paw pad between two middle toes

Hello. I have a couple questions about my dog's feet.

First. Do all corgis have a paw pad that connects the middle two toes? That pad on one of his feet is a lot bigger than the rest. And I'm not sure if it's gotten bigger. I looked through old pictures to see if I had any close ups of the bottom of that foot (and surprisingly I did haha) and it does seem bigger than it was 8 years ago. I'll update with a picture later. But it looks so normal if you didn't think about it. Just a regular paw pad.

But then recently I don't know what- maybe he chewed on it too much- the thick layer of skin fell off so now the flesh is all tender. And occasionally it will bleed after he goes on a walk or chases deer in the yard. But it doesn't seem to bother him much and I only notice when i see little blood spots trailing around the house.

I think I'll order some of those pawz boots while the wound heals. But has anyone had a similar experience with the large pad connecting the middle two toes? The vet said she hadn't seen that before and we can choose surgery to remove it. but it totally doesn't seem necessary- especially if it's actually a natural part of his body. Any thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on December 7, 2014 at 10:51pm

My first German shepherd used to do that to her feet!. I don't recall a pad connecting the two middle toes -- do you mean the central pad that would be roughly equivalent to a human's palm? If there's an extra pad, could it be a congenital oddity? Maybe the dog has an undeveloped extra toe?

If the dog is 8 years old and it hasn't caused any problems before this, I'd be suspicious about any scheme to perform surgery on it. That sounds like trouble waiting to happen. At least get a second opinion.

The Gershep was allergic to bermudagrass, a weed in other parts of the country that is cultivated as lawn grass here. But sometimes I think she would chew when she was bored. Sometimes the vet would prescribe an ointment; sometimes I'd use an ordinary drugstore antibiotic ointment. Either way, the trick was to keep it clean, doctor it with goop, and keep it wrapped with a dog-proof bandaging lash-up until the dog gives up chewing on it. Mine consisted of layer after layer after layer of gauze held down with layer after layer after layer of white bandaging tape. Booties would be preferable, especially if they're washable.

Her foot would heal up, be OK for weeks or even months, and then she'd start in again. Augh.

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Permalink Reply by Jason on December 15, 2014 at 7:42pm

ok here's a kind of gross picture. The piece is next to and connected to the middle two toes. It doesn't hurt if I touch it. And it was definitely not there before. Look familiar to anyone? Or is it just a typical case of random stuff growing on an old dog. He's ten