Trimming Floyd's claws/nails has always been a challenge since he was a pup. Kurtis won't even do it b/c Floyd always tries to nip at him. So I have to do it and usually can only do one paw at a time before he loses patience with me and walks off. So some time last year (I can't even remember when) I noticed that one of his nails was digging into his pad so badly that I couldn't fit the trimmers up his foot. I thought "man, I must've waited too long to trim that. I may have to take him to the vet to keep it from becoming an ingrown toenail." But I shrugged it off b/c he didn't seem hurt by it at all. A few times I even took him to a groomer and had them trim the claw because of how difficult it was. Right before we left for Disney, I took him to the groomers and the woman told me that I needed to have him looked at by the vet b/c the nail might need to be removed. Well, I didn't want to bother with it before vacation and again, Floyd didn't seem bothered by it so I thought "when we get back.....". Finally around Thanksgiving, I noticed that Floyd's paw just looked bad right where the claw was so I scheduled an appointment as early as I could (mid-December) for the vet to check it out.
Kurtis took him in and the vet examed the foot. He was curious as to why the pad was swollen: was it swollen b/c the nail grew and irritated it? Or was the pad swollen from something else which in turn caused the nail to grown into the pad? He put Floyd on an antibiotic, cut the nail down, and told us to call if the swelling didn't come down in five days. Well, of course, the swelling didn't come down but I was hesitant to call b/c we would have to pay for an x-ray right before Christmas (and Floyd isn't covered in our insurance). Kurtis and I discussed it and decided to have the x-ray done so we didn't spend the holidays worrying over the dog. Unfortunately, the vet discovered that Floyd had a cancerous tumor on his toe that had completely disintegrated the bone. The vet told me that we could only wait a week or so and then the toe would need to be amputated to keep the cancer from spreading. He had a 95% chance of survival. So on Jan.3rd, Floyd had his toe removed from his right hindpaw. (It's kind of like losing the second toe, right next to the big toe, on your foot.)
He wore a bandage for five days and everytime he had to go outside, we had to put a baggie on his paw. He has been wearing a cone for 10 days and we have to keep shouting at him to not lick his stitches. It has been an immense job! It's like taking care of another baby! I love the dog but what a challenge this has been. Thankfully, he seems to be adjusting and he gets his stitches out tomorrow. Never let it be said that I don't take care of my pets b/c I've done everything for this dog! Here's hoping that the cancer stays away and he lives another five to seven years as our Floyd Beagle:)
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| Oh, how he hates me at this moment. No, his bandage was not signed but said "No Chew!" |
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| milking the wound for all its worth and getting Isabel love |
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| can you see where the toe should be? |
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| there is just a nub where a toe used to be |
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