Operation Puppy's Paws

In years to come, the memory of just how awful Hyperkeratosis of the feet is for Hattie will no doubt fade, so I thought it would be interesting to have a record. As most of you know, poor Hattie has to go through a monthly operation to control the excess growth on her feet. This is something that would normally done by the vet, but due to the scale of her problem and hence the frequency that it is required, we do it ourselves (in agreement with Gary our Vet). This at least saves her the stress of monthly, day long veterinary visit, not to mention the costs that it would incur. That said, it is still very stressful for her and requires sedation.
After giving her a sedative, we then go for a bit of a walk somewhere wet (not difficult at the moment) to get her feet softened. Then 45 minutes after the sedative, we start work


Even with a well doped dog, it is still very much a two man job. Even then, she struggles relentlessly throughout.
Hair grows on and between the pads, and as much as possible that needs trimming back so that we can see what we are doing. Her claws grow at such a rate that with just a months growth, it is starting to curl under her toe. So having trimmed the hair on a foot, it is then a question of trimming her claws - up to 1cm off each one, each month.
Then we have to set about each pad, removing all the excess growth. This is what a foot looks like before any attention - the hair is hiding an awful lot of pad growth.

Four feet later, a lot of bribery in the form of milky treats, and three stressed out individuals we are left with a lot of Hattie bits on the floor and a very sleepy dog for the rest of the day (even more sleepy than normal!).



The one positive is that we won't have to go through that for another four weeks.