Expert: Charlotte Sherrell, DVM - 9/22/2008

Question
Okay, so we have this litter of 3 border collie, full blooded pups. All boys. One of them, Samuel, has a swollen foot. It is very inflamed, has lost a lot of hair off of it, the toe nails are hardly visible. You cannot see the actual toe anymore. It is just swollen very badly. This came on about 2 days ago. He seems to have no problems walking and I haven't seen him lick it or limp or anything. He is about 6 weeks old and has worms which we are treating. Other than that he has no problems. He is playful and is a pretty good eater. He is a butterball of fat and joy. Please help me because these puppies mean the world to us.

God bless!

Answer
Caitli -

Have your pup check by a veterinarian.  Rarely, intestinal parasites such as hookworms can cause a type of dermatitis on the animal's feet - called hookworm pododermatitis.  There are several reasons why the puppy might have a swollen foot.  Have your vet examine the puppy to diagnose his skin problem.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM