Malik has been having some sort of infection between the pads of his right front paw only. It's red, there is a little sore, and he often puts his paw in his mouth. The vet had him on antibiotics 3 weeks ago + steroids, that helped, but now it's back. I wonder if any of you have seen this before and what you did about it.
I often use herbal remedies as I know a bit about them, and I started applying a tincture made of differents things + tea tree oil. Not sure if it will help.
Thanks for the posts.
Aude

My pup had the same problem a few months back. It must have been extremely itchy because he really went crazy trying to scratch it. The vet did not shave his fur the first time I complained about it but gave me Gentocin Topical Spray. It relieved the itching. Used it 3 times a day for too short of a time because it came back. This time the vet shaved the area. I think that made it easier plus I used it for a little longer time period (10 days).


It hasn't bothered him again. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

 Quote:

Malik has been having some sort of infection between the pads of his right front paw only. It's red, there is a little sore, and he often puts his paw in his mouth. The vet had him on antibiotics 3 weeks ago + steroids, that helped, but now it's back. I wonder if any of you have seen this before and what you did about it.
I often use herbal remedies as I know a bit about them, and I started applying a tincture made of differents things + tea tree oil. Not sure if it will help.
Thanks for the posts.
Aude

That's a classic first symptom of allergies........itching and redness which the dog licks and bites at until it's infected. Between the toes is the most common spot at the beginning. Ear infections often follow.

Steroids do help allergy symptoms. They don't help allergies, and aren't a good long-term solution.

I'd ask if the vet had thought about allergies. Just a suggestion.

It’s not a “homeopathic” treatment but try soaking the dogs foot in a 5% bleach to 95% warm water solution for 10 minutes, 4 or 5 times a day. In addition to being a germicide it will “draw out” the infection.

Thanks for all the posts, all good suggestions. Connie, I've read a lot about your posts on allergies, and I understand your point well. We have had him on a hypoallergenic diet for 10 days (takes a while to get "bare" as we have to do the food switch ratios), so far not much better. I think he has a real yeast problem, and I'm going to try Olive Leaf extract and Pau d'Arco to balance that. I'll stick with the tincture for his paw, don't like the idea of bleach so much. So we'll see what happens and I'll keep reading around for all this allergy info floating around!

My 2 yo male just developed this problem, and is now on steriods and antibiotics. He chewed one paw raw to the point of limping, and the vet saw damage to the other paw as well. The vet did suggest allergies as the most likely culprit, although she also mentioned boredom as a possibility. Since the dog gets a reasonable amont of excercize, I think allergies are more likely.

I will taper off the steroids over the next week, and when I return in a few days to have his bandages removed, we will discuss the next steps. Since he is pretty young, I do not know if this is seasonal. I did read the thread on allergies about a year ago. I was a litle alarmed to read that this seems a very chronic problem for some of your dogs. Any suggestions for my next vet visit? After I get a full diagnosis, I will let the breeder know, for his information.

I also wanted to add that i share the allergy senitment. I work as a vet tech (and teach basic OB on the side) and this sounds like allergies to me.
If you dont mind me asking- what food have you switched him to? I highly recc. any natural food: raw diet( then you know what goes into it and can watch for a flair up), Innova, Wysong, Solid Gold ect ect. are all great foods. You need to change/stop what is causing the itch, rather than just apply a bandaidto the problem using steroids and other meds when he gets a flair up (kind of like with dog training- lol)
I switched my dogs food and it took about a month to see his hair grow back and the itching decrease. We also put him on Benedryl for the itching while we change over. (We were trying to not use steroids on him)
Good luck and let us know how it goes

 Quote:

My 2 yo male just developed this problem, and is now on steriods and antibiotics. He chewed one paw raw to the point of limping, and the vet saw damage to the other paw as well. The vet did suggest allergies as the most likely culprit, although she also mentioned boredom as a possibility. Since the dog gets a reasonable amont of excercize, I think allergies are more likely.

I will taper off the steroids over the next week, and when I return in a few days to have his bandages removed, we will discuss the next steps. Since he is pretty young, I do not know if this is seasonal. I did read the thread on allergies about a year ago. I was a litle alarmed to read that this seems a very chronic problem for some of your dogs. Any suggestions for my next vet visit? After I get a full diagnosis, I will let the breeder know, for his information.

Allergies have no cure -- only control, by eliminating whatever allergens can be eliminated, desensitizing if necessary for the ones that can't be, getting the dog on the best possible food to support the immune system (because allergies are an immune response), even if the allergies are not food allergies, and fighting inflammation.

So yes, you are correct that it's a chronic problem. But they can be controlled.

A very common "hot spot," IME, is indeed between the toes.

That's also a common chew-bite-lick spot for bored dogs with frustrated energy.

Reasonable exercise in the dog's yard is not usually enough, so if you have any suspicion at all that the dog is fighting frustration and boredom, I would start on two walks a day. It's *structured* exercise (like walks, swimming, training and long games of fetch, etc.) that dogs need to stay calm, fit, and healthy.

Even if this is 100% allergy-related, structured exercise is a very good thing.

You are right that a dog with allergies should not be bred.

When you go back to the vet about his paw, you could ask whether he's ready for good brisk walks.

You could also ask about skin or blood tests (both expensive, and not perfect, but the skin tests are still very useful, IMO). Some people do not do the skin tests because of the shaving, but the blood test seems to be much less accurate.

Many people start with an elimination diet, because ID-ing food allergens can be fairly simple compared to environmental allergens.

You will want to know that most canine allergies are not food allergies. Number one is flea allergies (and the dog doesn't need to "have fleas" to be affected; one bite can affect the dog all over); number two is environmental/inhalant; number three is food.

But again, foods are the easiest to ID, and a lot of dogs have both numbers 2 and 3. Also, food allergies can be so constant, because the allergens are often ingested every day.

So I would (and do) start with the elimination diet, while helping him with antihistamines and tapering off the Predsisone.

Here's part of a response from me on a recent allergy thread:

It's a good thing to control allergies for many reasons, but also to limit the use of steroids. They are a magic bullet, but the long-term side effects can be bad indeed.

http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/itch.html

Here's a quote from http://www.pets1st.com/Articles/00112MGrabner008CanineHealthNutrition.asp

QUOTE: To definitely diagnose food allergies, most veterinarians recommend a trial with an elimination diet - a diet that contains a protein and carbohydrate source the animal has never been exposed to.

To start with, feed the elimination diet for a period of up to 16 weeks and monitor your dog's response. Signs should abate if your dog is indeed food-allergic. To get conclusive results from the trial, your dog should ingest nothing but the elimination diet and water. That means no treats, rawhide, or chewable medications. Following this strict regimen can be difficult, especially for those living in multi pet households. END QUOTE

Allergies develop after repeated exposure, which is the reason for the emphasis on "novel" ingredients.

All JMO. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

He gets two 20-40 minute off-lead walks every day, plus one short one, occasionally two. We play some drive, grip, focus games every morning, and fetch. For the evening walk, he walks with our older dog and I encourage them to play. For this reason, I think it is more likely to be allergies. Also, he is a fairly low drive dog, and has never been one to bounce off the walls, or destroy property, even when young.

Does it make any sense to wash his paws after walks? He loves water, so this would not be a problem.

He has to stay quiet for the next few days while his foot is bandaged, and after it is removed, we are going upstate for the weekend, where he can get free exercise. Otherwise, he lives in NYC, which is why all his outside time is structured. Thanks for the advice, I will discuss diet with the vet, and will see how she wants to identify environmental triggers.