Moved from another thread:

 Quote: Kory Fox

My wife's dog, 3 1/2 year old female chocolate lab chewed her feet constantly. Vet thought food allergy was possibility but recommended derm test. My wife chose not to do that because of the cost, she chose to put her on pred and try different foods. Tried several foods, none changed it. Every time she went off the pred the foot biting started again. As long as she's on the pred she's fine. The question I have is Is there any long term problem with her staying on the pred?

"The question I have is Is there any long term problem with her staying on the pred?"


Absolutely yes, there are short- and long-term potential dangers. Steroid use is a delicate balance between the long- and short-term side effects and the need to break a damaging cycle (like a dog breaking skin and then having infections, etc.) while appropriate diagnosis is made and treatments are started.


But let me ask you, what derm test do you mean (or did the vet mean)?

Going to a derm vet is not an instant commitment to intradermal testing. A derm vet can do a whole lot more short of the scratch tests.

And you probably saw in the other thread that blood tests (such as a GP vet might offer for diagnosing allergies) are extremely limited for dog allergies.

So there are two reasons right there for getting a derm referral, IMO.

In addition, the other thread probably demonstrated how low food is on the list of allergies the Lab could be suffering from. And from the rest of the other thread, you now know some of the clues about doing some detecting.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/prednisone-side-effects-in-dogs.html

http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/how-safe-is-prednisone-for-allergy-treatment

http://www.vetinfo.com/prednisone-side-effects-dogs.html#b

http://www.petside.com/article/guide-pet-medications-prednisone-steroids-and-your-pet

BTW, I have had atopic dogs who needed a low dose of Pred for a short term every once in a while to break an itch cycle. (For example, a dog whose allergies are seasonal might need some Pred help once or twice a year or even at each season change.)

The important thing is that Pred is not viewed as the primary treatment, and that all the much safer things (many of which are inexpensive and relatively simple, as you may have seen in the other thread) are done before settling into long-term sole use of a drug like Pred.

JMO!

I actually should have said the vet recommended a dermotologist appointment, not a derm test. I tried to tell my wife from the start, based on threads I had seen here, that it probably wasn't food but she went that route anyway. Now unfortunetly we can't afford the dermatologist until probably April or May but even then my wife figures if the pred is keeping her from itching that its good enough.

We've weened her off it every time we tried a different food but she went right back to biting.

I haven't visited here for awhile, but yes! Absolutely go to a derm vet!

Steroid has its place in allergy treatment, but it is definitely not something I would use on my dog long term, unless if I have no other option.

Hubby and I got our GSD in 2008, when she was 2.5 years old. She had chronic ear infections and would lick her paws until they became raw. Her belly would break out from laying in grass. After many many visits at our primary care vet, I finally found a derm vet (never realized such a specialty existed until I saw it in this forum, thanks again Connie! ).

As soon as the derm vet saw our dog's paws, she told us that she bet our dog was suffering from yeast infection. She gave us an antifungal shampoo (she confirmed the yeast infection with cytology testing) to wash her paws with 2-3 times a week. Our dog's paws cleared up in less than a month (we did the intradermal allergy testing and started her on allergy shots as well).

A few things I did when my dog was actively suffering from allergy problems.....
1) hosed her paws off (dry them well with a towel) every morning and night (usually after her walks),
2) wiped her down with a damp cloth all over every morning and night,
3) wash her bedding in hot water every 1-2 days,
4) bathed her 2-3 times a week with a soap-free shampoo (
5) I wiped the inside of her crate with a damp cloth every time I changed her bedding.
6) I checked her paws everything morning and night, gave me an idea as to if what I was doing was helping

My GSD gets a large amount of fish oil (plus Vit. E) daily.

Good luck!

Forgot to mention she's never broken skin or bled at all and doesn't scratch anything else. Just chews her feet for long periods of time. She did wear off some of the fur around one or two feet at one point but no skin breakage or bleeding.

Kory, if you thoroughly read the other thread and then Melissa's post just above me here, you'll see three experienced owners of atopic dogs all saying the same things.

If it WAS food, which is by far less likely than the top two probabilities, switching from one commercial food to another will not help. The ONLY way to identify food allergens in with a strict elimination diet.

But food is a far distant third on the list, even if the vet is right that this is an allergy.

Between the other thread and this one, many of the "mechanical" allergen-removing protocols are shown to be simple and straightforward.

If you cannot go to a derm vet now, I think I'd ask the present vet about weaning off Pred after first doing a flea test (read the other thread) and doing a thorough flea regimen, then, if no fleas, beginning and sticking with all the other steps that have been outlined in these two threads.

Just one thought to add - sometimes paw chewing can be due to other reasons if the dog has no other allergy symptoms at all. If your dog does scratch or bite any other areas, rub his face on the carpet, etc., then he may be chewing the paws just because they are infected with yeast and/or bacteria. I would start with a cytology on those paws and see what's going on there. If there is yeast then you could use the yeast shampoo and heal up those paws, then see if the chewing stops. Also if it's just the paws, there is a good steroid spray called Genesis that is an Rx, you could use that instead of oral. Some dogs also chew their feet out of boredom or anxiety.

So I would investigate why this chewing is happening for sure. And any dog that is on steroids for long term should have blood tests every 6 months to make sure the liver is tolerating it.

 Quote: Lori Hall

Just one thought to add - sometimes paw chewing can be due to other reasons if the dog has no other allergy symptoms at all. If your dog does scratch or bite any other areas, rub his face on the carpet, etc., then he may be chewing the paws just because they are infected with yeast and/or bacteria. I would start with a cytology on those paws and see what's going on there. If there is yeast then you could use the yeast shampoo and heal up those paws, then see if the chewing stops. Also if it's just the paws, there is a good steroid spray called Genesis that is an Rx, you could use that instead of oral. Some dogs also chew their feet out of boredom or anxiety.

So I would investigate why this chewing is happening for sure. And any dog that is on steroids for long term should have blood tests every 6 months to make sure the liver is tolerating it.

Good catch, Lori! (Plural, in fact ... catches!)