Help with swollen paw!!!!

There is nothing more stressful ( I think) that moving with a sick pet to another city and not having references of a good vet. Mila went to the clinic for cast removal (Achilles tendon repair that they did in Florida) and here, they put the soft wrap on Wednesday. In the afternoon,her paw was swollen.

I took her back today.The doctor said that he didn't cover the paws so she could start putting "pressure" on it. He suggested the bandage was maybe "cutting" the circulation. Then, he tried to loosen it up but also put more bandage on it (??) and told me to give her Deramax (antiflammatory) and pain killers, which I did.

The doctor that put the soft wrap claims that he talked to the Dr. in Florida (the surgeon)today and that he recommended to cover the paw as well (which I had suggested already) However he didn't do it because he said again that Mila should use her toes little by little. It was slightly better after we came back from the vet this morning and gave her the pills but later, started getting swollen again (I have attached pics)

Then, the Dr. called and said that he needed to do bandage again (I won't go back to him by the way) We called another Dr. to take her in tomorrow and check if the bandage is properly applied. I have been massaging her and this seems to make her feel better, she is responsive and when you massage the paw, the inflammation seems to decrease (slightly)

Any suggestions, experiences with this situation?




Thank you so much for your feedback!!

How long has it been since the initial surgery??
Swell can be common after surgery, in legs especially.
The vet you went to sounds a it clueless and glad you are going to a different one, a case of trialling the vets at your new location.
No real first hand knowledge on the operation your dog had. But mobilising after having a cast on and the appropriate length of healing time, can help the swelling decrease, massaging it gently could help too.
Is there anyway you can talk to the vet that did the surgery in Florida, if that is possible that could be better as you can ask him questions directly, and go to the other vets fore armed with a bit of an idea of what the best thing is??
As you stated, you have to be very careful banadge's don't get too tight around the limb, but at the same time a slightly tightened bandage can actually help with in reducing swelling, there is a delicate balance on that one but would think it would need to extend down to the end foot to be of most benefit.
Vet is definately first point of call, if you can get in contact with the surgeon also, they are the best for advice on what is suppose to be happening with the healing process.
Let us know how you get on, if you have time.
Goodluck

the same thing happened to my dog, Jack, when he had his surgery for ruptured Knee ligaments. wrapping the leg is difficult as the wrap slides down slightly and it blocks the circulation, that is why the paw swells.
i had to bandage his leg 5 or more times a day and i kept him really still, and we somehow managed 3 weeks of this agony i suggest that you ask a vet to show you how to bandage it, so that you can do it at home. put lots and lots of cotton wool underneath the wrap, so it wont squeeze the leg so much when the wrap slides down.

the paw should be wrapped, if you wouldnt want the swelling to occur, bur the dog needs to start to use it slowly.

good luck!

Peering at the photos, it seems to be merely swelling and not inflammation which is good news.

As long as the bandage is not too tight, then this is not too much to worry about.

Does it seem like fluid or is there heat in the swelling?

Hello everybody and thank you for all the support.

Mila:
It wasn't fluid, just inflammation. They removed the old bandage ( I went to other vet) and covered the paw as well. The inflammation seems to be caused by the cast, the bandage, etc.... it is supposed to go down by itself.

Everything looked normal, the vet said, and we continued with Deramax. She seems happier now. She is not putting much weight on that leg and is managing pretty well actually.

The surgery was on March 17th, cast was on for 6 weeks and now soft wrap is for 2 weeks, after that we will see how she walks. This will take time as with any Achilles tendon rupture, probably months. The vet thinks that she might have problems with that leg in the future. I found a website where they have supportive devices for the hock and I am thinking to buy one of those for her.

We'll be in touch! =)