I am looking for some guidance with my dog. I know she has allergies, she has been tested and is allergic to Dust mites, mold mites and a variety of other things.

She is mauling her two front paws and they are completely red between the pads. I am at a lost here, b/c I have had her on claritan (Which seems to make it worse) and benedryl. The benedryl seems to help a little more, but she is still not doing well.

I soak her paws in Novalsan which provides some relief, but I recently purchased the nolvasan ointment (http://www.amazon.com/Fort-Dodge-Nolvasan-Ointment-16/dp/B0002XIZWA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1238244850&sr=8-2)

I am wondering if I can apply the ointment as well to her pads.

Can someone please provide me some insight b/c this is very frustrating and upsetting all at once.

thanks in advance

Hi Josh. It's really frustrating, I know. We have a golden with allergies and right now they are all really flaring up because spring is here! Kasey is doing the same thing to his paws now too. I assume that you have been to a dermatology vet if he's been tested?

Sometimes when they are just really, really itchy it is because all the chewing they've done has made it moist and with the heat between those pads and the allergies, yeast grows. Can you separate the toes and see past the fur to the skin, so you can see if the skin is a nice normal pink, or is there any reddish brown on that skin? If it looks anything but nice and pink, you should have the vet swab that and check for yeast. Kasey's had yeast a few months ago and it causes the skin to itch way more than normal. If you don't kick that yeast, it will spread to other areas too.

The vet can also give you a topical cortisone spray called Genesis Topical Spray - it's prescription and you have to spray it on there a few times a day, but it really helped a lot. Within a couple of days Kasey quit mauling them! I have found that antihistimines don't really help that too much. Make sure you are wiping his paws off with baby wipes or a wet towel after he goes out to play or walks too.

You could also try a different antihistimine for his other itching. We use the generic for Chlor-trimeton - Chlorpheniramine Maleate. Kasey is 80lbs and the dose is 3 4mg tablets 2 to 3 times a day.

You can use the nolvasan ointment on her paws, but she'll probably lick it off. The spray I mentioned can be used with the Nolvasan and it will stop the itching, but I would have the vet make sure there is not yeast on them first.

Let us know how it goes! These allergies are very frustrating - lots of us there with you!

 Quote: Josh Goldfarb

I am looking for some guidance with my dog. I know she has allergies, she has been tested and is allergic to Dust mites, mold mites and a variety of other things.

She is mauling her two front paws and they are completely red between the pads. I am at a lost here, b/c I have had her on claritan (Which seems to make it worse) and benedryl. The benedryl seems to help a little more, but she is still not doing well.

I soak her paws in Novalsan which provides some relief, but I recently purchased the nolvasan ointment (http://www.amazon.com/Fort-Dodge-Nolvasan-Ointment-16/dp/B0002XIZWA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1238244850&sr=8-2)

I am wondering if I can apply the ointment as well to her pads.

Can someone please provide me some insight b/c this is very frustrating and upsetting all at once.

thanks in advance

More info needed:

Tested how? Skin tests? And then desensitizing injections?

Or a blood test? And what did the vet who did the test recommend as treatment?

Derm vet? Or GP vet? Who recommended the Claritin and Benadryl?

What else has been tried besides OTC antihistamines? Is the dog on fish oil? How much? What is the diet? (I don't mean for allergen reasons as much as for immune support reasons.)

Is there any yeast overgrowth involved?

Are any of the allergens you were told about (unlisted in O.P.) removable from the home?

Are you rinsing the dog? Do you know about the bedding, vacuuming, rinsing paws and blotting dry on the way inside, etc.?

I guess primarily I am asking how much you know so we don't reinvent the wheel and whether the allergen ID was reliable (meaning skin and not blood tests). Also, whether a trial of hydroxyzine was done and whether the dog has seen a derm vet.

Is the dog having sleep interrupted with itching? How do the ear look (inside)? Inflamed like the toes?

Josh,

I have no medical background, but we have had similar problems, in our case with seasonal allergies. I have resorted to steroids occassionally, but have also found that rinsing the paws, patting dry, and applying corn starch liberally between the toes can help it heal, it it is not too bad. I have also used a elizabethan collar to prevent licking. Certainly, if there is an underlying infection, you need more, but as maintenance, before the problem gets severe, you might try this approach.