Female dog, mixed breed, 5 yo, neutered, 20 kg (44lbs). Very dense long hair.
We live in Spain and it's foxtail season here.
My dog started to limp slightly two days ago on her front left paw. I looked for foxtail or wounds or marks and the only thing I saw was swelling next to the central pad and on the pad itself, which was somewhat warm to the touch.
Yesterday morning we took her to the vet, who said he saw an entry hole from a grass awn next to the base of the pad, but he did not find the awn. He sent her home recommending salt water baths and antibiotic ointment.
In the afternoon, the limp worsened and the paw began to swell on the upper part. We called the veterinarian again and he scheduled a surgery with sedation today, to open the abscess and remove the spike that we (and he) thought was about to come out of the upper side, between the toes, opposite to the entry hole.
Today during the surgery he opened the abscess and found a lot of pus and necrotic tissue, but couldn't find the awn. He told us that he left the incision open so that it could drain and the spike could come out through it, gave antibiotics, and gave us an appointment for Monday.
My questions are:
- How probable is it that the awn, which isn't even visible, comes out by itself though the incision? Wouldn"t it more probably migrate further up?
- If we wait till monday as the vet told us and it migrates, can it be life threatening for the dog in that three days period?
- If we have to find a bigger veterinary clinic where they can find the awn, which diagnostic tool are we looking for? Which image test can find it?
Thank you very much for your help.