It's never ending. Lucy has been chewing and licking the pads of her feet since I got her. She chews on the back side of the pasterns, and top of paws. Her pads were as soft as a baby puppy's when I first got her, so maybe there is some pain component involved here.

Less chewing since I put her on THK-force. BUT, she goes into the vet's on Saturday because she is now chewing and pulling on a toenail. She is getting destructive. Her toe around that nail is red and swollen...due to chewing? I have no idea.

Thoughts: obviously first thought-dermatitis from the environment. could be bee stings since the honey bees are so prolific this year and my yard is mostly clover. Could be mites (UGH!) I don't know. Could be yeast (a symptom, not a cause).

I think I am going to ask the vet to test for yeast, pull some hairs from each foot and check for mites, check to see if it is bee stings, and do a scraping on the toe area around the nail to see if there is an infection. I won't allow a prednisone prescription at this moment until I know she doesn't have what the old timers called 'foot mange'.

Anything else I need to add to the list of tests? This is going on a credit card (SIGH) since I am sooo broke right now, but since I am going off the deep end, might as well try to cover my bases early.

OH, and she is on Chlor-tabs right now. Even if it isn't allergy related, the Chlor-tabs sedate her enough she doesn't work at her paws and toenail with religious devotion.

Kasey has been doing the same thing with his feet the last month or so too - he usually does to some extent because he does have environmental allergies (shots didn't work ), but the last few weeks have been worse. The derma vet said they are seeing many, many allergy dogs right now, and are hoping that with fall will come some relief. She did all those tests you mentioned and all were negative - just allergy itch. It's lame to have to spend so much money only to find out it's just allergies!

But ooooh, so much better than finding out Kasey has mange. Or worse, yeast as a symptom without finding the cause.

I am hoping it is allergies and we can find a relief for her. I am betting she does have a yeast build up and mild infection, so I am looking forward to an antibiotic protocol, antifungal meds, and I will continue to sedate her with ChlorTabs for now. It seems to have lessened the chewing, so maybe she does have only allergies.

Thanks for the post! It encourages me that it may just be allergies. (Strange to be thankful if it's that diagnosis).

Hope Kasey finds relief this fall and winter!

Just a reminder to keep the indoors and the dog free of allergens (like pollen, grass parts, etc.) with the water bath or baby-wipe cleaning on the way inside, laundering all the dog's bedding, etc., vacuuming and dumping the bag immediately (outdoor trash) ... you really don't want the dog to drag allergens inside to breathe them 24/7.

Also, there is often some relief to be had with topicals between the toes and on the pads. I have the spray "Relief," and I bathe the allergic dog frequently, even if it's just a rinse in the tub.

Oh crap. I just thought about Lucy's kennel. She is on grass and some gravel. I think I need to get some matting to put down for now until I can afford the pea gravel mentioned in another thread.

Shoot. Thanks for the reminder about the allergens. So far, only the feet, but the feet are in the kennel 5 times a week, 12 hours a day. Need some work on that.

Like Connie said, I have found that washing his feet, faithfully every day makes a difference. I get lazy, or forget once in a while and you can tell! I just put water in a medium size tupperware bowl and he marches over and lays down and it only takes a couple of minutes now - he knows the drill well! My vet also gave me these new little wipes for pads that help prevent yeast and bacteria on their feet. You just wipe once or twice a week.

 Quote: Lori Hall

Like Connie said, I have found that washing his feet, faithfully every day makes a difference. I get lazy, or forget once in a while and you can tell! I just put water in a medium size tupperware bowl and he marches over and lays down and it only takes a couple of minutes now - he knows the drill well! My vet also gave me these new little wipes for pads that help prevent yeast and bacteria on their feet. You just wipe once or twice a week.

Do you mean those Malaseb Pledgets in a jar? I am never without those!

I wipe the feet between the toes and between the pads with them, and then blot dry carefully.

Another good thing about them is that they apparently taste unbelievably vile. They do not encourage licking and biting.

I wiped out my flat-faced dog's deep nasal fold with one, and he stuck out his tongue and tasted it. I never saw a face like that. He dropped his mouth open and let all the contaminated spit drip out. Staring at me, tongue out, while drool dripped down.

Bet that was a nasty look he gave you! Do you get Malaseb wipes from the vet or Drs Fosters and Smith?

Oh, and can you use them for "allergies" or just for yeast? I think allergy and yeast go hand in hand anymore, but just checking. I want all the info I can get before Saturday. Its very important her feet are taken care of. That is the most difficult area to train her in, and I can't blame her for snapping if her feet hurt. And, I have had to carry her a couple of times because her feet would hurt and she would trip onto her face or just stop, so I am prepared to spend some money checking this problem out.

I get them from the vet, but I've seen them online, too.


Hmm. It says online to distract the dog while it dries so he doesn't lick it. Good idea.