ok, guys. I need some help. My sister in law has a dog that is having some issues. he has sores on his flews, and on his throat. He also has some redness in the corners of his eyes, but I couldn't get a picture of them. He rubs his face on the floor alot, trying to scratch his flews, but he leaves his eyes & throat alone.

Any clue what this could be?? They took him off of the cheap crap food and put him on Canidae, but the sores are still there. No, he hasn't been to the vet for it (I'm working on getting that done.. no luck yet!)

Background on the dog: Not sure exactly what he is. Looks like a small gsd mix, maybe 30lbs, adopted from the pound about a year ago, he's approx 1.5 years old now.

Any feedback as to what this could be is greatly appreciated! I really feel for this dog, he's had these sores for for 3-4 months or so. We've tried first-aid creme, and nothing works. He's also the one that has a cruciate tear on his back leg, but they cant afford to get it fixed.

pics:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64/MeganandJosh/PICT2494.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64/MeganandJosh/PICT2496.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64/MeganandJosh/PICT2495.jpg

They might not all be the same. The face-rubbing, etc., sounds like allergies (not necessarily food, remember, but still, good move on the better food); the others may be some kind of infection.

Are they all similarly timed, or are any of them seasonal?

Two of the pictures are pretty blurry. He does not scratch at all at some?

What kind of first aid cream? What specifically is included in "nothing works"?

Does he have yeasty smell or debris in ears or folds? (BTW, please watch the ears regularly; head any possible infections off the minute you see inflammation or debris, before he has a full-blown ear infection, because there is no way to treat that without a vet.)


P.S. This guy needs a vet, but you know that. If the owners are making financial plans for that, I'd urge that they try to get him to a derm vet.

The only ones he scratches at are the sores on his flews. He doesn't mess with his eyes or neck at all. We just noticed that the inside corners of his eyes are red & kind of raw looking. His throat, we just noticed one day, so we took his collar off. Part of the problem with the healing (I think) is that there's a little teacup chihuahua that keeps licking at his lips constantly. They've been keeping them separate so he can't do it.

I believe the sores on his flews came first, then we noticed his eyes about a month later, then about 5 weeks ago we saw the one on his throat.

The cream was a first-aid cream we got for another dog's hot spots. It didn't work for him because he licked it off, but we had almost a full bottle left so we figured we'd give it a shot. It's just some anti-biotic OTC stuff we got at Petco. I don't know if they tried benadryl or not, but I think they may have, thinking it was allergies.

his ears are fine, I've been checking them every time I see him (which is at least once a week).

My first thought was allergies, but they've changed the food, and he is inside now the majority of the time. (It's been 115 degrees + here lately)

Sorry about the blurry pics, I was trying to hold his head still, but he was more interested in the camera than anything else, lol.

I doubt they'll be taking him to the vet any time soon, I may be trying to scrape up the money to take him if I can, but I want to find out what I can first.

#1 allergy is flea hypersensitivity, #2 is inhalant/environmental, and #3 is food. Being indoors is is almost irrelevant.

That face-rubbing is classic for both inhalant allergies and a couple of skin parasites.

He needs a vet, as mentioned. All of the possibilities (atopy, yeast, skin parasites, etc.) would be most quickly and efficiently addressed via the derm vet route.

Meanwhile I would use a triple-antibiotic on sores that look like infections and on the throat one (and keep that other dog away from it, as you mentioned) and see what happens, switching to a steroid cream if you see no improvement. None of this is particularly authoritative; it's what I would try if I had zero way to get to the vet.

On the eyes: Are they eyes bloodshot too?

What about the smells or debris in folds?

His eyes aren't bloodshot, just the corners look raw/inflamed. They look like they should hurt, but he doesn't seem to be phased by themn at all.

I was wondering if it was some sort of yeast infection, but I thought they're usually accompanied by some odor? None of the afflicted areas have any odor. No odors or debris anywhere on him. I'm trying to get them to take him to the vet, but I think they're more likely to take him back to the pound first.

The cream they were putting on him was "Biocaine" antiseptic first aid lotion. Bottle says, "Helps prevent infection, reduces pain, swelling and licking. promotes healing, non-staining".

Though I'm not sure how often he actually gets it. I'm wishing I could take him over, but we have 3 dogs at my house already, and the baby due any time. I can't be sure I could offer him much more than he already has there.

 Quote: megan berry

I'm trying to get them to take him to the vet, but I think they're more likely to take him back to the pound first.

I understand that this is not you, and that you are trying to help, so no comment about willingly accepting responsibility for a dog and then throwing him away when he has health problems. And maybe their finances have taken a bad turn..... anyway, that's not a productive discussion. And who doesn't understand financial strain; I'm trying to think of the best way to approach it without triggering a defensive reaction.

How often do you see the dog? I'm thinking about what would be the best "band-aid" help, depending on how frequently he would actually get it.

I'm thinking that there's a chance that seeing you assiduously giving him what thoughtful topical care you can, while encouraging them to try to manage a visit to a derm vet as soon as they could, might affect their POV.

Anyway .... if they had a trial of an antihistamine, would he get it daily? If they had herbal eyewash (on the chance that it's nothing but irritation from face-rubbing), would they use it properly?

Not that these are fixes; they are not. But if you would post back about how often you see the dog and whether the owners would use OTC help properly, I'll think and read about what would be the most cost-effective things to try.

ugh, long answer post, but the computer ate it.

Shortened version, lol:

I'm over here a few times a week, maybe 3-4. Plus, as I get closer to my due-date, we'll be staying here for a few weeks before/after the baby's born. They live 10 minutes from the hospital, we live 45 minutes away.

I'm continuing to put the Biocaine on him, because I have no-way of knowing how often he actually got it, or if he kept it on or rubbed it right off.

Pro bono maybe?

Wouldn't even know how to go about asking for it. Maybe if a vet saw ALL the problems with the dog and looked into their situation they would see that they really needed help.

I know in California there are organizations that will help owners with the costs for ill or injured animals. It takes some internet research and phone calls, probably beginning with the SPCA, to track these organizations down...but they do exist.

Some vets do pro bono work, most may be willing to work out a reasonable payment plan. You're better off trying to work this out with a vet you're already established with, and not one who doesn't know you.

If a specialist is what you need then call them. Talk to the practice manager, explain the situation, and ask if they help owners with limited finances...and if not, maybe they know a vet who does.

Many vets use Care Credit. You can apply and be accepted on the spot:

http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/whycc.html

I've personally seen vets waive, or drastically reduce, costs to help an injured or ill animal. It happens more than you might imagine.

I'll pass on the info to them. Hopefully they'll at least TRY to do something about it. I hate to see him suffer. My husband and I were talking about it, and if need be, we can take him in for the sores. But there's no way we can take care of the cruciate injury right now!