I had a spinal injury a few years ago and the surgeon warned me of permanent nerve damage causing incontinence being a potential consequence if it got worse. It's called "cauda equina syndrome", I did a quick search and it looks like it occurs in dogs too. Essentially you lose all nerve feeling on your bowel, hence not knowing when you need to go. I'm not sure what the solution is (if any) but it could be a clue.
Rection to salt?
-
Yesterday, Dash decided to escape through the front door. We have at least 6 inches of snow so I was a little surprised. He ran out the door over to the neighbors house to pee on their tree–now his tree. Anyway, I called him to come back and as he was running on the sidewalk (that we recently salted) he started picking up his feet and then downright screaming. He has never done that before. When I went to pick him up, he bit the crap out of me and tried to get away. Luckily I had a few layers on. So we just opened up the front door and he ran back in the house, on to the couch and was fine.
Ern washed his feet but he seemed fine afterwards. It was just very bizzarre.
Has anyone had reactions like that to snow or salt?
-
Never to the point of screaming, but my B will pick up his paws with a sad look on his face when it's well below 20 degrees out. Only when he's standing on packed snow for awhile. Salt hasn't bothered him too much but he will complain after walking on salted areas. Nothing to the extent of screaming though.
Are his pads fairly sensitive in general? The screaming sounds more like an injury.
-
yep, the exact same reaction from Tyler. We only use the dog safe salt free melt now and Ty has no problems. It seems to melt ice just as well as the real salt.
Here's what we buy..
http://www.ecgrow.com/index.cfm?event=ViewPage&contentpieceId=3473 -
I never have noticed him being particularly sensitive on his pads.
I will look in to the k-9 salt.
Thanks
-
When it was extremely cold a few weeks ago Leo did this. He ran to the back of the yard like he was going to do his business and started lifting his paws then screaming. He actually started to lay down on the ground, I don't think he new why it was hurting. He had been outside for just over a minute, but the wind chill was about -15F. It was the type of scream that the neighbors 10 houses down could hear. He screamed the whole time I carried him inside. He didn't bite me, but probably would have if he had the chance. He snapped a few times just in a panic.
-
Cali has done this in the past if we have had to walk on the salt. She point blank removes to go any further if any of it gets inbetween her pads. I try and avoid it if I can but it isn't always possible. I always make sure that I clean the dogs feet as soon as I get them home to avoid them licking the salt off.
-
Yeah, Mojo reacts very badly to salt. We were walking through a parking lot, where they must have salted near the entrance. It took him a minute to respond, so as soon as we got in the doors he sat down and started screaming. I picked him up and talked to him, but luckily it was a dog show and people realized what was going on. A very kind exhibitor nearby rushed over and gave me her bottle of water to rinse off his feet. Apparently Cleo either missed stepping on any, or the burning salt doesn't bother her. lol
-
I was visiting my mother in the city for a couple of days this week and took Sol as usual. He is good in her neighborhood and we have our early morning route, but today they had just salted her condo walkway and he stepped onto it at the end of our walk and started screaming too, and when I picked him up to wipe his paws off was it so agonizing he was nipping at my face. He won't ever bite when playing, or at the vet, but obviously it was agony.
Luckily I could wipe his paws with some clean snow on the hedge, then take him in and wash them at the kitchen sink, and he was very good, and:(, I think, a bit ashamed at nipping (he didn't even break the skin). Last winter he got very sick about this time and they never found a cause, so I try to avoid all salt and wipe/wash his paws. Rubbing them with balm to protect helps too. Booties were pulled off by last b, and I suspect he'd do the same. Winter sucks for basenji's!
Kris
-
The salt may have had a bit of ice on it and hurt his paw a bit. I know I have found really wierd stuff inbetween Indy's paws. Usually picking him up and shaking his feet a bit gets it out. So it may have been a particularly sharp peice in a particularly sensitive spot
-
Yes! My B has screamed as well as a reaction to the salt. We were on a slushy road when she started picking up her feet and screamed. I wiped off her feet and we walked on another area of the street and she was fine.
-
well i know that if you pour table salt in your hand and squeeze an ice cube you can get serious burns. i'm sure it's possible the salt and ice have the same affect on puppy paws.
