# Weird infection?? *pics included*



## Wynpyp (Sep 19, 2008)

So, my friends Dobe has this weird infection or something on 2 of her paws. She took Mar to the vet and the vet said that she had never seen something like this before. They gave her antibiotics and steroids to take. No scrapings or anything done. 

The infections are in the same spot on her both of her rear paws, in between the same 2 toes. No other dogs have come into the clinic with anything like this. What do you all think?


----------



## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

That doesn't look like infection to me, unless it's a fungus or something...why didn't they do a scraping???


----------



## ruckusluvr (Sep 20, 2009)

kinda reminds me of a wort!


----------



## Wynpyp (Sep 19, 2008)

Cracker said:


> That doesn't look like infection to me, unless it's a fungus or something...why didn't they do a scraping???


I know! I asked the same thing when she called me about it and then sent me the pics! I guess the vet said that she would do a scraping if it didn't clear up after the round of meds.



ruckusluvr said:


> kinda reminds me of a wort!


It does kinda look like warts!


----------



## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

Why waste time on meds as a guess when a test could be done to be definitive? Looks more like a wart to me though.


----------



## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

luv2byte said:


> Why waste time on meds as a guess when a test could be done to be definitive?


Because there's one cure for many things. Why waste the time/money running all the tests if you can clear up whatever it is with one medicine? 

Strangely enough, lots of human diseases are treated this way, too. A few years back I got very sick with a tick-borne disease. Instead of running many expensive tests (the results of which would have taken days to obtain) to find out exactly what it was, the doc prescribed doxycyclin (sp?), which is a very general antibiotic. I was feeling much better just a couple hours after the first dose. Probably saved my life.


----------



## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

GottaLuvMutts said:


> Instead of running many expensive tests (the results of which would have taken days to obtain) to find out exactly what it was, the doc prescribed doxycyclin (sp?), which is a very general antibiotic. I was feeling much better just a couple hours after the first dose. Probably saved my life.


doxy is a great antibiotic. we use it on our horses whenever they get sick and it clears them right up.

as far as the pics.... eeww  it does look like a wort. man... those things are gnarly looking!


----------



## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

They look like interdigital cysts to me, my Bulldog Xena used to get them all the time and they are often the result of allergies. What color is the dobe, there are special concerns with Blue or Fawn dobes and skin conditions.


----------



## Wynpyp (Sep 19, 2008)

She is black and tan. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if Mar has allergies. She is very, very dry and has issues with bouts of diarrhea.


----------



## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=68730
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=70419

that is a thread from a forum where someone posted about their golden having the same exact issue. the dog underwent surgery and had her toe amputated. 

"First is the growth itself, which is officially diagnosed as: Fibroadnexal Hamartoma with Mixed Inflammatory Dermatitis, right rear fifth digit. Squamous Papilloma right rear, fifth digit.
The second report is the Decalcification sections of the toe. Diagnosed as: Mixed Inflammatory Osteomyelitis of the Distal Phalanx.

Basically, the Vet said it was a quite rare infection of the bone. It noted multiple areas where there were disruptions of the bone. It really is quite interesting the various comments made, yet very difficult to understand."


i may be totally off base, but the pictures she posted are the same polyp type formations under the nail. i would go have a scraping done to be safe.


----------



## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

That looks almost like what my Nell has now. Here's her pics....


----------



## Wynpyp (Sep 19, 2008)

That is strange! Did you take Nell to the vet at all or has she had it before?


----------



## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

Yes, she's been to the vet when she started limping and the vet pulled the scab off and let it bleed out a little to see if anything else comes out, then she's on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory. She's been on it a week, and it just seems to be getting a little worse.


----------



## Wynpyp (Sep 19, 2008)

Oh wow! I am going to tell my friend about all of this. I've shown her the forum before but for some reason she won't join lol!


----------



## animalcraker (Nov 9, 2006)

I have no clue what it is. But my first thought on course of action would be to try antibiotics for 7-10 days, and if there's no improvement then have them surgicaly removed and biopsy done. Of course that's just guessing based on the pictures and the paws may appear differently in person.


----------



## Deron_dog (Feb 21, 2009)

Both dogs look like they have the same thing my dearly departed Susie had. She was a 14 year old Boston Terrier and those things got so bad her paws were grown together because of them.


----------



## BooLette (Jul 11, 2009)

If I were the owner of that dog I would be getting that removed and biopsied. It looks like the surrounding area is swelling as well, so it would probably do some good to get it removed. 

It does look like a huge wart.


----------



## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

Well, I had another friend look at the pictures and their first thought was a spider bite. They said their dog looked very similar, and it turned out to be a spider bite. So that might be another option. For Nell, she bit it off and it was bleeding, so we cleaned it up and soaked it in Epsom Salt solution, per the vet, and keeping her on antibiotics. If she's not looking any better tomorrow morning, they want me to bring her in, and I also sent an email bringing up if they thought it could be a spider bite as well. But she's walking a little better now.


----------



## HORSEandHOUND (May 28, 2009)

certain cancer cells can lie dormant, deep within the nail bed and if a dog aggravates that nail bed (like running full out, or tearing something apart with their front claws) the cancer pockets can burst and cancer can then grow into things like in the picture.

they need to be removed, biopsied, and then take it from there.


----------



## LuvmyRotti (Oct 26, 2007)

I agree with HorseandHound on this one. Our rottie had something similiar on the toe nail bed. When the vet took a look at it, echoed the same thing "Hmm, i have never seen this before" and prescribed some painkillers. Our dog was in discomfort when you touched it. That didn't sit well with me. We went to another vet - this vet knew right away what to do - our dog had cancer of the toe nail bed. Our dog ended up being fine (toe removed), but had we waited infection could have set in. 

I'm not saying your friends dog has cancer. But I learned a lesson. If your vet doesn not know what it is, or hasn't seen it before - get another opinion.


----------



## Wynpyp (Sep 19, 2008)

Thank you all 

I haven't been able to get a hold of my friend. I hope that Mar is ok and I really want to tell her about everything that's been said here.


----------



## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

Well, ours turned out ok. Just for more info for the OP, what had happened was when Nell bit part of it off, some of the excess skin got folded underneath itself, and when it started healing, it got infected inside, and that's why it looked the way it did. It looked and felt like a wart or cyst of some kind, but was just the skin folded under the wound. The vet got it all cleaned out, trimmed off the excess skin that was bad, and wrapped up the foot so she can't lick it. She's doing very well. She's also on extended antibiotics and anti-inflammatory.


----------

