So sorry to hear of Poppy’s limp. Snowie is also limping. Front right paw. Been like this for a year. I am convinced it is a foreign body (grass seed?) but our vet does not want to cut into his paw webbing, says often the wound is worse than the initial problem. He also said a grass seed would’ve migrated already…
Initially he also thought it was arthritis. He took an X-ray (fortunately Snowie lies still and doesn’t need a sedative for an X-ray) and he was convinced he could see arthritic bone. To my uninformed eye, the bones didn’t look too malformed.
Anyway, he treated him for both arthritis (Rimadyl) and an infection (antibiotics) and said whatever he responds to will give a clue as to what is causing the limp. Well, the Rimadyl did nothing (he said it would act immediately if it was arthritis) but after a week on antibiotics, the limp went away and his foot was less swollen. So, the vet concurred it was not arthritis and was an infection. But he is now convinced it is an inflamed and infected hair follicle (which incidentally the other vet in the practice suggested originally). He said it is fairly common in heavy-chested breeds where they bear a lot of weight on their front paws. He suggested booties (front paws only) when out on walks to protect the webbing skin from dirt and gravel. He also said booties tend to help balance the weight over the paws, which alleviates pain. He also suggested hibiscrub paw baths after every walk for infection control.
Apologies if I’ve already written about this here on our forum. I can’t remember!! I’m also a member of a local Lab group and perhaps I wrote about it there.
Anyway, we haven’t sourced the booties yet. But I do apply a barrier cream in the paw webbing before walks, which helps greatly. When I forget to apply it, Snowie limps more.
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