Have you watched your dog meander across the yard and then slam down hard, elbows first, onto the hard dirt or concrete patio?

Every time your dog lands like that the callus thickens as the overprotective ulna bone tries to protect the elbow. That poor ulna bone has a thankless task!

To top it off, every time your dog slams down on a hard surface, the callus is made thicker. or recreated.

Enough hard landings can cause the callus to become cracked, bloody, infected, or ulcerated.

While calluses are not life threatening, they can become cracked, bloody, infected, and ulcerated.

Of course, they are tight and uncomfortable for your dog. Admit it, they just look awful and people ask what's wrong with yourb dog's elbows. Ugh.

A Hygroma is a fluid-filled swelling surrounded by a thick, fibrous bag that develops under the skin. Hygromas usually develop on the outside of the elbow or on the hip or hock. Look like ugly water balloons.

Our large/giant breed dogs (not fat-shaming) land harder as they put more force magnifies the force.

Dogs with a lot of coat, such as Newfies, Great Pyrenees, and Tibetan Mastiffs, don't usually have as many elbow callus issues as shorter coated breeds. All that luscious coat softens the blow of the elbow against the ground.

In warmer areas hard surfaces are usually cooler for big dogs, creating a dilemma. Your Lab is hot and just wants to spread across the cool concrete of the patio. He doesn't care about his elbow calluses, he just wants to cool his belly.

• Provide comfy beds in multiple locations

• Encourage your dog to use them (sigh, we know)

•Use Elbow Butter 

• Keep calluses clean 

• Keep your dog at a healthy weight

• Consult your veterinarian as needed (if it bleeds or becomes fluid-filled)

While Elbow Butter can help the callus heal, it cannot cure the tendency toward calluses.

Clients have reported calluses disappearing completely and hair growing back, BUT that is not guaranteed. Like those weight loss ads that say, “These results are not typical of all users.” 

It Depends...

• It depends on if your dog continues to land hard on their elbows

• It depends on if your dog will use their bed, at least some of the time

• It depends on how thick the calluses were to begin with

Remember, your dog re-creates the callus every time they land hard on a hard surface.

Elbow Butter conditions the callus and helps keep it from bleeding, The anti-fungal and anti-bacterial power of our herbal ingredients help keep infections at bay.

Most dogs do experience a lessening in size of the callus and it becomes more pliable and less tight and restrictive. But there are too many variable to guarantee the calluses will disappear. forever

Keeping expectations real!

#1 Best Tip! WARM For faster absorption put the tin or tube in your pocket for a few minutes to warm it.

Wipe callus clean.

Scoop a bit out with finger or spoon (if in tin), warm more in your palm if needed.

DAB or rub on dog's elbow callus

DISTRACT with a treat, pet them, go for a walk

DONE

DISTRACTto keep your dog from licking it off (give treat, feed dinner, go for walk)

REPEAT 2-3x daily for 1-3 days or until there is improvement

Use as needed for maintenance (usually 1-2x a week)

Keep off carpet and furniture for 10-15 minutes after application.

We've seen suspender-looking/sling things one puts on to keep their dog from licking.

Use your own judgement, my dogs would make it worse to get that contraption off. You may have better luck! Or better trained dogs.

Products have no active ingredients and will not harm your dog if they lick some off.

But we want the product to get it's work done, so distract away!

It it was one of the larger sizes and they ate the whole thing, like 8 oz or 16 oz of Elbow Butter call your vet and ask if you should induce vomiting with a dose of hydrogen peroxide.

There are no active ingredients, but that would be a LOT of fats for a dog to eat all at once.