Figuring out an injury

Out of nowhere, Larsen began licking his paw.  Not only is that unseemly and messy, it also keeps everyone awake at night.  What was the cause?

We considered the following hypotheses and approaches:

We manipulated the paw and pad and didn't feel any stone or thorn.  There was no unusual pain from a gentle squeeze of the paw or fingering between the webs.  No broken nail.

We gave him a Benadryl, at Cathy V's suggestion, and that gave us a night's sleep.  I took him to Lake Allatoona, which was, of course, fun, figuring that activity never hurt anyone.  Aki took Larsen to the Willis Park Agility field and talked to our brain trust including Adrian, MaryAnne, Susan W. and  got Larsen a trip to the chiropractor that he seemed to enjoy.  We kept the foot clean with apple cider vinegar, and then gave it a squirt or two of bitter apple to stop the licking.

The chiropractor seemed to provide relief, but nothing else really worked.

Finally, we got an appointment at the vet, who diagnosed the problem as a possible initial inflamation (e.g., insect bite) that had taken a turn for the worse due to the licking.  She prescribed some antibiotics and a spray that numbs the area and reduces the itching to reduce the licking.  She also took an x-ray just to be sure that there was no bone damage.  We'll also keep the foot clean.

Let's hope that it was a spider bite and not a tick and that he is on the mend.

A shaved toe reveals tender pink skin.