Lori,

I've found when I use the spray my dog promptly starts licking it all off, particularly those easily-reached paws. I try to distract him long enough so the spray has time to penetrate and dry.

If frequent baths are an ordeal I might still try just a foot bath, using Relief shampoo. It's something you could even just have him stand in outside for 5-10 minutes and feed him some yummy treats to keep him distracted. You will want to make sure you dry the paws completely so no moisture is left between the toes and pads.

Just another thought...

I'll chime in...my GSD is 85 lbs and gets relief from 5 mg to 7.5 mg. of pred.

Regarding shampoos, I've tried:

Relief
An oatmeal based shampoo
SulfOxyDex
Calming Lavender
Malaseb
Pure-Castile Soap made with Tea tree oil

Regarding topical spray, I use:

Relief
Genesis
Fidoderm herbal spray with aloe and calendula

Regarding allergy pills, I have tried them all. Right now, he's getting Benadryl.

At one point or another they all seem to help a little. Nothing works as effectively as prednisone though. I always start with the smallest dose and go up from there if needed. I know within a half an hour. The most he's ever gotten at one time is 10 mg. On average he gets about 5 or 7.5 mg of Pred once a month.

I just had him at the vet today to check him and discuss his allergies. Today he wants me to start using the Genesis spray twice a day no matter what for one week and once a day for another week and see if we can relieve Gunnar's allergies with topical sprays instead of resorting to Pred. Even though he gets so little prednisone, he and I both want to eliminate it as often as possible.

Good luck, allergies are such a pain.

 Quote: Judy Troiano

Regarding allergy pills, I have tried them all. Right now, he's getting Benadryl.

I'm finding Hydroxyzine isn't working well anymore so the Derm vet suggested I try OTC Tavist. Did you try this one and did it help, even briefly?

My 2 yo female GSD suffers from itchy/irritated paws as well. We started her on desensitization shots a month ago.

The vet gave her a couple of steroid shots a few months ago, but I expressed my concerns over long term steroids, so my vet recommended Atopica and allergy shots.

Atopica is a cyclosporine, it suppresses the inflammation reaction, but doesn't have as many side effects as a steroid. She will be on it once a day for a couple of months, we will then taper it and see if she will still do well with once every other day or couple times a week.

Atopica is not cheap, $200 for 30 pills (she is about 62#), if she is more than 64#, we will have to combine the pills. But we figured once we start tapering it, the cost will go down. My friend has a Chihuahua that had the same problems, he was on it once a day for two months, then tapered. For the last couple of years, he only needs it once a week, sometimes even less than that.

We also rinse her paws every time we walk her, wipe her with a damp towel three times a day, wash her bedding in hot water every 3 days, and bathe her once a week.

Over the last month, her paws are looking so much better, we don't know if it's the Atopica, the shots, or just the combination of everything that we are doing.

Good luck!

 Quote: Sarah Morris

 Quote: Judy Troiano

Regarding allergy pills, I have tried them all. Right now, he's getting Benadryl.

I'm finding Hydroxyzine isn't working well anymore so the Derm vet suggested I try OTC Tavist. Did you try this one and did it help, even briefly?

Sarah,

Yea, me too. It helped briefly but then it seemed to stop working after a while. So I figured I'd try Benadryl again, if for no other reason than it's much cheaper. It seems to have the same effect; works a little bit. I have never tried Tavist. If it's OTC, I'll try it.

There is certainly no magic pill for allergies, that's for sure!

paw licking/chewing is usually diet related. It is often hard to pin point what it may be.

Paw-licking is usually allergy-triggered, yes.

There are some web sites that say that paw-licking is particularly food-allergy related. But all of the allergic dogs I have known have had itchy paws. Most did not have food allergies.

This is a good quick overview (which agrees with vet med manuals, such as Merck).

QUOTE:

Dogs with allergies may show the following symptoms:

* Chewing on feet
* Rubbing the face on the carpet
* Scratching the body
* Recurrent ear infections
* Hair loss
* Mutilated skin

A dog who is allergic to something will show it through skin problems and itching, i.e., pruritus. It may seem logical that if a dog is allergic to something he inhales (atopy) like certain pollen grains, he will have a runny nose; if he is allergic to something he eats (food allergy) such as beef, he may vomit; or if allergic to an insect bite (urticaria or hives), he may develop a swelling at the site of the bite. In reality, the dog will seldom have these signs. Instead, he will have a mild to severe itching sensation over his body and maybe a chronic ear infection ... In addition, allergic dogs will often chew on their feet until they are irritated and red (the feet are the only place dogs have sweat glands and these become inflamed with allergies). ...END QUOTE from PetEducation.com

Judy, as I recall, you did try chlorpheniramine too, right? Did that help?

I have also seen sarcoptes mimic allergies. Might be worth discussing treating for that too just to cover all your bases. And just because they have one, doesn't mean they can't have the others.

Great point, Anna.

Both for mange and allergies, as well as one type of allergy plus another type (very common).

More and more, I see the value of getting a referral to a derm vet earlier rather than later in the process.