Itchy dog help
We adopted Brady from a breed rescue two weeks ago. When we picked him up we were told that he had allergies causing him to chew on his feet as well as a few other areas on him. (Near his rear end, backs of his legs and the spot where he was neutered.) He is currently eating Wellness Duck and Rice with a fish oil capsule sprinkled on it. I took him to my vet, who took him off his allergy pills (the itching did not get worse). I'm starting to think that it's not a food allergy since he steals treats from Dodger (our OES) and has no reactions from it. (My friend who is a vet said that we would see a reaction if the food contained an allergen that he was reacting to.) I've washed him three times, once with a medicated shampoo and twice with a Malseb type shampoo. The itching seems a little less, and the staining on his paws from chewing is fading, so that is a promising sign. (btw the cause is not fleas, after reading this I realized it kind of sounded like that was a possibility, but that's not it.) What else should I look at as the cause? He chews mostly in the very early morning (like 4-5 a.m.) and occasionally during the day. He was in a kennel for at least 45 days when he was first rescued, and I have heard boredom as a potential cause. Should I try some Bitter Apple on his favorite chew spots, or could that irritate his skin? (There does not appear to be broken skin where he chews the most.) Thanks for any help! |
|
|
| A possible cause could be boredom, maybe now with asheepie as company the itching will get better. |
| My girl sheepie licks her front legs and chews her feet too. We are working on allergies, but since her mother did it too, I would say it was an inherited obsessive compulsive disorder. All I can do is distract her and tell her no if I catch her. |
| I know one of my moms dogs can get going on her foot when she starts on it she does do the bitter apple and it does worrk. You could try Tea tree also?? |
| After watching the licking paw phenomenon, I think Oscar's is a bit of both allergy/yeast, and OCD. In the beginning, I think they really itched, but after awhile, it became soothing to Oscar to lick, and lick, and lick.......kind of like his own little pacifier. It starts a vicious cycle, especially if it's yeast, as yeast feeds on moisture. Oscar would itch from the yeast, and lick his paws. The yeast would get worse from his saliva, and he's lick them more. But we have successfully broken the cycle, so now, if he licks his paws, I know that we have a medical issue starting up, and I can treat it accordingly.
First, you want to treat the problem and then you have a better shot at breaking the habit. If the Malaseb seems to work, you might be dealing with yeast. Your vet could do a stain and determine that fairly easily. If it's yeast, using the Malaseb and wiping/drying the feet thoroughly each time they get wet can help the problem. It could be any type of allergen (seasonal, food) causing the yeast imbalance, so you also might want to try a probiotic to help boost the overall immune system. (My holistic vet has Oscar on a supplement called Permaclear, which comes in capsule form. Some folks give their dogs probiotics via yogurt, but Oscar can't tolerate dairy.) After we took care of Oscar's yeast issues, we started redirecting him when he would lick his paws. We'd get him to focus on a toy, or do some obedience commands, with treats of course. It didn't take long for him to stop altogether. Jaci (6Girls) has had similar issues and success with other products, so you might want to look at some of her threads on the forum as well. Laurie and Oscar |
Laurie has given you great advice.  The joys of yeast... sigh.
Don't give up on the Malaseb... it can take months to get a yeast problem under control with topical treatment AND nutrition so you need to be patient. Ask the vet about washing him every 3-5 days with the Malaseb shampoo (then blow dry) and about spot treating with the Malaseb pledgets. Below are some pictures of what yeast can look like (if only someone had shared this stuff with ME it would have gotten Panda and Darby on the right track sooner  )-
http://oesusa.com/DarbysFeetCompared.jpg http://oesusa.com/PandasFeetComparison.jpg Try to avoid all corn, wheat, white rice... we feed Eagle Pack Holistic Select kibble and also give a probiotic. There is a list of dog foods that are said to be good for dogs with yeast problems- http://nzymes.com/Articles/Instructions ... _Pet_Foods Diane aka 3Shaggies has a sheepie with this challenge to... her vet told her to be more proactive and prevent it rather than treating the condition after it appears. It was Diane's vet's diagnosis and what she shared with me that finally allowed me to figure out Panda's and Darby's problem... and the Nzymes website provided a way to effectively treat it. My vets did not recognize it for what it was and had us treating it as strictly allergies. We have used the Malaseb shampoo, pledgets and also the spray (not the flush because the % is probably too low). If I use the spray, I rub it in a bit after I apply it and the dog is not supposed to lick it. And if the dog has long hair between the pads, I shave it down short so it dries quickly. The girls can get yeast in the folds... our new vet said to use the Malaseb pledgets "there" too and it works well. You might ask the vet if the Malaseb pledgets can be used where your little guy was neutered (if he's completely healed and it might be yeast). Gosh... the things I talk about when it comes to dogs 
This is what yeast looks like when wiped off with a pledget. Brownish stuff flakes off. http://oesusa.com/Yeast/Darby82807-Trimmed.jpg And this is what it can look like if there was a bad yeast problem... 3 weeks after treatment... stuff can peel off showing healthy skin below- http://oesusa.com/MalasebPeeling.jpg Panda started slobbering on her left foot a few days ago and I found she had some yeast starting between two toes. I wiped her down with the pledgets twice the first day, then used the spray twice a day. After about 24 hours the licking stopped and hasn't occurred since. Anyway, we found that topical treatment with Malaseb and good nutrition work the best but just as Laurie mentioned, you MUST keep watch. If you see the foot licking start again, you need to check for yeast again. |
6Girls wrote: The joys of yeast... sigh.. 
Hi...sorry too long but I got on a roll
We have been working on kibble issues & itchy feet for a long time It has been so frustrating! I thought I would share some of the things we have done some that didn't help, some successes & others still a work in progress! Beebles suffers with itchy feet & yucky ears. Vet thought maybe a food allergy so... Switched to single protein kibble>>>rabbit ...first to IVD rabbit from the Vet (nasty stuff ) then to Nature's Variety Rabbit On to Nature's Balance Venison & the Duck one too ...yikes loose poops There were a couple more 
Vet wanted us to stay on new food 3 months... never could though until we found Eagle Pack 
Beebles loved it & so do the other two shaggies. We rotate between the salmon, duck/oatmeal & chicken & lamb/rice I add a small spoonful of the can version as a topping. None of the kibble gives the 3shaggies loose poops or gas... The sprinkles Holistic Solution® does really help with transition & it's free >> http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/first_timer_user.asp I add 3V caps, Vit E & Prozyme to Beeble's kibble. We feed no other commercial treats except for EP Holistic Biscuits & freeze dried salmon http://www.wildsidesalmon.com/ As for the allergies...we did the RAST test! Beebles tested positive for molds, sea grass & pine She would chew her feet big time especially at night... the gnawing sound was horrid 
...her feet were always wet from saliva Our vet switched her to a stronger antihistamine Benedryl of no help BeeBs' fur feet were getting more red/brown stained, skin between pads was red with some blackish gunk & some of her nails were rimmed with black too Vet said this was yeast & some infection from bacteria That's when we started on topicals (Panalog RX worked well) I believe the Maleseb feet washing was the biggest help We used the spray & pledgets at the height of the yeast problem too. Now we wash every 5 days even though the feet are doing great! Vet tells us to be proactive 
I do recommend reading the Nyzymes web info... It helped us choose snacks & keep clear of yeast producing foods. For snacks...we feed broccoli, green beans, asparagus,lettuce, celery We had to give up some of the favorites snacks>>carrots, peanut butter in Kongs & dried sweet potato chews
Jaci (6girls) has had good luck with the Nyzmes program. We have just used the OX-E-Drops. Highly recommend this article Jaci found...great information on reddish-brown staining http://www.esracarolinas.com/7062/7117.html The Great Dane Lady site has been very helpful as well http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/s ... course.htm Gee...hope some of this info will help someone We really have learned this stuff the hard way Diane & Beebles>>>now with white fur feet Wondering when/if it will return 
PS I have to give a big THANK YOU to BeeBs' Auntie Jaci 
Still waiting for her to send me a consultation bill |
| For what it is worth, pollen is released around 3 to 5 AM for many plants. It's also the most comon time people wake up with asthma symptoms.... |
| Goodness! I should have put a period after the smiley face and "the joys of
yeast" on the next line!! The smile was actually for Laurie so here's the corrected version... Quote: Laurie has given you great advice.
The joys of yeast... sigh. Pandi would probably be on those 20 some tablets of 3 different antihistamines per day (or steroids! ) if you hadn't shared Beeb's yeast
diagnosis with me. That's scary to even think about. So I owe you! What a journey it's been... |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|