Today at the beach Nando was running about in the water, then the next minute there was blood everywhere!!

Rushed him to the vets and it was a stopped pad injury. Too much blood and a non-cooperative Nando meant that they couldn't get a good look at him so they're not sure whether it will have to come off or be stitched up.

Has anyone else had experience of a dog being stitched and is it more likely for it to re-occur? He's a low risk for general anaesthetic as he is healthy and three years old but I'd obviously prefer not to have it done again if I can help it and I'm considering to ask for it to be removed.

Are there implications of having it removed?

I think I would want a good look at the injury before deciding, strange that there was no apparent trauma though! My boy did his once or twice chasing after a ball, probably shouldn't throw it but he lives for ball so.... If Nando has just cut it on something and he's not inclined to rush and dive around on it as he's never hurt them before, I think I would just have it stitched if necessary and give it plenty of time to heal up and protect them out on walks (vet wrap or there are people who make stopper pad protectors too). I wouldn't have thought a one time injury on them would make them predisposed to future injuries, but I've never had any experience with a dog having them removed either.

Hope he's well again soon :)

He was chasing a toy into the water as the tide was coming in. He could have knocked it on a rock or similar, his legs were beneath the water so I couldn't see.

Back the vets at 11am tomorrow so he can have the wound looked at. It reay looked like it was hanging on by a thread!

Ouch! If it's just the skin all hanging off they will sometimes cut all the ripped skin off. Hope it's not more serious than that. Poor boy!

Opi did this a couple of times, once on a toe pad right underneath the nail and that had to be stitched, and once she sliced the end off the stop pad.  That one was left - couldn't really stitch it anyway, I just had to stop it bleeding then keep it clean.

Oddly enough that was done at the beach too but on dry land, I think she found some broken glass.  She was very good at finding broken glass like that!

Recurrence I don't think is really an issue if it heals properly - between her slices and Soli, who sliced great gashed in her main pads every time there was snow and ice on the ground, I've seen a lot heal and there never seemed to be any weakness afterwards (NB. Soli sliced hers in different places each time).  Likewise Rai sliced a toe pad last year quite deeply, again on glass, that was left to heal (behavioural issues mean vet trips are for life and death only for Rai and she'd stopped bleeding by the time we got home) and she's had no problems since.  I don't remember which toe it was and I can't find it when I look!

That makes me feel better that it isn't too bad for reoccurring. I have been worried.

Here is Nando sporting his bandage!

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m223/Josh_Parry/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps5d68d72b.jpg

Very smart and manly, Nando! :)

He is so vain, the vet nurse picked the bandage because it matched his harness! 

I'm very lucky that the vet nurses at the practice I take him to are so good!! I took him in today 15 minutes after the incident, covered in blood, sand and stinking of sea water. They were so great settling him as he is a nightmare at the vets after a few bad experiences

> I took him in today 15 minutes after the incident, covered in blood, sand and stinking of sea water.

That's nothing, a good vet nurse is used to animals covered in and stinking of wee, vomit and poo :)

Oh at least he got a nice plain bandage -remember when my Bobby had frequent bandage changes and got cow pattern, tractors and sheep on the various bandages LOL. The only one we missed out on was the chicken one.

Hope he gets better soon.

Nando is currently having the area stitched under a GA! He was a star at the vets!

Nando is home!! £396 lighter- thank god for insurance!

Glad it was able to be stitched up :)

If you need anything to protect it out walking whilst it's healing vet wrap is obviously good, and also wanted to share this:

http://www.kates-krafts.co.uk/

They make stopper pad protectors!

Hope he's back bounding around soon :)

They look great! He's currently still feeling very sorry for himself! He chewed some of the bandage today, so I've put the Elizabethan collar on him whilst I'm out the room and he's really throwing himself a pity party!