Harley licks the top of his front paws til they are raw. I take him to the vet, but can never get them cleared. Cant put cone of shame on cuz house is small and he will bump into things and scare the crap out of himself. (No lie). I currently dont have a job and am at a loss of what to do. Can anyone offer ideas please?
Poor Harley and poor you. His paws must be really bothering him What did the vet say they thought was wrong?
Poor Harley! I can't offer any advice, only sympathy - I'm sure someone else will be able to say something more helpful.
Poor boy . Have the vets tried an anti inflammatory injection or done any tests? Paws are very sensitive things and if not treated can get worse. Have you tried putting socks on his paws to stop him licking?
Oh the poor thing ,it must make him feel miserable.When this has come up before allergies are usually discussed ,possibly to the brand/type of food you are feeding or environmental factors such as pollen and certain vegetation that you are walking through.can you tell us a. It more about when you have flare ups and what discussion/ treatment you have had with the vet. Best wishes Angela x
I can sympathise with you! Snowie has suffered from allergies since he was three months old so I know all about licking and licking and licking! Thankfully he has never licked his paws raw, but I can see the discomfort the itching causes him. I have tried so many things (food changes, supplements, various lotions and potions) but we have never got to the bottom of it. Then, on Saturday we were at the vets for blood tests (epilepsy meds) and the vet on duty was a locum, not my regular vet. We are in Cape Town and this vet had a British accent so I'm assuming she was trained in the UK (there was so much going on with my dog that I didn't have a chance to strike up a social conversation with her!). Anyway, it was an interesting experience in that she was far more cautious than any vet I've been to here in South Africa, wanting to prescribe a million and one ointments for every condition. We certainly added to the vet's coffers that day!! Although I did draw the line at antibiotics for a hotspot -- I said let's see if it goes away in a week with the topical ointments before we decide if antibiotics are needed, this being his first hotspot. But what I did learn from her is that allergic dogs tend to have far more bacterial and fungal load on their skin, and that by washing with a medicated shampoo, you can give your dog a lot of relief. She suggested washing him twice a week until he stops scratching and licking, and then once a week thereafter forever. We bought a shampoo with chlorohexidine and I must say, after one bath he stopped scratching as much as before! And his fur felt incredibly silky. She did want us to use a shampoo that also included an antifungal but they didn't stock it. She suggested if he doesn't improve, to find a shampoo with both the antibacterial and antifungal agents in it. Now, to the paws: after his bath, Snowie stopped scratching in all the usual places except his paws (and his elbows). And I wondered if it was because the shampoo needs to stay on for 5 minutes before rinsing (for the chlorohexidine to take effect), and by standing in a bath this didn't happen with his paws. So this morning I sponge-bathed his paws and made sure to work the sponge and lather into all the crevices of his feet. Now, 20 minutes later, he is fast asleep and not worrying with his paws. So perhaps this can help your dog, too? All the best -- it is a difficult road to travel trying to fix an itchy dog!
