broken toe

Hi Rob,

I’m sorry mate but it does sound like you are in a no win situation in regard to the toe, as the dog has certainly had enough time off to heal if bone only was involved.

The problem is that any trauma severe enough to cause a bone fracture at the joint is also going cause severe damage to the ligaments that hold the joint together. This is also why in some circumstances a sclerosing agent is injected around the joint in an attempt to strengthen these ligaments.

Unfortunately the end result of all that is usually a severely enlarged joint with excessive calcification to the joint, and in many instances still not enough strength in the ligaments to stabilise the joint, and ending up with a toe that causes the dog a considerable amount of pain when running, with swelling and inflammation after each run.

The only option in such a situation is to have the toe operated on and removed.

The success of such an operation and subsequent return to racing depends upon which toe it is that has to be removed, and subsequent additional pressure placed on the remaining toes.

Prior to such an expensive undertaking you do need to consider the age of the greyhound and its know ability, as in many instances this will cause a reduction in speed by as much as four lengths.

All in all you do need to be guide by an experienced greyhound Veterinarian, as to the worth of such an operation and the likely outcome in regard to the particular toe that has to be removed, and the condition of the surrounding toes to take the additional strain.

Cheers,
Tom

Hi Rob,

Merolin is an extremely strong sclerosing agent and contains 5% Ethanolamin Oleate, similar to what used to be available as Ethamolin, and this product was used some years ago for injecting into varicose veins to dry them up.

While there is a small chance that it may help, my concern is two fold.
One: if too large a quantity is used in any one spot it could kill the skin and you finish up with a nasty sore, and two: it can only thicken and strengthen existing ligaments, and if the ligaments are no longer there across the joint, it will do nothing other than enlarge the joint even further.

Be aware that Merolin is not a registered product, and while I’m certain that the person manufacturing and distributing this product is extremely careful in it’s manufacture, there is no guarantee that the strength of the product is exactly as stated on the label.

I still believe that the toe should be examined by an experienced greyhound Veterinarian as to the best way to proceed, and if it is to be injected that it should be done by the Veterinarian using whatever he/she thinks is the best product to achieve the desired outcome.

Cheers,
Tom

Hi Rob,

I’m not real keen on the toe being wired because while it locks the joint together, it generally still results in a toe that is very painful. There is no advantage to using a sclerosing agent after an operation such as that.

Removing the toe? Again this is a problem as you can understand the railside toes are the most important ones, but out of the two options this in my opinion is possibly the best of a bad lot.

There is one other alternative that you could talk to the Vet about, and that is to do what is called a P3.

The problem with that toe is that the leverage of the nail and the lower section of the toe places stress on the joint that is damaged. A P3 operation is where the nail and the lower toe digit (Phalange 3) is removed, but with the webbing and pad left in place to cushion to end of the toe section that is left.

It does require some careful work by the Vet as it requires scraping the end of the bone so that is calluses, and to stop the flexor tendons from sliding back up stitching them in place. In most instances it will also require some adjustments to the skin holding the pad in place so that it cushions the end of the bone that is left.

Removing the very end of the toe reduces the pressure on the damaged joint which could then be carefully injected with a minute quantity of sclerosing agent in the area where the joint capsule is damaged to strengthen the remaining ligaments.

I’m sorry mate but that is the only alternative suggestion I can offer, as it is extremely difficult to offer much in the way of advice without having examined the actual toe in question.

Cheers,
Tom