my dog is nibbling her paws till they bleed she saw a vet and gave her antibiotics saying it was a infection they didnt work she went back and they gave her steriods and they dont work wats up with her feet?
Experienced Advisor Deepa Gopinath says:
December 20th, 2007 at 02:53 PM
Hi there, sorry to hear abt your itchy doggy. There are a few reasons why her feet may be so pruritic (itchy). The most likely ones are Allergy (to something in the environment, food etc.), bacterial or fungal dermatitis and mange (mites). She could also have an allergy with a secondry bacterial infection. Even if you haven't changed her evironment or her food in years, allergy is still a possibility as dogs can develop allergies to just about anything. Steroids usually help relieve the itchiness in cases of allergy but if she has a bacterial infection as well or mange then steroids may not help. Can you give me more info, ie., how long have her feet been itchy? Is she scratching anywhere else? Are there any lesions on her feet apart from the bleeding? I would probably reccomend a topical antibacterial wash along with antibiotics to begin with to clear the infection first. Your vet can also do a skin scrape or blood test to check for mites. There are different anti-histamines that can be tried and these may help in cases of allergy. The best way to treat an allergy is to take away whatever is causing it but this is not always possible. There are blood tests to identify allergens and sometimes dogs can be desensitised against allergens that can't be removed. Steroids may work after the initial infection is cleared but steroids can have some long term side effects so longer courses are better avoided. You can also request a referral to a dermatologist. I hope this helps and if you can give me some more information then I will reply again. Good luck!
Eli Serran says:
December 31st, 2008 at 02:40 PM
Hello:
I must agree with Deepa's suggestion/comment. The only thing I might be able to add is slowly switching her food to a "Avoderm". If it's a food alergy than Avoderm has been able to help a lot of my clients with similar situation. i think it's the abstract of Avocado in the formula that has done wonders for dogs with food alergy. It's worth a shot and you can obtain this brand in most holistic/heath store for dogs and cats.
Ps. I would definitely follow Deepa's suggestions while trying this brand of food. Hopefully, the mystery will be solve for your dog/k-9 and eventually addressed on target. Good Luck!
Eli:Master Dog Trainer/Behaviorist
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