My Bulldog has matted fur around his foot pads.....

Manydogs

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May 2, 2013
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Tennessee
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U.S.A.
Bulldog(s) Names
Maudee,MarthaKatie,Lizzie,Bro.Mini
Famillal Footpad Hyperkeratosis

Hyperkeratosis is a familial disorder that results in severe digital hyperkeratosis by 5-6 months of age. It is rare in dogs, with the highest incidence in Irish terriers, Dogues de Bordeaux, and Kerry blue terriers. An autosomal recessive mode of inheritance is suspected in Irish terriers. At birth, the footpads appear to be normal, but by 4-6 months of age, affected dogs begin to develop marked hyperkeratotic, thickened, hard, and cracked footpads. The entire surface of all footpads are involved, and the subsequent information of horny growths, expanding fissures, and secondary bacterial infection usually results in severe, intermittent lameness. No other skin involvement occurs, but concurrent abnormal nail development, characterized by slightly faster growth and round profiles instead of the normal U-shaped ones, may be seen in Irish terriers.


  • Diagnosis- Rule out other differentials, and performing biopsy.
  • Treatment- No specific treatment is known, but treatments as for idiopathic nasodigital hyperkeratosis may be effective. Symptomatically treat with daily foot soaks prescribed by doctor and frequent filing of the footpads to remove surplus keratin. Significant improvement should be seen within 5 days, but life long maintenance therapy is required for control. For fissured lesions, a cream may be recommended and systemic antibiotics for 3-4 weeks if footpads are secondarily infected. Fast-growing nails should be trimmed frequently. Prognosis for cure is poor, but most dogs enjoy a good quality of life with routine symptomatic therapy. Affected dogs should not be bred.

Yes,some believe there could be a zinc deficiency. Nose butter is a good emolient.(sp?)
 

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