# Digital hyperkeratosis



## Jo1404 (Oct 1, 2009)

Have any of you had a dog with this? One for mine has it but the operations on his pads are coming round more frequent.

I'm after any info on what you do a home to help the problem. I moisturise and clip off what I can but most of the horny bits are rock solid. He struggles on hard surfaces, especially rough areas. His pads get so high that he will rip a nail or tear his pad where the horny bits are. He is allergic to grass, he does have desensitisation jabs but the skin on his legs still gets irritated.

He only had his last op just over 2 months ago and already in need of another.


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## red dogues (Nov 27, 2009)

i have had experience with it. bordeaux who had it really bad and was in the vets every 4 to 6 weeks to have the pads cut back. she was put to sleep as she could not walk at the age of 18 months. soak the paws in coconut oil every night to soften them and use a ped egg to try to control the growth of the horns. there is not much that can be done for this condition. heart breaking to see it. rymadil was also given for the pain. in these pics her pads look really good.


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## Jo1404 (Oct 1, 2009)

Thanks for the reply, the main pad on mine isn't too bad but the 'toe pads' get very bad. It is heartbreaking and I feel it is soon coming to the point that I will have to let him go. I will try the coconut oil and ped egg. It isn't as easy as it looks in photos to file down though is it.

Did your dog need a GA everytime at the vets? Mine does and I worry about the risks of this being so frequent.


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## red dogues (Nov 27, 2009)

she didn't get a GA as it was so often it was done. she got sedated. she had the pads done about 12 times but after the last few i could see that it was really starting to affect her. its not easy to do the pads and i hated it probably not as much as she did though. ask your vet about tight bandaging. they use stuff for horses hoofs on the pads and it strips away the pads. it takes about two weeks of constant bandaging by the vet. have been told that in some cases it does strip the pads clean and gives the dog a few months of relief if not more. eska was so bad it really would have been too much for her.


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## red dogues (Nov 27, 2009)

how old is your dog and what breed is he?


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## Jo1404 (Oct 1, 2009)

Thanks for the info, I will mention the bandaging etc to the vets next time I'm there.

He is a Bedlington Terrier and will be 5 yrs in January. We 1st noticed around 6 months old. In past yrs he has managed with 2-3 ops a year but we have noticed a difference this year. 

When they are bad he really struggles, he gets grumpy towards our other dogs when near, and when on a road walk will only walk on the curb edge.

When they have been cut back he is like a new dog. As far as his pads go he copes well in fields unless they are rock solid in the summer months, but the grass does flare up his allergies.

It's hard to know at the moment which way to go, I hate to see him suffer but when I see him run free in the fields I think surely if he was in so much pain he wouldn't. If there is a dirt track crossing the fields all the dogs run over apart from him. He will stop dead, awkwardly walk across then as soon as he touches the grass he's off again.

I do have to monitor the free running though as if he over does it he will be off his walks for days.


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## kumarama (Jun 25, 2013)

hi,

My dog Kuma the husky, started getting symtoms at4 months, & now shes a yr old, her condition is not as severe as your dog pics, but - I have noticed that in between your dogs paws fur is slightly pink in colour. Kuma has that, who has zinc deficiency & currently started on daily doses to ease her digital hyperkerotosis. Ive read that some areas of fur becomes discoloured pink & flakey skin around the elbows etc, when dogs have this lack of mineral. 

certain breeds are prone to this deficency & its their inability to absorb zinc well compared to other breeds, kuma is on a raw diet, & on human grade zinc to help her increase her dosage. progress is slow, but i hope this idea helps.

PS - i also just ordered a special zinc powder especially for dogs called Nutrazinc by Howling Dogs. saves me the hassle of crushing bitter zinc tabs in her peanut butter kong~!!


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