Dew claws and pads

gtownshadow · 06-10-2010, 12:51 AM

My male Sheltie, (Shadow) is 14 years old and I left him in my room for 20 minutes. When I returned he favored his right rear paw. I inspected it and found a small black spot on the inner side of his dew claw, between finger & thumb, (thought it was a tick). I trimmed the hair and pulled on it with tweezers. It hurt a little so I checked his other hind dew claw and found the same small black growth.

Is this a partial pad growth? I haven't ruled out there being a tick on each spot.

pawzaddict · 06-10-2010, 12:56 AM

I think its unlikely that there would be a tick in the exact spot but its possible. I would probably take him in to the vet if he continues to favor his paw. Is he still favoring his paw? How is he favoring it? (licking, limping, etc)

One of my dogs has rear dewclaws and they seem to have an extra pad, "below" it, not quite sure how to describe the direction lol, almost like he could have a 6th toe or 2nd set of dews...Maybe the growth is similar, like a skin tag

**kmes** · 06-10-2010, 01:07 AM

Ticks are pretty easy to distinguish. You can look up some photos of ticks online. But do you see legs? If you do then it is a tick!

But like Pawz said, it is unlikely that your dog would have 2 ticks in the same spots on opposite sides of his body.
If you are worried then perhaps consider taking your dog to see the vet to make sure everything is ok.

gtownshadow · 06-10-2010, 05:45 AM

Again, if your hands were hind paws and thumbs dew claws, the black spot(s) are right in the middle between thumbs and index fingers. There's a good chance this isn't what cause the level 2 (1 - 10 1-slight/10=heavy) limp, and my dog averages 2-3 ticks a year.

The rise and size compares to a new 1st day tick

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawzaddict

I think its unlikely that there would be a tick in the exact spot but its possible. I would probably take him in to the vet if he continues to favor his paw. Is he still favoring his paw? How is he favoring it? (licking, limping, etc)

One of my dogs has rear dewclaws and they seem to have an extra pad, "below" it, not quite sure how to describe the direction lol, almost like he could have a 6th toe or 2nd set of dews...Maybe the growth is similar, like a skin tag

**kmes** · 06-10-2010, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtownshadow

My male Sheltie, (Shadow) is 14 years old and I left him in my room for 20 minutes. When I returned he favored his right rear paw. I inspected it and found a small black spot on the inner side of his dew claw, between finger & thumb, (thought it was a tick). I trimmed the hair and pulled on it with tweezers. It hurt a little so I checked his other hind dew claw and found the same small black growth.

Is this a partial pad growth? I haven't ruled out there being a tick on each spot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtownshadow

Again, if your hands were hind paws and thumbs dew claws, the black spot(s) are right in the middle between thumbs and index fingers. There's a good chance this isn't what cause the level 2 (1 - 10 1-slight/10=heavy) limp, and my dog averages 2-3 ticks a year.

The rise and size compares to a new 1st day tick

I am very confused?

If you have removed ticks from your dog in the past you should be able to tell the difference between a tick and something else.

If it is a tick then remove it.
If it is a growth then take the dog to the vet to have it checked out.
Ditto the vet visit for the limping. At 14 years old, it would not be uncommon for a dog to have some arthritis. Perhaps some joint supplements and a good orthopedic bed are all that is needed.
But the limping could be something else too.

Perhaps it is a good idea to just go directly to a vet as they will be able to see your dog and the ticks/growths. Also you will be able to discuss in person any concerns you have.

gtownshadow · 06-10-2010, 03:52 PM

Listen, if you have an real knowledge on ticks, it's not confusing. As a youth I spent summers on my uncles farm. I felt sorry for his dogs because they were tick infested. A conservative guess would be that I've pulled 10,000 ticks off his dogs over a 5 year period.

Young ticks are a little bigger than a pin head. I have 51 year old eyes, a spoiled hyper Sheltie who hates getting his nails clipped, and a tough location to examine. Before I make an already sensitive area bleed, I hoped someone here at Dogforum.com would be knowledgeable with this area. My 1st guess is evolution rendered the dew claw useless and this spot is reminisce of the dew claw pad. My 2nd guess is ticks. They look for areas like this.

Thank for any help.

There are no dog anatomy videos on the internet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmes

I am very confused?

If you have removed ticks from your dog in the past you should be able to tell the difference between a tick and something else.

If it is a tick then remove it.
If it is a growth then take the dog to the vet to have it checked out.
Ditto the vet visit for the limping. At 14 years old, it would not be uncommon for a dog to have some arthritis. Perhaps some joint supplements and a good orthopedic bed are all that is needed.
But the limping could be something else too.

Perhaps it is a good idea to just go directly to a vet as they will be able to see your dog and the ticks/growths. Also you will be able to discuss in person any concerns you have.

**kmes** · 06-11-2010, 10:11 PM

Sorry to have upset you! I honestly did not mean to!

I was just really confused by your posts. I do know about ticks and I have removed many from my own dogs.

But honestly if you do not know what the spots are and if your dog is still limping, I still suggest that you take your dog into the vet.
I don't know what else to say as I cannot see these spots on your dog, and so cannot give you a definitive answer.

I wish you luck and I do hope you enjoy the forum!

Meeka · 06-12-2010, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmes

Sorry to have upset you! I honestly did not mean to!

I was just really confused by your posts. I do know about ticks and I have removed many from my own dogs.

But honestly if you do not know what the spots are and if your dog is still limping, I still suggest that you take your dog into the vet.
I don't know what else to say as I cannot see these spots on your dog, and so cannot give you a definitive answer.

I wish you luck and I do hope you enjoy the forum!

I agree with Kmes,you didn't make yourself that clear about what you meant
I think that a tick in the exact same place on both paws is a bit peculiar,and would say that you should take your dog to the vet.Kmes is just trying to help you!
I hope you enjoy spending time on the forum,and everything is ok with Shadow

**alfi** · 06-12-2010, 04:40 AM

I just wanted to say that it is hard to diagnose what your dog has even if we were vets through the internet....if this is what you expect from us.

If you can't tell what it is then a vet visit wouldn't hurt IMO.

I hope it's nothing to worry about and... enjoy the forum!

**Criosphynx** · 06-12-2010, 02:13 PM

a tick in the area you are describing would not cause a limp IMO. Get the dog to the vet