Chewing feet pads
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| In our house, it's usually allergies. |
Mom of 3 wrote: In our house, it's usually allergies.
Ditto, but most recently I think Rags has been stepping on bees. 
I always check in between the pads to make sure nothing is stuck there. Rags and Pepsi both got little burrs stuck in there the last time they were at my husband's Uncle's house. |
| I had been told that allergies might be the source, but I truly can't figure it out. Her diet doesn't change one bit, due to earlier digestive problems, that took awhile to correct.
Are there any other allergies that could cause this, not related to diet? Her feet and pads are extremely clean. I pay more attention to her feet than I do my own!
Any other clues? |
| It could be enviromental allergies. Food is not the only cause of an allergy. Something is setting the feet off there, definately allergy related.
It is always hard to find the source of the trigger for allergy, especially if it is enviromental, could be pollen. a plant, something on the ground, something in the air, that your dog is allergic too. Bathe the feet & dry, then try some alovera gel to help soothe between the pads. If the licking of the feet is bad, then that can lead to a secondary infection there and if it gets worse then maybe a vet visit and medication to help clear it up.  |
| When I had this problem with Wilson the vet recommended keeping a container of cotton pads soaked in water and aloe/oatmeal dog shampoo near the door. When Wilson came in from outside, I was supposed to wipe his feet with the pads and dry them off. I actually never got around to doing this. Instead I put him on a rice and lamb diet and POOF no more licking his feet. Good luck and let us know what works for you.
-Ashley & Mr. Wilson |
| Barney chews nonstop on his feet b/c of allergies. It was getting really bad. So we took him to the vet and they gave him a cortisol shot (I think?) and that was amazing. For the first time in months his feet were dry and he was no longer chewing. It's been a few months since then and he has just now started to chew a bit again. So maybe you could ask your vet for that shot. Or maybe some benedryl. |
| Rinse your floors really well after cleaning them, detergents can cause allergies in people- possibly dogs too? Avoid using carpet freshner/powder in case that could be it too. |
| If your dog has problems with foot licking/chewing, you might ask your vet if you can try Nzymes Ox-E drops. You make up a 2% solution with distilled water and spray their feet 3 times a day.
I'm going to share a story about insane foot chewing and licking. Panda and Darby's feet get smelly, with brown staining of the fur and nails... they were licking/chewing A LOT. The skin was a bit red and puffy. We had been giving Panda and Darby antihistamines twice daily but continued having problems. Darby had surgery on her toe in January to remove a histiocytoma... a benign but very itchy tumor. http://oesusa.com/DarbysFoot.jpg . Panda was frantically licking/chewing her feet... we think her problem was caused by the repeated use of antibiotics up until the bladder defect was finally diagnosed and surgically corrected. This is what Panda did to her feet... makes me want to cry just seeing them so slopped up from all the licking. It looks like water but it's all dog-spit. http://oesusa.com/Yeast/1.jpg The vet recommended increasing the frequency of Panda's allergy shots and giving a cocktail consisting of 3 separate antihistamines that had to be taken together. We gave her one dose and decided this was nuts... we had to try something else. So I took in an article I found online to see if the products/approach would cause my pack any harm if we tried them. We got the okay from our vet. http://nzymes.com/pdffiles/YeastKit_WhatToDo.pdf I don't know about some of the claims they make only that for this specific problem of itchy dog foot licking/chewing, my two have gotten relief. The pack has been on the full Nzyme program since April. (Please overlook my ugly work hands )
Before starting and during- http://oesusa.com/PandasFeet.jpg http://oesusa.com/Yeast/PandasNail.jpg August 1st pictures of pads- http://oesusa.com/Yeast/Feet-8-1-2007.jpg I bathed Panda and Darby every 3 to 5 days with Malaseb shampoo and kept the foot fur shaved super short to allow for better air flow and faster drying. I sprayed their feet morning, noon and night with the 2% solution of Ox-E drops and distilled water. I also used Monistat between the toes (I got the okay from my vet). Panda had a recurrence in mid-July on 2 toes and her elbow... probably my fault for not spraying/bathing her as often. http://oesusa.com/Yeast/Recurrence.jpg This time I tried the Malaseb pledgets 2-3 times a day between Panda's toes but she had a reaction and I had to stop. I've used K-9 Ear Solution on a q-tip around the base of Darby's nails... Darby has continued to do exceptionally well so far. We again appear to have things under control... this means almost non-existent foot chewing/licking. Having said this... we are just going into the worst time of the year for my two sheepie-girls. If history repeats itself, August through the first hard frost will be the most challenging time. I'm cautiously optimistic about my two because I've seen good results since April. We have only used 2 doses of antihistamines since April 20th ... these were dogs that were taking them twice a day, every day for months. I have always been mainstream medical in my approach to health so this approach was so "not me" but this stuff has been a blessing to two of mine. Another member of the forum has also used just the Ox-E Drops 2% solution though she already feeds one of the foods mentioned and is staying away from foods that might encourage yeast. She started using the Ox-E drop solution about a month ago and has had some good results too. But... we are both kind of holding our breath because we know the true test is coming up. |
Pushing... Diane (3Shaggies)... to center... stage.
 
We talked the other day and decided that we should share what we've been going through with our sheepies for several months and a possible solution. This is to hopefully help any sheepie that may now be suffering from the same itchy problem. We have to stress this again... things are under control now so we are cautiously optimistic.  If something changes Diane or I will post again.
The foot chewing and licking our furry kids had was intense and frequent several months ago. The antihistamines were basically a poor attempt to cover the symptoms rather than addressing the problem. We tried many different things and often compared notes on what was working and what wasn't. If you visit the following address you'll find pictures of Beebles' feet before and after using Ox-E drop and distilled water... a 2% solution. http://oesusa.com/Yeast/BeeblesFeet/index.htm Before making any changes, you should speak with your vet. If anyone's sheepie has issues with foot chewing, you might consider applying an Nzymes Ox-E drops + distilled water 2% spray. You need to be diligent about spraying the feet and washing with Malaseb shampoo or a similar one for yeast. Below's a link to the Nzyme website... note that Diane uses Eagle Pack Holistic Select foods and eliminated some human foods on the list they say to avoid... she added only the Ox-E drops mixed with water for a 2% solution topical spray and had great results. We've been with the entire Nzymes program since April and they've done extremely well. http://nzymes.com/Articles/Instructions ... ctions.htm The Malaseb shampoo can also be purchased online. I buy it by the gallon and the best price I've found was here- http://www.vetamerica.com/index.asp?Pag ... &image.y=0 Diane and I both feel that what was determined to be allergies was actually yeast instead. I've been giving allergy shots to two of my dogs for 1 and 2 years but we still had intense itching. Diane got the first definitive diagnosis of yeast... my vets later agreed. I don't want this to sound like a commercial... it's just that the these products have helped both Diane's and my dogs by eliminating a serious itch problem. |
Thank you for posting all of this information! Fozzie has started chewing at his feet  My Mom's Tibetan Terrier ate her feet raw and had so many skin problems. I was so happy that Annie hasn't had anything except for a few ear infections, oh no, not Foz! I want to nip this in the bud. First thing for me to do is make shis hair is constantly trimmed and wash more. Thanks! |
| It's probably fair to say that this will NOT fix all itchy problems... but it might be something to at least consider trying before going with steriods. I just could not bring myself to start Panda on prednisone. I have it in the drawer but never used it... my dad had been on/off/on it for years for asthma and emphysema. Don't get me wrong... steroids are often life saving drugs and I would use them if necessary but I felt I had to exhaust all other possible alternatives first (even one- Nzymes- that was outside of mainstream medicine). I am not kidding when I say I was very close to being at my whits end at times with Panda.
I should add that I had asked one of my vets if we should do a culture for yeast earlier this year... after Diane got a diagnosis. Panda's licking/chewing of her feet was insane (due to the long treatment with antibiotics for the bladder defect) but they said no... they didn't think it was the cause. They honestly believed it was allergies. I should have "told" them that I wanted it done rather than asking. We are all human and make mistakes... and I think one of my vets recently had a seminar on yeast so they're a little more knowledgeable now. So please learn from my mistake if you have an uncontrollable itch problem so you can either diagnose or eliminate yeast as the cause. Note that people may also need to also make dietary changes if the dog indeed has yeast and the problem is severe. The Great Dane Lady- Linda Arndt provided A LOT of support when I was trying to get Panda's problem figured out. http://greatdanelady.com/aboutus.htm And this is all just personal opinion but what I've found to work so far... I think it makes the most sense to keep the fur shaved short... it allows for better airflow so the feet stay drier and also for faster drying when the get wet . The feet are also easier to keep clean. The Malaseb shampoo usually needs to stay on for at least 10-15 minutes... then rinsed off thoroughly. A baking soda rinse can also be used if necessary- http://nzymes.com/Articles/Instructions ... uggestions I guess the bottom line is that if anyone considers this approach to their dog's itchy problem, they should visit the Nzymes website for instructions and full details. |
| Thanks so much for all the input!
Curiosity- Has anyone heard of the product "Invisible Sandal" for this problem? It is made of 100% natural ingredients. |
| We tried a similar product a last year called Paw Wax.
It made the pads nice and supple ...
but it didn't help mine with the itch.
It's worth a try though! |
| That makes sense. Treats the symptoms but not the real cause.
Thanks. |
| My vet gave me maleseb pads. She said they use it for all the sleigh dogs in Alaska. Dries out the paws to reduce the redness/yeast infection that occurs from all the chewing. Once not irritated, Yuki doesn't seem to go at it as much. |
I'm sorry... I didn't mean to dissuade you from trying it. You can give it a try... it might work for your particular pup. I definitely DON'T have all the answers. 
So much of this foot chewing stuff is trial and error... at least it's been that way with us for a couple of years now. If you want a true barrier you might consider Muttluks- http://www.muttluks.com . They come in a winter weight which lasted longest for us. The summer weight was really nice but the seam inside the boots freyed terribly in several of them and we have 3-4 pair... I guess you'd say "quads" when there are 4 shoes in a set? Panda got her picture in the local newspaper wearing them 
http://adserver1.harvestadsdepot.com/tr ... _005.shtml IF it's yeast it probably won't fix the problem but it it's a contact allergy it seems it might. |
Quote: My vet gave me maleseb pads.
Yup... they're called Malaseb "pledgets". I used them on Panda about a month ago when she had a yeast recurrence. Before- http://oesusa.com/Yeast/RightFoot-071507.jpg http://oesusa.com/Yeast/BackLeftFoot-071507.jpg After- http://oesusa.com/Yeast/index.2.jpg I may have used them too frequently (so learn from my mistakes!) though I did follow the instructions on the jar. On the jar it says to use them 2-3 times a day... I used them 3 and she had a reaction. The skin got red and peeled almost like a burn so we stopped using them. Start out maybe once or twice a day if you give them a try. These too are also offered at the VetAmerican link-
http://www.vetamerica.com/index.asp?Pag ... &image.y=0 $8.99 for a jar of 60 pledgets. But please ask your vet before using it... the Malaseb products don't require a prescription but you want to make sure you cause no harm to your individual dog. |
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