Bear with me here as I unleash (pardon the pun!) my guilt. Yesterday, I went to join a hiking group on The Uetliberg trail. I thought, what a great time of year to do this given the trees and autumn!

I asked if I could bring my 10 year old lab, Molly, with me and I would join them on the Uto Kulm and we would walk the crest. I have done this hike several times with my husband and dog - but not in a year or so. Molly is used to hiking and is very fit. Go figure, the group heads down the stairs and I follow. Midway through down the steep stairs, there are metal stairs with squared holes and my dog freezes. She hates spaces between stairs and the metal/squared ones hurt her paws. We are nearly at the bottom, and so I tell her/urge her to continue.

In short, I see a bloody paw at the end of the staircase. Ughh! I am heartbroken and feel beyond stupid for having her take this hike. We head back to the train stop and I feel awful for her.

Luckily, I wait at my Vet's door for him to reopen after lunch and they take me right away. He is such a nice guy and an amazing vet. Molly, my sweet lab, lost her toenail completely (hence the blood) and he wraps her up and gives me a mitten/boot, and gives me antibiotics and administers a pain injection to Molly.

Molly seemed okay last night but tonight she will not put any weight on her foot.

I cancelled my plans/hike tomorrow as I am worried about her. I can tell she is in discomfort/pain but I googled and read I should not give her any "human" pain meds as that could aggravate matters (for her). Ughh! I feel like a lousy dog owner/parent!

Anyway...just needed to vent as I feel so sad for her!

Yes don’t give her human pain killers, that could be really dangerous. Get some from your vet tomorrow.

It’s horrible when your dog is in pain. If it makes you feel better.... I decided to play fetch on a tennis court with my dog a couple of years ago. When he got to the ball each time he skidded to a stop, I didn’t realise he was grazing his paw pads. By the time I realised they were seriously damaged. Still makes me feel sick He’s all good now though!

It's always heartbreaking when our furry family members(or non-furry ones for that matter) get hurt. But as long as you're following the vet's instruction and giving her lots of love(and treats ), everything should be fine. Please try not to beat yourself up about it.


Sending tons of get well wishes to Molly!

Molly is a very lucky lady to have such a caring owner. These things happen, I see quite a few dogs with boots now, probably also because there is often broken glass lying about where it didn't used to. Hope she recovers quickly; no doubt she will pretend to be "a poor little doggy" for a bit longer than necessary because she enjoys being fussed over. And who can blame her, it is just very amusing how quickly dogs figure that out.

Apropos of nothing: My mam has metal stairs going up to her apartment and after my sister's boyfriend got a dog, she put carpet pieces on the steps because the dog did not like walking on the metal. I pointed out that it makes the steps a bit slippy for humans but was informed that I could pay attention but the dog could not change being barefoot. Yes, dogs first, humans second He is a very cute dog though and my mam is thrilled when she gets to look after him.

Best wishes to Molly! How is she doing today?

I took her back to the practice this morning and this time, a different vet took a look at her. What I didn't understand Wednesday afternoon, was that the pain injection Molly received typically lasts 24-36 hours (who knew?). The vet examined her again and said her limping was probably a sign that the medication wore off and not an indication that she sustained any further damage. Molly was given another pain injection and an anti-inflammatory ("Onsior") which I will give her for 7 days starting tomorrow.

I was just relieved that she didn't damage her paw or leg! No more Group Hikes with my dog for me - that is for sure! And, I will avoid those metal steps at all costs too - in future

glad she is on the mend terri, maybe don't rule out all the hikes but avoid those metal steps!

Poor Molly, those metal steps are truly awful- went up to Kuklos revolving restaurant at Leysin the other day, and carried Emma up and down those steps. On one of our long walks, she was so happy running ahead and nearly broke her legs on a cattle grid. OH got there just in time to stop her falling through bars, and she was not serioulsy hurt. Pheew. She will be 15 on 4.11- so really gave us a fright.


So glad Molly is OK.

Wow! Almost 15...lucky you

Don't be too hard on yourself. Things just happen sometimes.

Pain injections last longer than oral pain meds. I would certainly consider oral pain meds if your dog is in pain.

Wishing Molly a full recovery

Thank you! I am starting her on oral pain and inflammation meds tomorrow. I had no idea that pain injections lasted so long! Now I know . And lesson learned regarding metal stairs and group hikes. The problem with group hikes is that they are designed for people and NOT dogs. And to me, it is not fair to the group, to have my dog be a potential hinderance.

My OH and I take Molly for long hikes on the weekends and she is in very good shape for her age. Can you tell I have learned a lot the last 3 days? (but lost a bit of sleep...lol!).

To quote my late Mom, "This too shall pass!" Wise words...

How is Molly doing? How is her paw healing? I hope you are seeing some improvement.

She is doing a bit better! Thank you for asking . She wasn't too happy when my OH and I left her to go hiking this afternoon (what a great day to hike btw) but she recovered quickly when we made dinner and gave her some scraps.

Such a true lab as that it is ALWAYS about food