Just wondering if anyone can help me with a bit of a mystery!!

A couple of times on Saturday I thought that my Taz looked lame for a split second but as he was still charging about after his beloved ball & being his usual happy self & there was nothing to see or feel & the lameness would come & go so quickly, it made me think my eyes were playing tricks & I was getting paranoid!! 

Yesterday, Taz started carrying his left, hind leg & his paw started to swell up & was obviously very painful.  I checked it all over again but nothing to see or find.  I kept him in where I could keep an eye on him & gave him some Metacam for the pain.  This morning poor Taz could only walk on 3 legs & his paw was even more swollen.

As soon as the Vets opened I phoned & made an appointment to take him down for an xray & check up.  The Vet has just phoned me to say that there's no bones broken (thankfully!), they too can find no obvious injuries, cuts etc. but the top of the toe is very bruised. 

There has been to our knowledge, no trauma.  There are no cuts etc but the Vet tells me that the lymph nodes are up in that leg & very reactive indicating infection but they can't find anything else to answer for this.  Taz's paw is continuing to swell & even under sedation he was very, very reactive to it being touched.

The mystery for me & the Vet is how he could have this infection or whatever it is that is going on.  Could it be a referred infection & swelling??  Has anyone else ever had this type of thing happen?  The Vet has started Taz on antibiotics & we've got to return on Friday for another check up but the Vet has already warned that whatever it is may take at least 2 weeks to settle.

Any idea's please would be gratefully received.

Could it be a grass seed?  they can work their way into the skin and then heal over, causing infection, or it could be an infection that has got in via the nailbed?

Thanks Dill.

We've now got him back from the Vets & on arriving home it's started to weep blood from what seems an invisible hole!?!  I've clipped as much hair off as I can & still can't see anything other than the bruising.  The paw & now upto his hock are very much more swollen than this morning.

I've just dolloped a load of Aloe Gelly on as a poultice where the blood has started to weep through & am now leaving him to rest up.

could he have been stung, and may be  still have stinger in his foot regards debbie.

This has happend to one of our dogs as stated just from a grass seed.  The tiny hole is usualy a give away.  Did the vet say to take him back?

Hi Echo

I have to take Taz back on Friday but I suspect we may be back tomorrow!!  Tonight I've clipped as much fur off his paw as possible, something the Vet said she was going to do & hasn't!!  I've bathed the paw in salt water & we've had a good look using the headlamp light & magnifier but no obvious cut or wound of any sort.  His paw however has now more than doubled, almost trebled, in size along with his hock :-(  With the swelling there is also now watery blood (sorry I can't remember the proper name!) seeping through the pores of his skin :-(

BTW, I've seen grass seeds before & you're right about the hole but we can't find anything at all at the mo to suggest any trauma or injury.

Thanks again.