Need some suggestions

[NicoleLJ]

Got a small problem. Nothing major but I was hoping the smart people on this forum can help me come up with a solution. Sheena, as most of you know by now, had a litter of 7 pups on Tuesday. All has been going great. Everyone is healthy and happy. The only problem I have come across is that because Sheena is laying down to feed and care for the pups so much she now has these really sore looking calluses and scabs on her elbows.

Here are some pics to show you. Two different angles so you can see how big it is:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h264/NicoleLJ_2003/tmpphppTLBSp.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h264/NicoleLJ_2003/tmpphpRuzDce.jpg

See how red and sore they look. Sheena has always had dime size calluses on her elbows but they were not red and they didn't look anything like this. I know it is because she is laying on the blanket so much with her pups. Is there anythng I can put on them to make them more comfortable and to help them heal so they can end up going away once she gets to be active agian?

If you have any solutions as to make it better please let me know. Thanks so much.
Nicole & Sheena & Puppies

[crow_noir]

To my untrained eye it almost looks like a fungal infection. I'd ask the vet if there is some sort of ointment that would be safe to put on her.

Other than that all i can think of is "sports tape." It's actually more like an ace bandage.

Good luck! I hope other PTer's have some great advice for you.

[NicoleLJ]

Nope not a fungal infection. Just scabs caused by laying on a hard surface(even with blankets) to care for pups. She is an active dog and even when laying she would always be adjusting her position so she only ever had the dime size calluses there. When those small ones formed they looked just like this but a smaller version. Then the scab fell off and left a hard calluse. Now she is having it happen on a bigger scale that fur won't be able to cover if the callus is allowed to form. So I am trying to figure out a way to get it to heal, pad the area she is laying in with the pups and so on so that she doesn't end up with a larger callus on each elbow.

Sports wrap might be an idea to protect it. Thanks. Now i just need something to add moisture to it and heal it.
Nicole & Sheena & Puppies

[sumbirdy]

Tiny has those too. But he also has atopic dermatitis...

[crow_noir]

Sports wrap might be an idea to protect it. Thanks. Now i just need something to add moisture to it and heal it.

Maybe aloe? I don't know how poisonous that is to dogs though.

After baths I'd add 1/3 bottle of Corn Husker's Lotion to 1 liter of water and do a final rinse on King with that. He never had a bad reaction. Maybe you could buy some of that lotion. (SUPER absorbent. If and when there is ever a residue it's sort of spongy and flakes off. That's after using LOTS of the lotion.)

[CathyBogart]

I use Hoof Maker (for horses) on Star's elbows, and it keeps them nice and soft. Keeps my own hands nice and soft too, come to think of it...

[mike001]

I would bring her to the vet's for a check. She hasn't been in the whelping box more than a few days, not enough time for sores to develop. I also think it looks like a fungal infection or dermatitis, of some kind.

[loveallfurryfriends]

I would try antibiotic ointment and possibly some type of soft bandage. They could be some type of pressure sores.

[Husky_mom]

there´s this type of pads that are sold for babies when they start crawling so you can protect their knees...... you can try those out on Sheena´s....

[NicoleLJ]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I wanted to give you an update. I was right. It was a pressure sore caused by laying on a hard surface for too long with not enough padding. So we went out and bought a carpet pad and carpet and put that in the Whelping box. Covers about a third of the box. On top of that we put a blanket or sheet(gets changed everyday so depends on the day what it will be). The sores have cleared up. The scabs got solid and fell off. Now we are just waiting for the fur to grow back. So no more worries. Thanks agian.
Nicole & Sheena & Puppies

[crow_noir]

Thank you for the update. I was wondering how Sheena was doing. Glad that it was a simple fix.


Thanks for all your suggestions. I wanted to give you an update. I was right. It was a pressure sore caused by laying on a hard surface for too long with not enough padding. So we went out and bought a carpet pad and carpet and put that in the Whelping box. Covers about a third of the box. On top of that we put a blanket or sheet(gets changed everyday so depends on the day what it will be). The sores have cleared up. The scabs got solid and fell off. Now we are just waiting for the fur to grow back. So no more worries. Thanks agian.
Nicole & Sheena & Puppies

[cassiesmom]

Oh, good, I'm glad to read that Sheena's elbows are better!