Greetings, friends! I hope you had a nice weekend! Ours was stressful and crazy, due to some sort of injury to Lacey’s paw. Good news is, Lacey is much better and hopefully on the mend! So, a boo-boo, a collar and a sock story!
Long story, short, on Friday our sweet 7 year old Golden Retriever, Lacey, apparently got a nasty spider bite or bee sting and had a violent reaction. We noticed she started limping a little on Friday afternoon and it quickly escalated into something obviously painful for her. When she stood on her leg she would kick it out like she was trying to get something out of it and was whimpering. We immediately took her to our vet.
He couldn’t see any type of sting or bite and determined nothing was broken. He was puzzled by her reaction and said he had never seen a dog respond like that. Ever! He said it could be neurological or something more simple like a sting or sprain. So he gave her a shot of anti-inflammatory meds and a pain killer and sent us home. She rested for a while thanks to the drugs.
By midnight the drugs had worn off and Lacey was worse. We rushed her to the emergency vet clinic 45 minutes away. We waited two long, frustrating hours. They explained she wasn’t “critical” so we were low on the priority list. (Hello? Isn’t this what emergency vets were invented for? Did they have only one vet on a Friday night?) Because we weren’t getting any help and Lacey was anxious and in pain, we left and took her home. At least she would be able to calm down at home and we could give her something for pain. We gave her a few Benadryl pills to calm her down (per our vet’s instructions) and hopefully reduce any swelling and pain for the night. And she slept. I slept beside her on the couch.
Saturday we took her back to her vet as soon as they opened. She was still kicking her leg and biting at her foot. He needed a better look at her paw and by this time it was swollen, painful and raw from her chewing at it. So he gave her a shot to sedate her and shaved her foot and in between her paw pads. There was no obvious bite or stinger and no further signs of damage. He kept her for a few hours while she recovered. Avert your eyes if you don’t like boo-boos, but this is how Lacey’s foot looked after coming home from the vet. Very raw looking. I can see why it was so painful for her. My poor baby!
The vet recommended getting a cone to put on her collar so she wouldn’t bite or lick her foot. So, my husband found this one at the pet store. It looks like something people wear on a plane to prop up their head and actually looked pretty comfortable and much softer than a plastic cone. And the dog in the picture didn’t seem to mind it. It costs around $40.
Once Lacey was home she was so groggy I didn’t need for her to wear the “comfurt” collar. I kept a close eye on her all day and she didn’t seem interested in licking her foot. I think she was still so out of it she didn’t realize it hurt.
Later in the day after she woke up a bit she started to lick her injured paw. I tried the collar on her for about a minute and she stood there like a statue, afraid to move. She had already been through so much I couldn’t bear to make her wear it. So, I got some clean footie socks and duct tape and wrapped up her foot so she could walk fine but wouldn’t be tempted to mess with it. It worked like a charm! It’s true what they say about duct tape. It can fix anything! She still looks pitiful in this picture, but she is actually feeling much better.
Fast forward to today and she is almost back to her spunky self! We still aren’t sure exactly what caused the injury and haven’t given her any more medicine because it seems to just make her drowsy and lethargic. As long as she is not in pain, we are glad. And Lacey seems happy to feel more like herself. She’s following me around and wagging her tail. AND begging for treats. All excellent signs!
I’m still keeping the sock on her foot since I can’t watch her 24 hours a day and the sock really seems to keep her from messing with her boo-boo. And because it fits well, it doesn’t impede her walking (or running now). I think it also keeps any dirt out of the wound until it can heal. I”m still spraying the Genta-Spray Topical spray on her paw four times a day and attempting to restrict her activity. Now that she is feeling better, that is harder to do!
So, a big thank you to our vet and not so many thanks to the emergency vet clinic in Langhorne. Lacey is much better and nearly ready for the big move. (although she doesn’t know that part yet). We have 2 ½ more weeks in Pennsylvania! Yikes! The count down has begun.
I hope you have a lovely day and thank you so much for your concern and sweet comments about our sweet Lacey Lou! I just wanted to give you all an update on how she’s doing. Until next time! xoxo Dell & Lacey