# Gonna have to take him in



## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Some of you may remember a while back I posted pics of Aspen and this abscess thing on his L hind toe. Well it heals, but comes back. This is the fourth time it has popped and oozed liquid/blood. The third time I took him in because it popped, and was put on antibiotics for 7 days. It looked like it healed completely and he was fine for about 1.5 months, until this morning...popped again. Maybe he has something in there? I thought it was a bug bite at first, but that would have healed with the antibiotics. I'm going nowhere with this so I'm taking him in.




























:frown:


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

If it keeps returning then that makes me think there is something foreign in his toe. I would ask them to have a good look, flush it out and even open the toe up to make sure there is nothing stuck in there like a piece of wood or a thorn.

Poor guy, hope it gets better soon for him.


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## MissusMac (Jan 6, 2011)

Poor Aspen, I hope you get some answers so he can recover quickly. That looks nasty.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

I've tried flushing it out in the past with a curved syringe by sticking it in there, but no luck. I keep thinking something's stuck in there. She'll probably have to go in there with local and have a look see. If she does go in there, do you guys think he's gonna need medication afterward?


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Any chance he was bitten by a brown recluse spider or some type of poisonous spider. I know several people that were bitten by a brown recluse and they had recurring problems at the site. One of my friends has been healing and rehealing for several months that was bitten about 6 months ago.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Donna Little said:


> Any chance he was bitten by a brown recluse spider or some type of poisonous spider. I know several people that were bitten by a brown recluse and they had recurring problems at the site. One of my friends has been healing and rehealing for several months that was bitten about 6 months ago.


Wouldn't it have healed with the antibiotics though?


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

Donna Little said:


> Any chance he was bitten by a brown recluse spider or some type of poisonous spider. I know several people that were bitten by a brown recluse and they had recurring problems at the site. One of my friends has been healing and rehealing for several months that was bitten about 6 months ago.


Thosee spiders are so common it would be so hard to know if he/she didn't see it happen. 



malluver1005 said:


> Wouldn't it have healed with the antibiotics though?


Maybe. We could hope.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I have had a biopsy done on Rebel's foot when he kept licking a hot spot. I agree, you should take him in and figure out what's going on. 

I remember another photo you posted of it, I think. It looks alot worse now.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Because when it popped the third time, I remember flushing it out and getting puss. So that means it was infected. But the antibiotics took care of the infection...


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

Despite rumors to the contrary, the brown recluse spider has not established itself in California or anywhere outside its native range. Brown recluse spider - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

twoisplenty said:


> Despite rumors to the contrary, the brown recluse spider has not established itself in California or anywhere outside its native range. Brown recluse spider - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Hmmm...not sure if we have those here. We do have black widows and some kind of spider that is big and fat and kind of a rusty brown color. Oh, and I only see the rusty one at night...


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

malluver1005 said:


> Hmmm...not sure if we have those here. We do have black widows and some kind of spider that is big and fat and kind of a rusty brown color. Oh, and I only see the rusty one at night...


Recluses have six eyes rather than the usual eight. i do think it's highly unlikely he got a recluse bite in your area of the country. I have lived in the thick of recluse habitat all of my life and have only seen two. Black widows are much more common - I've probably seen 100 of them.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

xellil said:


> Recluses have six eyes rather than the usual eight. i do think it's highly unlikely he got a recluse bite in your area of the country. I have lived in the thick of recluse habitat all of my life and have only seen two. Black widows are much more common - I've probably seen 100 of them.


When he was a pup he was bitten by a black widow on his inner left thigh. It swelled up and the lump turned green. The doc squeezed the puss out and put him on antibiotics and he was good.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

malluver1005 said:


> When he was a pup he was bitten by a black widow on his inner left thigh. It swelled up and the lump turned green. The doc squeezed the puss out and put him on antibiotics and he was good.


Yep, there is nothing sissy about a black widow bite! I am actually more afraid of them - they hang out a little more in the open than recluses. We had a tool box in storage that had the rotors for the tractor in it, and a black widow was sitting right in front of the latch on a web. I just went to the store and bought more rotors. But you don't see recluses like that. 

Apparently Aspen has pretty good resistance to black widow bites!


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

xellil said:


> Yep, there is nothing sissy about a black widow bite! I am actually more afraid of them - they hang out a little more in the open than recluses. We had a tool box in storage that had the rotors for the tractor in it, and a black widow was sitting right in front of the latch on a web. I just went to the store and bought more rotors. But you don't see recluses like that.
> 
> Apparently Aspen has pretty good resistance to black widow bites!


He does have pretty good resistance because way back when I worked at another hospital, we had an 80 lb. lab come in for a black widow bite similar to Aspen's, and on the same leg. He was in pretty bad shape...but he made it.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Ok off to work we go, will let everyone know what happens...


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Good luck with it. I hope you can get some answers and get it resolved once and for all. We are loaded with brown recluses here in the south. My friend Korie was bitten a few months ago and she's just getting it healed now. It would get better and then a little worse. I hear it depends on what part of your body you get the bite also. Years ago one of my hair clients was bitten on his calf and it nearly destroyed his calf muscle. He walked for probably close to a year with his heel off the ground because the muscle was contracted. Nasty little buggers...


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

could it be from a foxtail? i have read a lot about those randomly infiltrating and lodging somewhere and causing an infection


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

Interesting! I'm sorry he is having so much trouble with it. It does sound like something is stuck in there. 

Hopeing for the best!


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## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

I am hoping for the best for Aspen too.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

poor you and aspen.....it does look worse than the last time you took pics.

here's hoping it's something with an easy fix.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Doctor ruled it out as an interdigital cyst. I looked it up online and that's exactly what it looks like. Doing laser therapy on it and with the first one, it started to already dry out. He shall be going in for his 3rd one today. He says that the laser knocks out most cysts...if it doesn't than the next step is opening up the toe.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

malluver1005 said:


> Doctor ruled it out as an interdigital cyst. I looked it up online and that's exactly what it looks like. Doing laser therapy on it and with the first one, it started to already dry out. He shall be going in for his 3rd one today. He says that the laser knocks out most cysts...if it doesn't than the next step is opening up the toe.


ok. he ruled out a cyst. did he rule anything in?


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

We did flush it out VERY well and nothing came out.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

I think there might be some misunderstanding (or at least I'm a little confused :tongue.

Are you saying that the vet diagnosed the bump as an interdigital cyst?


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Ouch :frown: Really hoping poor Aspen feels better soon, that looks painful.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Ania's Mommy said:


> I think there might be some misunderstanding (or at least I'm a little confused :tongue.
> 
> Are you saying that the vet diagnosed the bump as an interdigital cyst?


Yes. :biggrin1:


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

thanks, richelle....i was confused.


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