Black Patch of Skin on Paw

[Silverline]

Hello,

I hope everyone is well. I have little Trooper Marie here with a concern. I've just recently noticed that she is developing a black hairless patch of skin on her front paw. It doesn't seem to bother her when I touch it and she is active, energetic, eating, and pretty much normal.

I'm wondering if this could be a fungal growth, some sort of mite, Mange, callus, or perhaps not enough calcium (She's on some supplements). She's recently been outdoors in her big outdoor cage now that the weather is nice. It was tarped off during the winter and cleaned out with new branches, sticks, toys, and bedding. I'm wondering if something might have bit her or something.

Has anyone seen this before?

Thanks,

Dan.

[Silverline]

Hello, I hope everyone is well.

I have little Trooper Marie here with a concern. I've just recently noticed that she is developing a black hairless patch of skin on her front paw. It doesn't seem to bother her when I touch it and she is energetic, playful, eating, and pretty much normal. She doesn't seem like she is in pain and she's climbing things just fine.

I'm wondering if this could be a fungal growth, some sort of mite, the start of Mange, or (why I'm posting in life-threatening) Gangrene. She's recently been outdoors the last few weeks in her big outdoor cage now that the weather is nice. It was tarped off during the winter and cleaned out with new branches, sticks, toys, and bedding. I'm wondering if something might have bit her or she has an infection somewhere.
She also had a hard fall (about 7ft) a few weeks ago that made her yelp (She missed her jump). She shook it off seemed to be completely fine after 10 minutes from that incident with no signs of injury that I know of. I'm wondering if this could be a blood blister or bruise from that fall. I know injury can lead to some weird things, but she wasn't limping or showing any signs of pain. Again, she seems totally normal and healthy, but this has me frightened.

Has anyone seen this before?

Thanks,

Dan.

[CritterMom]

I have not seen that. Is the area raised or is it flat to the rest of the skin? Is it hotter than the surrounding tissue?

I would think a break bad enough to cause gangrene would result in pain symptoms afterward. ??

For now, I would get a bottle of Betadyne 10% povidone iodine at the drug store. Mix it at about 25 drops betadyne in 1/4 cup water and use it to wipe the area down. Just get it thoroughly wet and leave it to dry naturally - I would do at least twice daily and if you can do more often, do so. It is anti-viral, bacterial and fungal so it covers a lot of ground. It won't hurt if she licks the area, and it doesn't sting in any way. If you warm it to body temp she won't even know you got her wet! It is wonderful stuff and it the issue is one of the above, I would expect it to take care of the problem...

[Silverline]

It seems flat, a tiny bit scaly but smooth for the most part, and seems to be normal temperature. It doesn't bother her when I touch it.

I'll be heading to the pharmacy right away here and give this a try. Is there any alarming signs I should be watching out for?

Thanks for the advice.

[Silverline]

So I guess Betadine is in short supply here in Canada for some reason. I lucked out and grabbed the last bottle I could find. It's a spray bottle but it's only 5%.

I would assume that I would just mix in 50 drops instead of 25? I just want to make sure before I start the applications.

Thanks.

[CritterMom]

So I guess Betadine is in short supply here in Canada for some reason. I lucked out and grabbed the last bottle I could find. It's a spray bottle but it's only 5%.

I would assume that I would just mix in 50 drops instead of 25? I just want to make sure before I start the applications.

Thanks.

How odd. Yes and the "25 drops" is just a reasonable dilution - you can use the 10% straight if you wish, but it isn't necessary - it won't kill the bugs any deader...


I would either actually measure the area or use your photos for comparison and watch to see if it gets bigger, smaller, or what happens. I would also start seeing if you can find any antibiotics. Hopefully you can find them and won't need them. Look for SMZ-TMP (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim). Brand names are Bactrim, Septra, Tribussen, and generics all have names combining the two names (like "Trimeth-sulfa"). It used to be used for UTI's in people until Ciro came along; then Cipro got too popular and they are starting to see e-coli that is immune to it and so are really restricting it's use to severe infections. Which means that SMZ-TMP usually as Bactrim, is again being extensively prescribed - which makes it easier to find.

Clavamox (amoxicillen/clavulanic acid) is another choice.

[Silverline]

I'm happy to hear that this little guy got better sundoesshine. I really hope that's the case for her too.

I haven't noticed this because it seems to be right around her wrist area where her hand folds down and her other fur covers it up. We played for about an hour yesterday on the floor and I only noticed it around the end of our play time, so I have no idea how long it's been there for, but I'll watch to see if it grows.

Thanks CritterMom, I'm about to start her first application and wash and sterilize everything. The only way that I can get Anti-Biotics is to bring her the Vet. This always makes me nervous when her permits get questioned and the fear of them taking her away. Though she's been to the vet a few times, so I think I should be OK. Should I take her now or just see how things progress over the next day or two?

It doesn't feel that scabby, a little course, but mostly smooth, I think. She's still not bothered by me touching it either. I snapped a few more pictures. It's tuff to keep her still.

Is there a possibility that this could be Gengrene? Would it hurt or have other symptoms?

[sundoesshine]

Has anyone seen this before?

This spring my release apparently got in a scuffle and his ear was kind of dried crustiness and ratty looking, but didn't seem to bother him. After a while, like weeks, it seemed to darken up like yours did and also seemed larger than what I believed the original injury to be (although I can't handle him so could never really tell). I took pics to post on the board because I was worried it was some kind of skin mite or similar. Temps were warming up at that time, and practically overnight, he shed the furry tufts on his ears, and had perfect little ears again. It was so strange, like magic. I wonder if this is how their skin reacts to certain abrasions and it's just a scab?

[Silverline]

I've reposted this in the life threatening forum due to the possibility of Gangrene.

I can't seem to delete this original post. Sorry for the two threads.

Thanks,

Dan.