Well its been a few months now since my dog went from active to not wanting to walk. Has had several arthritis shots from vet and put on antibiotics. Starting to walk a little but he will be 14 in September (Maltese) and there is still the odd accident in the house etc but if we keep an eye on him and have him in a regular routine now, he is manageable.
However when we bath him with the antifungal wash we can still get dark substance coming loose between the pads. A lot of the pads are now bigger due to a wart type growth on them and he hates standing on any sort of firm grass. He won't walk very far but is still very active at meal times, but otherwise sleeps most of the time.
So I definitely think the whole problem has been his paws/pads, but even after fungal wash (Also tried a bit of salt water wash, but his dried the pads too much), plus antibiotics he still has the problem but it seems slightly better.
Don't know if anyone else has had a dog with a foot problem like this?
Sylv

I have never had an actual growth on the pads, but I do know how sensitive those areas are for the little guys. From what I have read the most common issues for pad trouble is zinc deficiencies. I have also heard of auto immune deficiencies causing blisters in between the pads and they often break open and ooze. Have you noticed any blisters or sores on the bridge of his nose or in his ears?

I'm sorry I'm not much help on this one, I just saw that no one has responded yet, and wanted to let you know that other experts should be around soon.

Poor little guy, It must be very frustrating for you to try and treat the problem and he still has sore feet.
Do you know if your vet did a fungal culture? Or does it seem that the black goo is coming from the warty growths? Puzzling to say the least. Only a vet can tell you exactly what is going on. And as with people vets have specialties, Maybe your vet can suggest someone who specializes in dermatology.
Good Luck