01186-A: Evaluation of the Soft Tissue Compartments of the Canine Manus
Grant Status: Closed
Project Summary
Injuries of the paw represent significant occupational hazards in working and sporting dogs. Surgery in the paw is often unsuccessful due to the poorly understood migration routes for foreign objects and infectious agents. Mapping of human hands and feet has demonstrated the presence of multiple soft-tissue spaces that create specific pathways for extension of disease. Surgical planning in humans is greatly aided by accounting for these boundaries. The researchers identified multiple discrete soft-tissue spaces in the front paw of dogs. These spaces are similar to those described in the human hand and foot. They also found that injection of contrast medium into the web of tissue between the toes resulted in a predictable pattern of extension of the material into the surrounding soft tissues. This is important because the interdigital web spaces are among the most common locations for paw foreign bodies in dogs. Knowledge of the likely paths of foreign body migration or spread of infection is important information for surgical planning. With a better understanding of canine paw compartments and spaces, surgical treatment can be more specifically directed, thus reducing patient pain and loss of function.
Publication(s)
Help Future Generations of Dogs
Participate in canine health research by providing samples or by enrolling in a clinical trial. Samples are needed from healthy dogs and dogs affected by specific diseases.
