#PrayersForHarley - Dewclaw Tumor


Dewclaws. Such an unnecessary evil for a dog. In August, I noticed Harley limping. At 11-and-a-half, she is a bit stiff-legged at times from arthritis, but this was a more pronounced limp and she was having an extra tough time sitting down. She seemed very uncomfortable. She was also becoming a bit snarley, especially when I was touching her paw, which is something that never typically bothers her. Upon further checking, I noticed an odd lump around her dewclaw on her right leg, thinking it was possibly a pulled dewclaw, maybe a splinter, thistle, or even a bee sting, she became extremely agitated when I touched it.  

(Warning: some photos may be somewhat graphic, but I am sharing for educational purposes).


 Oddity beneath the dew claw.

 Off to the vet we went.


At the vet, Harley is protective of her paw by hiding it.

Harley's paw was shaved and it uncovered a very large inflamed area surrounding the dewclaw and beyond, as you can see in the below photo. It was infected. No wonder she was snarley! I would be, too! We surmised that it became infected after a round of "Get the Groundhog" with the other FiveSibes, digging in the dirt, chasing it across the yard, including running down a wooden ramp, over some twigs and rock, and cornering it under the ramp. Harley was placed on antibiotic for two weeks. After a few days, it had greatly improved.

What lies beneath...

Fast forward a couple weeks...


 Almost hidden at first glance, but something is not right...again.


I woke up in the middle of the night to sounds of licking. Flicking on the lamp, my heart stopped when I saw Harley's face covered in blood. I honestly can not remember my feet ever hitting the ground as I jumped out of bed and went to her. How in the world could she be injured? We were all sleeping. The other Sibes were snoozing (until the light went on). I washed her face off, and thankfully, nothing there. Then I noticed her paw. The lump by the dewclaw was back...and bleeding.

Back to the vet we went. An X-ray has shown it is a tumor, it is infected, and it appears to be eating into the bone. Yes, my heart dropped with a heavy thud.

 The ugly, sneaky tumor under the dew claw.

Harley has once again been placed on antibiotics and is schedule for surgery for immediate removal of tumor and digit Monday morning. My vet has assured me this does not necessarily mean what I am fearing, and that the removal of the dewclaw and tumor is a fairly straight-forward surgery. I pray our girl does well in surgery, that there is nothing else underneath, and that the pathology report all comes back clean. 

If you could join us in a #pawcircle of prayer and healing for our girl, it would be greatly appreciated! I will post an update after her surgery. 

And please, be sure to check out those paws and dewclaws.

*Post-Surgery Update HERE* 

Comments

  1. We have all our paws crossed and are sending lots of sibe vibes for Harley AND you!!! Prayers added from Mom.

    Hugs and Woos - Ciara and Lightning and Mom

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  2. Oh dear, we understand your concern and we all will be sending prayers to you dear Harley.

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  3. Oh Harley...that looks so sore. Your dogter will fix you right up so try not to worry. Me and my pack and my Mom are all sending lots of POTP to you.

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    1. Thanks so much for all the POTPs! Harley is back home and on the mend. Hugs! <3

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  4. Oh my, Hope it all turns out okay. Paws crossed over here (and mom is checking OUR dewclaws!)

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    1. Thank you for paw crossing! Harley is home and recuperating! Hope your dewclaws are all A-OK! <3

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  5. Ouch. Sending lots of healing thoughts
    Snorts,
    Lily & Edward

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  6. Sending prayers for your girl...and thank doG you noticed it EARLY! That's very good news.

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  7. I hope the surgery goes well and she heals fast!

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  8. I hope everything goes well! Sending good vibes! I'll be sure to keep an eye on my dog's dewclaws!

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  9. Oh you poor thing. We hope you feel better soon.

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  10. Yikes! So scary. I'm glad you noticed and were vigilant with going to the vet. I look forward to reading updates on how the pup (and you) are doing!

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  11. That is so scary. Harley is lucky to have you as her pet parent. Prayers going up for a speedy recovery for your baby!

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  12. I'm sending healing purrz for Harley. When I first started reading, I thought like cats her dew claw had curled into her paw.

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  13. Sending healing prayers for Harley

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  14. Oh no! Hoping for a speedy recovery. Good Mom for catching it.

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  15. Oh I hope Harley feels better soon! Our girls got their dew claws removed as a puppy luckily.

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  16. I hope Harley has a very quick and complete recovery! Sending good vibes your way that this is the end of the problem and no more tumors!

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  17. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Harley. I have never heard of such an ailment in dogs before. Thank you for educating me. And I pray for my animals pretty frequently.

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  18. We're purring for a successful surgery and a complete recovery with no problems.

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  19. Im sure Harley will be really well soon and running around post surgery mwaah

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  20. Harley that looks painful - best wishes for a speedy recovery.

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  21. Thanks for sharing poor Harley's dew claw incident. I'm so glad the surgery went well & that she's doing OK. I saw the update on Facebook. I know how scary that must have been!
    Love & biscuits & extra hugs for Harley,
    Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them

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  22. Thanks for sharing poor Harley's dew claw incident. I'm so glad the surgery went well & that she's doing OK. I saw the update on Facebook. I know how scary that must have been!
    Love & biscuits & extra hugs for Harley,
    Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them

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  23. Oh poor Harley! I'm sure you were so worried about her. There is nothing worse than when one of our fur babies are not well or have something wrong with them. Hugs to you and Harely

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