powerfulgazelle Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 The guys went to the groomer yesterday for a bath/brush. (Normally, we do Kip ourselves when needed, as he has a little quirk of peeing on his front leg feathers and tummy... , but he likes the bathtub, so it's not a big deal. But we're running around like scalded cats trying to get ready to go out of town this weekend for a funeral.) We did not (don't ever) ask for anything to be trimmed on either of the guys---they don't need it, given their coats. Kip was just worried and unsettled looking all evening after getting home yesterday, and again today. So this evening, I was giving him snuggles and trying to figure out why he was so glum, and noticed, when I went to snuggle his Frito-feet, that the large, central pads on BOTH hind feet had identical round pieces of pad SLICED OFF, each just hanging by a thread of skin/tissue...imagine something like the lid of a tin can that you have opened, but left the lid hanging by that last piece. The "sliced off" pieces are approx quarter sized and thick---not just superficial skin. I can see by the cut edges of fur that someone tried to trim the long tufts of fur that grow out between his toes/pads. We called the shop, spoke with the manager, who assured us she'd pay for any vet care he needs. The vet's is closed, but we'll take him in first thing in the AM...but, what can one do for sliced off pads? I was thinking antibiotic ointment and a pair of child's cotton socks, to help protect the dangling bits til the vet sees him.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo Peep Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 bag balm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerfulgazelle Posted April 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Thanks, Bo Peep! Does anyone know, are pads vascular enough to be sutured successfully? The hanging-off parts are thick, like suturing them back might not be a bad idea, but they don't really look like they have much of a blood supply anymore...but, perhaps having the detached areas at least covering the injured part underneath til it heals might be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesney's Girl Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Is it cut? Or sliced, like there was a blister and that top skin of the blister came off and now the raw new skin is exposed? I wouldn't think that they stitch pads, but if they might glue them. However if he is walking on them, they will probably just heal on their own with attention from him (like licking them). If they are how I am picturing them, Chesney tears his pads on his own from being on rough ground if his feet have been wet, and they have gotten to the point where they bleed and they are very sore for a few days. Pads heal surprisingly fast! Also think of their pads like the bottom of your foot at the heel. Its tough skin and once it gets cut off the skin dies pretty quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Ouch! Poor guy. Did the groomer even try to give you any explanation as to how or why this happened and why you weren't notified when you picked them up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerfulgazelle Posted April 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Is it cut? Or sliced, like there was a blister and that top skin of the blister came off and now the raw new skin is exposed? I wouldn't think that they stitch pads, but if they might glue them. However if he is walking on them, they will probably just heal on their own with attention from him (like licking them). If they are how I am picturing them, Chesney tears his pads on his own from being on rough ground if his feet have been wet, and they have gotten to the point where they bleed and they are very sore for a few days. Pads heal surprisingly fast! Also think of their pads like the bottom of your foot at the heel. Its tough skin and once it gets cut off the skin dies pretty quickly. Um, this is probably a gross analogy, but the "ball" of the central pad on each foot looks similar to what would happen if you took a sharp paring knife to the end of a hotdog, but stopped slicing just before completely removing the end (left it hanging on by a little thread). I feel a bit awful that I did not notice more detail last night, other than he just seemed unhappy. I chalked his behavior up to stress at having been groomed by someone unfamiliar (he's never had anything but a bath at home before) and the fact that he does not like being kenneled separate from Sollers. (When they go to the vet's, the vet staff always put them in a run together if they have to wait to be seen/picked up/whatever...but the groomer puts the dogs in individual crate-sized kennels.) He is walking on them, but now that I am paying attention, it is very gingerly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1sheepdoggal Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Geeze, I hate seeing stuff like this. What the heck is the groomer doing with scissors on the bottom of a dogs foot?? To do pads, they should be using clippers. Again, I cant stress enough. Avoid this kind of undue injury, and seek out Certified groomers. Stay away from Pet Smart ( I call them Pet Stupid) and Pet Co. grooming shops. Find out what type of credentials the person you are leaving your fur baby with has, as well as thier employees ( you'd do that much before leaving your child with some one you didnt know) As with trainers, not all groomers are created equal. When searching for Certified groomers, do a groomer search at the American Dog Groomers Assoc. com for certified professionals in your area. Ive seen this type of injury before, and I know exactly how it happens. It is very much so AVOIDABLE. I also know that it can be quite painful to the dog. Needlessly incurred if one would simply find a professioal. Get these wanna be groomers out of bussiness, by supporting only Certified Professionals. I am sorry to hear about your dog, you should be able to trust the person you leave in care of your dog, but thats not ever going to happen if folks dont stop utilizing/ supporting non professionals because of convienence, location, price or big corperate names. If a person is stupid enough to have this kind of mishap with a dog, they are not a groomer, there just a person with a pair of scissors and a building to do thier butchery in. I dont care what it says on the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1sheepdoggal Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 You can either take a pair of finger nail clippers and cut it off, or use super glue or vet glue to glue it back on. Clean it good first if you glue it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerfulgazelle Posted April 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Geeze, I hate seeing stuff like this. What the heck is the groomer doing with scissors on the bottom of a dogs foot?? To do pads, they should be using clippers. Again, I cant stress enough. Avoid this kind of undue injury, and seek out Certified groomers. Stay away from Pet Smart ( I call them Pet Stupid) and Pet Co. grooming shops. Find out what type of credentials the person you are leaving your fur baby with has, as well as thier employees ( you'd do that much before leaving your child with some one you didnt know) As with trainers, not all groomers are created equal. When searching for Certified groomers, do a groomer search at the American Dog Groomers Assoc. com for certified professionals in your area. Ive seen this type of injury before, and I know exactly how it happens. It is very much so AVOIDABLE. I also know that it can be quite painful to the dog. Needlessly incurred if one would simply find a professioal. Get these wanna be groomers out of bussiness, by supporting only Certified Professionals. I am sorry to hear about your dog, you should be able to trust the person you leave in care of your dog, but thats not ever going to happen if folks dont stop utilizing/ supporting non professionals because of convienence, location, price or big corperate names. If a person is stupid enough to have this kind of mishap with a dog, they are not a groomer, there just a person with a pair of scissors and a building to do thier butchery in. I dont care what it says on the door. Yes, it was at Petsmart. Sollers, the sausage-hound, does not like getting bathed and struggles mightily when we try to tub him at home. We found a lovely group of folks at one of the local Petsmarts that's close to the woods/park where Sollers is often busy getting smelly, who have done a good job, FWIW, with bathing a smelly 50 lb dog on short notice. Soller's coat is rather Lab-like and really does not require anything more than a dunk to get the funky stuff off. DH took the guys to a different Petsmart yesterday, not the one Sol usually gets bathed at. But, as I said, we are running like scalded cats trying to get out of town Friday for a funeral, and I guess he wasn't thinking... I could not figure out how in the heck it could have happened to BOTH feet...if the dog struggles/moves with foot #1, would you not quit?! And, why would someone trim a dog's toe-fur anyhow?! Anyhow, no more Petsmart "grooming".... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 You may also find some useful information here SDC health/injuries I just did a search for cut pads and these are the responses that came up. Foot care is of great importance to mushers so there tends to be a lot of discussion about injuries and prevention. Hope it's of some help to you. Hmmm...I just realized that the link I provided doesn't work for some reason, maybe because it was a search result. If you go to the forum index though SDC forums and then do a search under Health: Injuries for the words "cut pads" you will get the same results I just did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1sheepdoggal Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 I scissor the hair "on " and around dogs feet daily. ( not the pads, thats clipper work) Trick is to first, know what your doing, be able to read your dog the second you pick up the foot, and use the proper tools. I wonder the same thing, you'd think they'd have stopped after the first foot! Did you notice if the hair on the hocks was cut? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerfulgazelle Posted April 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Thanks, all! Silhouette---thanks, I will look at that.... Sheepdoggal....no, I didn't inspect his hock area...I guess I freaked out when I saw his pads! I guess there are some dogs who need trimmed feet....just never had a dog who did! Kip has (had) lovely, long tufts of fur between his toes...I thought it was sort of nice. We call them "carpet feet" since that is what our old guy developed when he really couldn't walk much outdoors anymore. If you were local to me, I'd bring the guys to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1sheepdoggal Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Thanks, I wish I could help ya and do the kids for ya too. Best I can do though is try to help educate folks about groomers verses those who only think they are groomers. See, I knew it was Pet Stupid! It wasnt a hunch, but a fact, one that I am very sad to have to know. If your wondering how it happened, try this. Take his back leg in your hand, dont pull it out, away from his body when you do, as this will cause him to jerk repeatedly and try to pull it away. ( first clue for a clueless groomer, dog pulls leg back and forth, foot meets scissors) Hold it up, under him. close to his body. Then take your fingers and hold them in the shape of a pair of scissors. Like your doing the peace sign. Brush up the hair on the hock, then lay your finger scissors parael (sp?) up aginst the foot like your going to cut the hair on the hock. The bottom of the scissors, ( cause the groomer is using the improper size of scissor to big do this job, and in all reality should be using thinning shears) Pretend to try to clip the hair on the hock with your fingers and see where the bottom of your finger scissors are. They should be right smack dab on the bottom of the dogs pad. Another way to do it would be simply by using scissors to clip the hair out if the pads. Big no-no. Bad wanna be groomer. If the skin that is still attached is still attched on the back part of the pad, thats how it happened. If it is hanging on some where else on the foot, most likely, it was from scissoring the hair on the pad itself. I call the long hairy feet "thier slippers'. Hope ya find a better groomer so the pups are safer next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notailabigail Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Owww! Poor Kip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Not much you can really do for the pads. I have a dog that burns them off regularly. I just leave them be and prevent play for a couple days. As for the groomer, I would make sure the manager actually deals with the situation. Cutting pads is easy to do BUT you also realize when you've done it and should stop. Plus, since it did happen, they should have told you. My poodle goes to the groomers every 4-6 weeks. As a puppy the groomer actually cut his eyelids. Aspen is very good with the groomers and does not move much if at all. I have made sure of it. I quit using that groomer and went to another place. They kept giving him razor burn on his belly. I stopped using them and found another groomer who did absolutely awesome. Aspen never had razor burn or cuts. When moved and I found a new groomer and she is also great. It has been almost 4 years and I think once he had minor razor burn and she quiked his toenail once. Both times she told me it happened. Find a new groomer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 I don't have much to say, other than that would so extremely tick me off, it would take me a bit to be able to be civil to the shop owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Yeah wth were they thinking, or trying to do?!? I'd be ripped too. And demand an explanation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerfulgazelle Posted April 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Well, DH just checked in on Kip's progress at the vet's... The young lady said Dr. K. debrided the dead/detached tissue, gave him pain meds and antibx, and will send him home with antibx, and some sort of dressing. Trying to imagine keeping a dog's feet dressed/bandaged.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted April 18, 2008 Report Share Posted April 18, 2008 Get thee to a dollar store! (yes voice of experience here...) I once had two dogs (well, I still have one of them...a BC mix with emphasis on mix!) tear off on some steep granite hillsides after some four-legged animal. They came back with EIGHT big pads ripped completely off! In the middle of nowhere, we limped back to the truck; saw a vet, who gave (well, sold) us some antibiotics, gave us a bit of bandage material, and said go to the dollar store and buy some kids' socks! One was baby sox, the big guy got toddler size. I bought a total of 16 - 8 to go on at a time, and 8 to be washed and drying. Yikes! I found that adhesive taping the tops of the socks worked great. 'course, for several days there wasn't much of an issue of them running the socks off..... Hope you do find a new groomer (or don't go anymorel..). Yes, I do trim my dogs' feet hair in summer - they pick up less mud and mostly less cheatgrass seeds (like foxtails). But I use blunt-nosed scissors! and have never cut any skin. Yikes. diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted April 18, 2008 Report Share Posted April 18, 2008 There's no reason to do much of anything for cut pads and not much point to a vet visit. Just keep some Neosporin on them and wrap them up. They heal faster than you can believe. I'd be pissed as hell though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerfulgazelle Posted April 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 Update on the Frito feet: Kip's feet are, a week later, beginning to heal, though he still has fairly deep concave "craters" + a deep valley/slice vertically thru/into the pad tissue adjacent to the crater on one foot. Not bandaged with anything at this point, though I am checking the one paw with the deep slit next to the crater for debris getting picked up into it on walks. $150 worth of debridement and antibx at the vets, but the groomer mgr did go over, talk with Dr. K. and pay the bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyoBC Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 I'm glad he is starting to heal up. I bet it's hard to keep them clean while they heal without any bandages on it. That still sounds like it has to hurt. Poor puppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 Poor guy, glad he's feeling better. If you can, walk him on grass rather than pavement, it's a little softer on his poor feets. Document and send a letter to corporate. If this sort of thing happens often and people report it, then corporate can do something. I'm glad the manager was so helpful and that the vet bills are taken care of, but I'd still send a letter to Petsmart corporate hq. For what it's worth, Sami ran her front pads to hamburger once on some hard packed dirt. The big central pad on each front foot was totally raw and bleeding quite a bit. It took a couple weeks for her to be able to walk easily, and even then, I'd notice that she would slow down when she stepped from a soft surface to pavement. Hope he keeps healing well. Ruth n the BC3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerfulgazelle Posted April 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 I'm glad he is starting to heal up. I bet it's hard to keep them clean while they heal without any bandages on it. That still sounds like it has to hurt. Poor puppy. Yep---I was expecting dressings when he came home, based on what the receptionist at the vet said by phone when DH asked for an update, but evidently the vet decided that "open to the air" was better after she had debrided the areas. Kip certainly seems more comfy, although not crazy about having those two feet handled, not that I can blame him. Still finishing his cepahlosporin (antibx)...I guess the vet was concerned because esp the one paw was cut fairly deep into the meat of the pad and with an instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted April 27, 2008 Report Share Posted April 27, 2008 Wow! Still no answer from them on what they were doing and why they cut both Kip's feet? I'm sure your poor pup must have cried out after the first cut!!! Man it makes me so mad to even think about them hurting him. Glad to hear that your boy is healing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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