Looks like I am headed to the vet tomorrow but wondering if anyone had any ideas here. This probably started Wednesday, definitely was showing limping on Thursday. I was busy with holiday prep so didn't take a good look and just started giving her crate rest assuming she bumped into another dog. Friday when I woke up and she greeted me with one paw in the air I knew it was more. She has what I thought was a cyst on the inside of her second right toe. I can't see anything in it or any obvious injury. I soaked it and squeezed it and definitely made it hurt more (poor baby). We repeated (without the squeezing) that night and twice on Saturday, also adding antibiotic ointment because I am thinking I need to draw something out. Still thinking cyst. Today I stopped all that because I don't see any improvement, though she does put more pressure on it now. It is round, reddish and feels fluid filled. I am wondering if it is soft tissue damage. Any thoughts?

Interdigital cyst. Not fun, usually recur, and if they do, long-term antibiotics are required (like Baytril for a few months). Many people have luck soaking in epsom salts.

Please confirm it is not a tumor with a thin needle biopsy. This is imperative as Mast Cell Tumors are fairly common.

A few years ago I thought my girl had banged her toe when it became swollen. A vet visit confirmed it was digital squamous cell carcinoma. Don't procrastinate going to the vet.

We are treating it as an interdigital cyst. She is on antibiotics, pain meds and continued soaks. Re-check in a week. If not better, they will check to see if something is actually inside.

So - cone of shame for another week...

Don't accuse someone of procrastinating. It was Thanksgiving 1st of all and 1 day of symptoms. The OP is handling it and was given a few possible diagnosises. I would be upset in that situation if some one I don't know, giving a 1st name tells me what or what not to do a day after symptoms present.

I also think it could be an inter-digital cyst with other possibilities. I've only had 1 Lab with any form of cancer though, liver cancer at age 15. He had a senior check up 4 mo.'s before. It's not a common diagnosis for a younger dog to have squamous cell of the toe. A VET can decide what is needed.

I did have a senior girl the vet swore had a malignancy with a growth on her toe. At age 10 they took off the toe, it was benign so she lived missing a toe until over age 14. I didn't rush her to the vet the 1st second I felt a tiny lump. It grew over days very quickly. I was at the vet in less than a week and her benign toe was chopped off. I didn't go back to my vet of 10 years who charged $1,000 to do that for no reason. Sometimes a short wait & see approach {days} works too and that isn't procrastination. I'm not encouraging it but I'm just saying>>>>.

Hope your dog is feeling better?

If the swelling is still there, it wouldn't hurt to try a poultice to pull out any infection or perhaps a thorn piece, sand spur? Animalintec is a good brand. Cut the size piece you need, wet it and leave it on the foot, wrapped up, for 24 hours.

Good luck!!

That sounds like an excellent home testing and treatment method. If it's a malignancy, big If; it won't work and the OP can continue on with their vet for a biopy. If it helps, I can't imagine it being cancer.

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