[leafy]

Our dog started some MAJOR paw licking last week -- like I have never seen before. I also discovered an ear infection and promptly eradicated it. The paw licking has continued. Thought it was her anal glands bothering her so I expressed them and gave her a bath. I cleaned up the hair on her paws, too, only to discover red bumps forming from licking. I have tried socks and e-collars and they are not working to prevent her from licking -- other than monitoring her -- which I simply cannot do all day long! She was on apoquel and we stopped it since obviously it is not working anymore. I have been giving her Benadryl instead. She eats LID turkey kibble from Earthborn. I have always added pumpkin to her meals and now am adding coconut oil....tonight I will also add a drop of oregano oil. Started her on Zesty Paws Allergy Immune Bites a few days ago but many have said it can take up to 2 weeks for results. I thought our dog was having allergy issues but now I think it might be yeast. I am careful where I walk her and wipe her paws after every walk. I am considering giving her some raw garlic tonight, too.

I am at a loss as to what to do. I am considering getting outdoor booties and having her wear those. Socks were worthless because she can still lick them and make them wet and chew on them which made one paw bleed. Any thoughts? I am exhausted....

 

[LeoRose]

She sounds miserable. A trip to the vet is definitely in order. Yeast infections, if that's what she has, can be a side effect of allergies.

 

[sydneynicole]

Definitely a trip to the vet is in order. Imagine how miserable you would be if your feet were so itchy you were scratching them raw.

My dog has similar symptoms and she received a Cytopoint shot which has done wonders, but only your vet can tell you if that's appropriate for your own dog.

My dog has always been yeasty no matter what we try - raw diet, supplements, allergy meds, etc. The only thing that combats the dermatitis on her paws and the yeast infections in her ears (at lesat prior to the Cytopoint, which she only received a few days ago) is keeping them clean and dry. This means she gets booties on when she goes outside for extended periods of time, and we dip her paws in epsom salt water twice daily (morning and night), along with every morning after breakfast I smear a combo of hydrocortisone and antibacterial cream in between her toes/pads. For the ears, we use Zymox and a rinse for swimmers ear to keep them clean, dry, and not inflamed.

Initial recovery will take a bit. If we slack on her regimen and her paws get itchy and irritated again, it takes 3-4 days on double duty management to return to normal. Booties help tremendously to keep them from licking/chewing until you can get it under control. The Cytopoint is hopefully going to make it so we don't have to be so crazy about keeping her paws clean lol.

 

[Betatrix]

She might have something stuck in her toe. I suggest you soak her paw in sea salt solution. If there is some kind of irritation and inflammation, sea salt bath will help whatever is insideher skin(grass, wooden particle) to come out. If it is some other issue like allergie or yest infection better visit vet asap.

 

[leafy]

We went to the vet on Monday and decided that Apoquel was no longer working for us. Our dog received her first Cytopoint injection and I am still waiting for it to fully kick in...if it does. Our dog is still rotating between wearing a cone and socks and getting Benadryl at night only. If she is still attacking her paws tomorrow then I will switch to Zyrtec. I am considering getting outdoor booties at this point as well. The vet seemed to think that it was indeed an allergy...not a yeast infection. Food or environment, who knows. I think if we moved somewhere drier it would be much better rather than living in the Pacific Northwest...even the coast would be better. :Cry:

 

[Mutts]

If you are suspecting a food allergy I would discuss a hypoallergenic or hydrolized prescription diet with your vet. Over the counter LID diets are often contaminated with other ingredients, which can cause flareups in allergy prone dogs. The prescription diets are tested to ensure that this is not a problem. Usually, they recommend 6-8 weeks on such a diet before the allergen is completely out of the system and then you can slowly reintroduce other foods.

Environmental allergies (imo) are much tougher to get under control. Boots outside may help. Some dogs also react very strongly to changes in weather/temperature/humidity, and a humidifier or dehumidifier in the room where they spend most of their time can bring some relief. Good luck! Itchy dogs are no fun

 

[Lillith]

My dog has allergies where he would scratch himself raw if I didn't give him Benadryl, too. He actually had a flare up recently when we had a sudden week of warm, above freezing weather. I don't give him medicine in the winter since he has environmental allergies and they typically don't bother him when everything is frozen, so of course I started giving him his medicine. He got thoroughly brushed out to remove any debris and dead hair that may be causing irritation. I gave him a bath with a high-quality shampoo. I have been using Moosh, and I really like it so far. It helps calm irritated skin, leaves the coat shiny, and seems to really pick up filth because the white parts on my dog are actually white, haha. Make sure to wash the paws well, and really massage the shampoo into the skin. I let it sit for a bit, too. Rinse well.

Just the bath seems to do wonders in keeping allergies under control. At the height of allergy season he needs a bath every 2-3 weeks. Additionally, my vet recommended fish oil to help reduce inflammation.

Of course, if it's food allergies, then a bath won't help as much, most likely. In that case, I think I would consider an allergy test just because then you don't have to spend months trying to figure out which ingredients she's allergic to. I hear they're expensive, though. Perhaps it's something to discuss with your vet?

 

[LeoRose]

True food allergies in dogs aren't that common. However, if you truly suspect one, then putting her on an elimination diet trial could help. It can be expensive a something of a pain, though, because she will literally only be able to each a specific food for weeks on end, with absolutely no other foods or treats.

Environmental allergies can also be a pain to track down, and testing in dogs isn't as accurate as it is in humans.