Elbow Calluses

BradA1878BradA1878
edited September 2009 in Food, Nutrition, & Health
Kona has a bit of an elbow callus issue. It's strange because he sleeps in a crate at night with a bed, but I guess he gets it from laying around outside in the dirt during the day.

I did a bit of research on it, but I'm interested to hear if any of you have experience with elbow calluses and what you did in the past for it?

I don't want them to get worse, they don't seem to bother him now but they could get there - especially with how dry it is here.

We currently put baby oil on them, and it is helping, but should we wrap them during the day?

Any info, experiences, or thoughts would be greatly appreciated! :o)

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Comments

  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    Badger balm. I used it for Piglet. It works.
  • yukidomariyukidomari
    edited November -1
    Lantis our Doberman has 'em, cause he likes lying on the hard wood floors during the hot days. They haven't gotten worse for the many years he's done it. However, if they do get a lot worse and become hygromas, I'd get him some doggy trousers or elbow pads for them.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    Ok, we will try Badger balm - thanx!

    As for the pants, good call. We did try Ahi's "Fancy Pants" on him since that is one of the things they are used for but they fell off. So maybe we will order another (smaller) pair for him (tho they are kinda $$$).

    Do you think we can just wrap them with something?

    It's so strange to me that he has these as he is only 2 years old! I'm hoping that they go away over the winter since he will be laying in the (soft) snow more than the (hard) dirt... Otherwise we will need to just force him inside more and he will not like that at all. :o(

    I hate that my little buddy has these, I feel like we neglected him some how, that just kills me... but there is just no way we can soften all 3 acres of their play area - and he sleeps all over the place out there! :o\

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  • SangmortSangmort
    edited November -1
    Kona's just being a boy! heh ~
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    Is he a licker? Piglet got hers from having to lie on wet floor at the shelter for months. Maybe if Kona is keeping his elbows damp it is causing the callous.
  • HeidiHeidi
    edited November -1
    Tojo has a small callous on one of his elbows... which is strange, because the other one's fine. He does like to lean to one side when he lays down... It hasn't bothered him yet, so I just keep an eye on it and don't do anything. He's got lots of cushy places to nap, but when it's hot, he usually opts for the lino or if we're outside, the driveway in the shade of the car or the porch. He's also got this spot he likes under a tree, but there's grass there, so I can't imagine it's too hard. Plus, he spends most of his time inside, so I don't really know what to say.

    Does Kona appear bothered by it? I wouldn't feel too bad if it doesn't look painful or anything. I guess I think of callouses as nature's way of protecting that area. When I've been working wood or something, I get callouses and I'm usually grateful, because it makes it easier to handle rough material. Of course, if it gets too big or the skin breaks, then that's another thing.

    If I wanted some kind of elbow-protector, I'd make some kind of fleece sleeve. I read on the dogleggs site that they use Malden Mills for their material, which is mostly high-quality polyester fleece. Elbow protectors need not be elaborate, so I bet even some cheap fleece or scrap material would work fine... it's not like he needs therapeutic support, just a little padding. I bet you could convert an old sweatshirt into elbow-protectors really easily, just use the sleeves and leave part of the back on to connect them over the shoulder so they don't fall down.

    Or you could use human elbow pads, and maybe attach something over the shoulders to keep them in place. Or if they're tight enough, they might just stay on.
  • KFontaine04KFontaine04
    edited November -1
    Our dog growing up had calluses. We would put bag balm on them and then wrap them with gauze and then some protective vet tape (like an ace bandage). At first he hated it, but after a week or so he didn't care and we noticed a huge improvement.
  • WrylyBrindleWrylyBrindle
    edited November -1
    Sage is getting one on his left elbow. It is not thick at all yet, but its this dark scabby stuff- I think its very early. My vet said that even dogs who sleep on couches all the time can still get them, that ONE cause of callous development is just wear and tear of the skin going back and forth over that elbow point- kindof like how you open and shut a paperback book all the time the spine begins to wear, but in this case the body heals it by toughening it, I guess.

    You haven't neglected Kona, or failed to provide good bedding. He may just get them because he's a nature dog and an active guy and his skin fits the way it does. If it was the floor and hard dirt, more of your dogs would have them, right? Rei and Sage live in the same house/yard, but Reilly is 6yo and has none. Sage is 3 1/2 and is getting one. Sage sleeps on the couch most of the time, Reilly hardly ever sleeps on the couch. Both like the cool slate floor in the hot summer. Both like the wood deck for sunbathing.

    I want to soften Sage's too before it gets worse, so I am grateful for the lotion recommendations, too!
  • yukidomariyukidomari
    edited November -1
    http://www.dogleggs.com/files/adjustable.cfm

    Are these similar to the "pants" you've got already? These are for worse hygromas (when they fill up with liquid) but I imagine they would work for callouses too!
  • WrylyBrindleWrylyBrindle
    edited November -1
    dogleggs! that's so cool...
  • KFontaine04KFontaine04
    edited November -1
    Those look a lot like the pictures of Ahi's "Fancy Pants"

    Really cool that they serve so many purposes.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    Thanx for all the great advice!

    The Dogleggs are what we had for Ahi (her "Fancy Pants"), and that company made the sling we used for Kaia's dislocated hip too. I like that company.

    Unfortunately, the ones Ahi used were too large for Kona and they fell off after just a few minutes. We found Luytiy and Blue playing tug-of-war with them in the yard. :o\

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    Kristin & Chrystal - Thanx for the info! I think we will try wrapping them. Also I will be more proactive in pulling him inside to sleep on the couch when he is out there just snoozing on the ground. I started that today, I think they will help prevent them from getting worse and he doesn't seem to mind.

    I'm worried about the other pups too, tho they don't show any signs of getting them. I'm really worried about Luytiy since he is out side so much and so heavy... I was thinking about getting one of those horse mats for him. (???)

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    Heidi - No, they don't seem to bother him at all. I felt the same way about them but then his left one is looking kinda large (not swollen, just taking up a lot of area). We've been watching them and applying baby oil and bagbalm to them but it seems we need to be more diligent with it since they are getting bigger. I'm a bit worried they will dry and crack this winter.

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  • yukidomariyukidomari
    edited November -1
    LOL, don't you love it when the dogs destroy something expensive..

    Lantis lost his winter coat out in the lawn when a friend was pet sitting him.. (he does better with a coat in the winter for his arthritis).. the other dogs found it, dug a hole and hid it. Never did find it until the spring, when everything thawed.....
  • KFontaine04KFontaine04
    edited November -1
    Bandaging tapes like these
    http://health.petedge.com/Top-Performance-Bandaging-Tapes-TP249.pro?parentCategoryId=193&categoryId=221&subCategoryId=412

    are great because they protect but are flexible. Just ointment him up and put some soft gauze (or a cut sock, I swear it works!) and then wrap them up, he should be baby soft in no time!
  • HeidiHeidi
    edited November -1
    Ohhh, yeah, a cut sock! Hehehe, that would look so cute... a dog with socks on his elbows. I might do that to Tojo just for the picture.
  • CaliaCalia
    edited November -1
    ooo, and getting one of those socks with a design on it. "OMG you dog is wearing shiba socks" LOL
  • KFontaine04KFontaine04
    edited November -1
    I actually do it to my feet, I cover them with Vaseline(like a lot) and then put on socks for the night, the next morning they are baby soft!
  • ljowen123ljowen123
    edited November -1
    you can do that with your hands - I use Moisture Therapy lotion by Avon & gloves.
  • ShikokuSpiritShikokuSpirit
    edited November -1
    =(0-0)= I must be a horrible mama, Lynx has them but I haven't done anything to them to make them go away...they're just there. I fret about everything else whenever she gets nips, scraps & bites...yet I've seem to neglect/overlook the Elbow Calsies. I hardly notice them though -goes to check her dog-.
  • baantonbaanton
    edited November -1
    Our dog Joe had the elbow calluses... I seem to recall they appeared when Joe was quite young, and did not seem to grow/get worse over time... We did fret about them and then asked the brother-in-law vet about them... He said not to worry, some dogs get these... so that was that! I do like the ideas others have offerend, though... bag balm, vaseline... I always worried that Joe's calluses would cause him problems in the MN winter, but we never noticed any problems... I think Kona will be OK.

    I have not seem the same on Josephine, but I think she may be a bit lighter. Will keep a close eye on her elbows...
  • amesylphamesylph
    edited November -1
    Ki got little worn spots from laying down outside (he just loves laying out on the cool ground). They worried me because they are like little bald patches basically and I don't want him to be unhealthy or uncomfortable. The vet told me that they were normal...some dogs just get them because of where and how my lay down. They aren't pretty or anything but I haven't worried about them too much since then since Ki doesn't mind them.
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