what's wrong with her paws?

[SydNMollyMom]

I need some opinions here.... Sydney is my first boxer baby. She was born in January 2002 and nearly died due to the poor treatment she recieved at the kennel where she was born.

I have noticed that Syd's front paws look deformed. One 'toe' on both of them barely has a toe pad on it, and the rest of them all curve to one side. You can see a picture of her paws here... Sydney's Paws It isn't the best picture of them, but as of now it is all I have online. The 'deformity' does not seem to cause Syd any problems. She's still her usual rambunctious (sp?) self. But I am wondering what is wrong with them.... and what do I need to do to help her out??

Thanks In Advance for any and all replies,

 

[dan h]

Hi Ashley. Sydney is very cute. I'm no expert on this but I guess if it doesn't bother her it should be ok.

 

[KC]

If it doesn't seem to be bothering her, then just have your vet check it next time you go. It could be though, that the position of her toes is causing stress on joints or something like that (I have NO idea) so it is sure worth checking out - I'm just not sure it's worth a special trip to do it. But, yes there does look to be a slight deformity - I sure hope it's no big deal.

She's beautiful, by the way!! What a cutie!

 

[Donna741]

Dan and KC are correct, if they're not bothering her it's not a huge concern but you may as well have an x-ray done next time you take her to the vet.

There are several things that can cause this including, not enough calcium as a baby, being cramped up in a small space while growing as a small baby and even possibly broken toes as a baby. It also may be genetic, did you see mom & dad?

 

[debbie knowles]

Ashley.
I am sorry about Sydney's toes. I know you are concerned. But one thing is for sure....There is nothing wrong with that pretty face...Sydney is absolutely adorable!! I real cutie! Good Luck with her. djk

 

[SydNMollyMom]

Thank you so much for the replies! Unfortunately Sydney had a really rough life before she came to us. I don't know the specifics, but I do know that she was one of five pups in her litter born at the kennel and she was the only one that survived. B/C the kennel couldn't guarantee her health they couldn't sell her. So they chose to just simply neglect her, until my aunt found out about her and 'took her off the kennels hands' My aunt nursed her back to health and then realized that she didn't have the time, patience or room for Sydney anymore. (and we all know that boxers do require a great amount of time, patience, room, AND love) So my hubby and I took Sydney into our home. I only have the vet records stating that Syd is up to date on her shots. The kennel did NOT provide any AKC papers or anything to my aunt. Regardless of how Syd's feet look, she will always be loved in our home- simply because she's Sydney. And I'm just glad we're able to provide Sydney with the love she so deserves after the rough life she's had.

 

[Donna741]

She is absolutly adorable, and I'm so glad that she has such a wonderful home with you guys. After such a rough start in life it's good to know that the rest of her days will be smooth sailing .

 

[nanabear]

What a cutie! What a face!
I have no experience with anything like this but as I was looking at her I wondered about her toenails. If they are allowed to grow too long all the toes are put in an un-natural position.
I am obsess with toenails lately. I have never had to cut my dogs nails because each one had/has gotten a lot of exercise on all different surfaces on a daily basis. But Mack has had two knee surgeries and has not been off leash for over a year and his toenails grow like crazy! I'm always trying to snip 2 or 3 before he gets mad at me and wanders off.
If she wasn't cared for and was left in a kennel run, perhaps her nails were too long and forced her toes into that position and since she was a growing puppy - they grew that way.

 

[Chewy's Mom]

I was thinking the same thing as nanabear - about the toenails. Chewy has a toe or two that kind of do the same thing as Sydney's toes, and we've been told that it could have been caused by toenails that get too long. (We try to cut his toenails, but it's honestly impossible to do without somebody getting a limb bitten off. He goes into crazy wild dog mode if we mess with the toenails, so we just try to make sure he gets tons of exercise to wear them down naturally.)

 

[Julie445]

Sydney is such a little sweetie!! I started to cry when I read that the kennel simply ignored her, how awful and sad when she really needed some loving. So glad that shes found such a loving home with you