Monday, March 7, 2011

Hanna's Paw Situation



Early this year, we had a recurrence of Hanna's toe problem. This time, we were on antibiotics for 8 weeks. Xrays didn't show any bone pathology, so that was good. Last time we did the wound discharge culture (E. coli) so we opted not to do it this time. Our vet suggested FNAB (fine needle aspiration biopsy) of the enlarged lymph node but we declined and decided to just finish the antibiotic course. It was a grueling & frustrating 3 months, not to mention expensive because in the middle of the antibiotic treatment, the toe got swollen twice! The last time it got swollen (with bloody discharge oozing out), I squeezed the open wound real well. I am thinking it is a foreign body that keeps causing the infection & inflammation. Anyway, by mid-March, the toe was dry and the node, much smaller. We are keeping our fingers crossed. The picture above was taken after the swelling & redness have subsided.