Oh no! Little Toe!

Thanksgiving night we were going to bed and we kennel up the dogs cuz our bed just isn't big enough for 2 adult humans, 3 dogs and 6 cats...

Well Toe seemed a bit "off"... a slight limp.

Hmmm. We didn't think that much of it because he'd been bombing around all day and was perfectly fine. He ate his dinner with the usual gusto... he seemed fine and the limp was very slight.

The next morning... the limp was still there... a bit more pronounced, but he ate his breakfast and I could find nothing wrong with his foot.

I stayed home from work that day (not because of Toe's foot but cuz I had the day off) and as the day went on, Toe's foot swelled and kept swelling. He wouldn't put any weight on it at all, he was hopping around on 3 legs and when I tried to have another look, he would yelp and wriggle and struggle cuz it must've hurt like a mofo.

I clipped all the hair around the area and for the life of me, I could NOT find any injury, grass seed head, mark or puncture anywhere.

I called our vet and she stopped by with some antibiotics. She looked and couldn't see anything either... her thought was maybe a grass seed head had worked it's way into the webbing between his toes.

Poor Toe. He was miserable... he was hiding, he didn't want anything to do with anybody... when I took him outside, I had to carry him and when I set him down, he would lay there vs. running around announcing his presence to the neighborhood with a happy BARK, BARK, BARK!

.

I was really worried. I was imagining all sorts of terrible things... he had an infection in his blood stream, the seed head would move through his body and cause some instant death somehow...

I dunno... after Booker died and then my Dad... I was feeling like this new dog that I love so much would be taken as well. Furry Husband, a big softy (shhhh don't let anyone know!) let Toe sleep with us that night.

The next day Toe was markedly better. The antibiotics were doing their thing or whatever happened to his foot was on the mend... tho' he began licking it and wouldn't leave it alone so I had to wrap it with a sock and elasticon.

I never did figure out what happened. He's fine now. No swelling, no abscess, no scab, no nuthin! We think maybe it was a spider bite... after all that painting, all the spiders were displaced and maybe one bit him? I don't know - it's a mystery! I'm glad to have my happy, joyful, bossy, grumbly baby dog back to normal tho!

We took him with us to Jax Farm and Ranch today... he was mooned over by several of the staff, he was wiggle butt happy to see everyone and he got several treats. THAT is the Little Toe I know and love.

Here he is today.. in his new coat. I know - it sorta sissi-fies him.

Shrug.

He has longer hair and he is short enough that he gets really wet when we have more than a couple inches. We've gotten about 5" of snow today; it's the first time he's worn it and it really does help keep his little belly dry!