 help for paw licking
#200008 - 06/26/2008 12:22 AM |
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I'm wondering if anyone has found anything that helps calm the itching/burning of paws that cause dogs to lick them a lot. Kasey definitely has inhalant allergies and is going to the dermo vet in 4 weeks, but in the mean time I feel so bad for him with his paws. He has licked/chewed them so much that they are really irritating him - which of course causes him to do it more. The fur is discolored to that redish color from all the licking.
I wash them every time we play outside or go for a walk, and I keep him off the grass as much as possible, but it doesn't seem to help much.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Lori
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Re: help for paw licking
[Re: Lori Hall ]
#200011 - 06/26/2008 12:33 AM |
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I've seen little boots for dogs. Unless of course he's a German Shepherd. Then the shame might just be too much for him.
"In dog years I'm dead." |
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Re: help for paw licking
[Re: Lori Hall ]
#200013 - 06/26/2008 01:04 AM |
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. . . Kasey definitely has inhalant allergies and is going to the dermo vet in 4 weeks. . .
Wow, it's going to be a long 4 weeks.
I don't remember. . .In any previous posts, have we ever discussed prednisone? It's cheap, fast acting and, in my opinion and experience, totally appropriate in very small doses for temporary relief to get through a situation like this. I have it on hand and will may use it for a day or two when there's a big flare-up in allergy symptoms (which may happen every couple of months or so)
Mike
Suppose you were an idiot.
Suppose you were a member of Congress.
But I repeat myself.
-Mark Twain |
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Re: help for paw licking
[Re: Mike Armstrong ]
#200034 - 06/26/2008 09:57 AM |
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My Derm vet recommends frequent bathing (1-3x/week) with DVM's Relief shampoo and conditioner, wiping down the body on non-bath days like you're doing, and using Relief spray on itchy spots.
When I bathe my dog I put a good measure right into the bath water, creating a medicated foot bath that his feet soak in while I'm lathering up the rest of his body.
Your regular vet may have it in stock, or they can order it for you.
And as Mike said, a micro-dose of pred for very bad flare-ups can simply work wonders in stopping the itching cold. If you're going to be doing the skin tests, you can't use pred for x number of weeks prior to the testing so I'd check on that before you use it.
True
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Re: help for paw licking
[Re: Sarah Morris ]
#200045 - 06/26/2008 10:42 AM |
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I am bathing once a week - he's a golden with lots of fur and it's hard to manage more baths than that! The dermo vet doesn't want me to use any prednisone for 2 weeks prior to our appointment, so I could use a little in the next 2 weeks if necessary. The vet gave me some prednisone a few weeks ago when Kasey had his first hot spot - the pills were 20mg. I don't consider that a low dose - do you guys? For a 75lb golden, what dose would you consider low? I was thinking about cutting those pills in quarters to a 5mg dose - is that too low to do anything? The 20mg really caused him to drink, pee and pant a lot more than normal.
Lori
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Re: help for paw licking
[Re: Lori Hall ]
#200049 - 06/26/2008 11:02 AM |
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The 20mg really caused him to drink, pee and pant a lot more than normal.
Lori
You should report this to the vet.
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Re: help for paw licking
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#200050 - 06/26/2008 11:03 AM |
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You want to use the lowest effective dose.
You might also try a topical (like "Relief" spray).
Also, I'd wipe down his undercarriage and bathe his paws after every trip onto grass to avoid some of the allergens (like pollen) coming into his bed and carpet on his body.
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Re: help for paw licking
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#200055 - 06/26/2008 11:35 AM |
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I just saw my derm vet Tuesday and we talked about pred and dosing.
He was perfectly OK with me giving as little as .05mg of pred, if that dose was effective to stop the itchy symptoms, during a flare-up. My dog is 80lbs. He's very OK with using pred for short periods of time, during the worst moments. What he's not OK with is vets who put dogs on high doses of steriods for months and years. Unfortunately, I think a good number of "regular" vets still do this.
My dog was on Temaril-P a month ago, which is a combo antihistimine/prednisone medication. The pred dose in that is .02mg and even a small dose like that can, and did, do the trick.
Even on the smaller dose I did see my dog drink a little more water than usual.
True
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Re: help for paw licking
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#200056 - 06/26/2008 11:45 AM |
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. . . the pills were 20mg. I don't consider that a low dose. . . a 5mg dose - is that too low to do anything?
I cut the 20's into 8 pieces, and I can usually get away with 2.5mg dose or maybe 5mg (per day) at the max for a 65# GSD. My experience is that the pred seems to kick in within about a half hour. You could start with a 2.5mg dose and, if no noticeable effect, maybe another one in a few hours. I'd probably try and limit it to 5mg a day at this point. I think you'd see at least some relief at that level.
My goal with pred is always to eliminate about 80-90% of symptoms so I get a good idea of what minimum dosage will be reasonably effective. I think it's really excessive for a vet to prescribe zapping your dog with a 20mg dose.
In the past, I've also used a topical spray that was effective.
JMO
MIke
Suppose you were an idiot.
Suppose you were a member of Congress.
But I repeat myself.
-Mark Twain |
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Re: help for paw licking
[Re: Sarah Morris ]
#200058 - 06/26/2008 11:52 AM |
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That's what I was thinking - trying 1/4 of the pill he was prescribed if needed. I am washing his paws everyday. I have Dermacool, which I'm assuming is like Relief spray, it's 1% hydrocortisone spray. I will try using that a couple times a day and see if that helps before I use prednisone - I hate to use that when it's mostly his paws that are a problem right now!
Thanks everyone!
lori
Oh, and Connie, I will tell the dermo vet and my vet his reaction to the 20mg pills she gave. Obviously too strong!
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