic like that.
She must have had a pretty full bladder, as when I tried to turn her away from some bushes she was walking toward, she peed on my right leg. She may have done it because of the excitement of being able to walk again. I just laughed it off, and guided her the rest of the way to the mini-trampoline where she likes to sit. She climbed onto it herself, though I still had to lift her hindquarters up to finish her climb. Of course the pants are in the washing machine now. 
