Mystery lump above metatarsal pad

[K9Rehab]

DDx help? 2.5 year old active Munsterlander acutely lame after run in the woods, seemed to improve after a few days rest but lame again with return to activity. Brought to the vet about a week after injury with palpable lump immediately above metatarsal pad. Fast forward 3 weeks.... lump still noted, vet did a fine needle aspiration and placed on antibiotics (also noted some swelling in the popliteal lymph node on that side, no other biomechanical findings). Lump decreased in size but still there. On my assessment dog is weight bearing well and not particularly bothered with palpation over the lump yet owner reports will become lame with off-leash activity. I couldn't identify any other musculoskeletal dysfunction. Vet suspects could be foreign body but would rather not sedate dog to investigate and referred to me for conservative options first... I lasered... any other thoughts?

[lehughes]

Hey Joanna,

So foreign body makes the most sense yes. On that front, any stimulus that will make the body want to 'rid itself' of the invader would be okay. Laser could stimulate the tissues which MIGHT help. I had just posted in another post about Silicea. It's a homeopathic that works to do exactly that. I've had a handful of clients try it over the years. So, it might be worth mentioning to the owners, they can look it up and decide if it's something they'd like to try. From what I know of it, it's quite safe as well.

If not a foreign body, just check the sesamoid bones for a fracture. If pain on a sesamoid, then the dog just needs more rest and padding under the foot for the standard 8 weeks for fracture repair.

I hope one of these things helps!

Cheers,

Laurie

[K9Rehab]

Quick update on this case (as I have a bit more time on my hands these days). Saw this dog for 4 laser sessions every other day and by the end he actually developed a tiny scab and when the vet and I poked at it, there was PUS. Hallelujah! So did laser help... or did it just start to work it's way out?! Vet went in and found a tiny sliver. Dog's doing great, back to normal.

[lehughes]

Thank you for the update.

I think stimulus is stimulus. If it helps the body to recognize that it has an issue to deal with, then it's viable. So, indeed, the laser may have helped in that??? Or wishful thinking. But I like to come up with a plausible justification that the laser played a part.

Laurie