Toenails wearing down to the quick..on a short walk!

[aprilemari]

Hi everyone, Lola is 6 months and is having an awful time when we try to take her for (3x/week) walks. We really only go two blocks around the (urban) neighborhood but there are plenty of spots of grass and an elementary school yard to relax in. Since she hates so badly that she poops almost immediately when we go out - fear induced pooping. Then she will try to run up everyones front porch..in the process she scrapes her back feet against the pavement and it is wearing down her toenail really bad...pics...never bleeds though.

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Also, we're not going far, but Lola ends up panting like crazy for 30 minutes at least after we get home. she gets water, and eats an ice cube, but I can't understand how she gets so worn out from just a short walk. Does the fear of walking wear her out too? we're in canada so its not even drastically hot out! i was in jeans and a tank today.

 

[2BullyMama]

OUCH... that looks and sounds painful. What is it she is afraid of.... leash, street, cars, trucks??

 

[aprilemari]

we don't think its just one thing outside...its a bombardment of smells and sounds. we live in a residential area with beautiful big brick houses, but we're still in downtown toronto, with its traffic, people walking, cyclists, car door slamming, kids playing basketball. i think she hates our fenced in backyard for the same reasons.. when we disorient her by walking across the street or taking a wrong turn, she'll walk fine with us.. but when she knows she's close to home or frightened of something, she'll go into shaky up the front porches of strangers houses-mode.

 

[2BullyMama]

My girl, Banks, is like that too, but with the car.... we actually have to give her Xanax before/during car rides. Her whole body shakes and when she knows we are close to home it gets worse. she is fine during the ride and shows no signs of fear or displeasure, but as soon as she senses the house is nearby... the shakes start and she goes from one side of the van to the other waiting for the door to open. You might want to talk with a behaviorist and/or your vet.

 

[nyerathrt]

ours wear certain nails down like that from dragging their feet. i wouldn't be worried as long as they aren't bleeding and she isn't in pain it should be fine....some of ours are soooo short...

 

[Jack Daniels]

She may be panting from excitement rather than heat or exhausture...
Are your walks after the sun comes down give the same results ? ...

 

[aprilemari]

we've actually never tried walking her at night, i somehow thought it would be worse with headlights, not being able to see everything.
Lola gets spayed tomorrow so we will try that as soon as we're back up and running. pun intended.

thanks

 

[Jack Daniels]

good luck with the operation..and a speedy recovery....


Regarding the walk, its not necessarily at Nite, just at dusk so you can rule out the sun's heat as a factor to her panting.

 

[LoveMyBully82]

Jackson's nail are kind of filed-down like that too. He walks in such a way that the only nails of his that need to be clipped by us are his "pinky" nails on his front paws. People have asked us if we clip his nails or take him to the groomer b/c they look so good...nope, he does it on his own!

 

[Vicaroo1000]

Poor Lola! Walking is supposed to be fun! I'm with 2Bully mama on the suggestion for a behaviorist. Fear is said to be the worst thing to rehabilitate in dogs. Even worse than aggression. I hope you can help her learn to enjoy the out of doors! Bea has a weird thing about loud vehicles: she wants to chase them! This, of course, scares the crap out of me. She's "taught" this behavior to Bo - and I've almost got that habit "unlearned" with him. (He will relapse if Bea is with us on the walk) She's done that since she was a wee puppy; she came with that strange behavior. Walking around in our neighborhood doesn't induce this behavior at all since the speed limit is what it is, but out on the highway? It's nerve racking for me, boy. I have to dig deep to CALM DOWN myself because, in my head, I can see her magically slipping out of the martingale and running headlong into traffic. (Nevermind that this is impossible) Our walks together are THE highlights of my day - truly. I'd be so bummed if they didn't enjoy them as much as I do.

 

[cali baker]

we've actually never tried walking her at night, i somehow thought it would be worse with headlights, not being able to see everything.
Lola gets spayed tomorrow so we will try that as soon as we're back up and running. pun intended.

thanks

I hope the spay surgery went well. How is little Lola doing?

Also, maybe you can think about putting socks or dog booties on her when you walk her. I don't have personal experience with these but i saw them at the pet store the other day.

 

[aprilemari]

Lola got picked up from being spayed about an hour ago. She woke up from surgery around 1:30, Right now she's laying down on the living room floor with us..she's all medicated, no food in her belly. she's been throwing up bile occasionally. I don't think there's much I can do besides comfort her and hope that she sleeps it off. so sad

 

[Jack Daniels]

Update us on Lola..
Hope she back to herself today.....

 

[kazzy220]

It does seem as if she's scared of the big outdoors!!! The panting when you get back to your home could be a sign of that anxiety too. I would speak to a behaviorist about it or do some research!! You say she's ok when she knows she's nowhere near the house ... could you maybe drive her somewhere and go for a walk in a different area??

Update us on how she's feeling today too !!!!

 

[aprilemari]

Lola is doing better after a rough night. She went from throwing up every hour to only 3 times overnight. I got up at 7, relieved the husband, and gave her a little water, which she kept down. After a second round of water stayed down, we fed her a hard boiled egg and a little chicken. So far so good - she was starvin' marvin. Then at noon, we gave her a little rice and canned turkey. She peed outside and was begging for food, so i'd say we're back on the right track!

thanks so much for caring, it was really scary when she couldnt keep water down yesterday. her eyes were all bloodshot and she wouldn't move. so much better today.

she's napping now, but as we're both back to work tomorrow, we're going to have to cone up today at some point to get her used to it. much love! thanks