Broken toe?? UPDATE

[L.M.]

As I'm typing this, Stella is gnawing on her red, swollen "toe."  The hair is gone.....she must have done this while we were at work today.  Can dogs break their individual "toes?"  She is chewing like crazy at it...partially because I just noticed it and was touching it, but it clearly is bothering her.  She is not limping, though.  Of course, we will call the vet in the morning to bring her in, but I always like to get some feedback from you all as well.  I attached photos...they are not great, but show how red it is.  My concern is that her other foot is slightly red as well and seems like she may have been chewing on that one too just a little bit.  My other concern- Stella has been known to get yeast infections...and she had a staph infection just a few months ago....I'm wondering if this could all be connected because with her staph infection she had hair loss and redness too.  Any ideas or similar experiences out there?  (The 3rd picture is of the foot that she only seemed to be slightly chewing on...the other 2 are of the "bad" toe.  Both are her back feet.) 

UPDATE:  Well, all of you were right!  Allergies it is!  They did a lot at the vet and we got a lot of meds for Stella.  They did a skin scraping and a black light test I believe....they also wanted to rule out mites and fleas, which they did.  We got pills for her- antibiotics, and a spray for her foot.  We also got fish oil....it's fish oil capsules which they said to puncture and mix the liquid in with her food.  I wanted your feedback on that...the fish oil...I have really no knowledge of dog allergies.. anyone use fish oil for them?? I didn't research it yet, but it just sounded strange...The vet couldn't tell us what she was allergic to, which I'm guessing is normal...she is thinking seasonal allergies to grass or something in the grass...and it doesn't help that Stella is a digger, though it is her back paws that seem to bother her most.  Do we have an allergy group on DK?  I know this is something we will have to learn to control with Stella, but I'm hoping to not have to run back to the vet constantly with this....all her issues this year..staph and yeast infections were definitely connected to the allergies, so any advice, remedies, etc on how to best control them would be great!  

[L.M.]

I will definitely look into the primrose oil....I'm not crazy about putting anything over Stella's food.  She is a picky eater as it is, so between her possibly not liking her food with fish oil spread over it and Seamus attempting to steal her food, my Stella will be starving!  

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Evening Primrose is a pill.  I also use it. So many of us do. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Good vet; I'm impressed. Very few of them know enough to do a scraping to rule out mites. And no nonsense about food.

Certain Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids (specifically, EPA and GLA) are known to reduce inflammation and fish oil is loaded with EPA. Most dogs with Atopy take either fish oil or evening primrose oil capsules. (EPO is a rich source of GLA.)General practice vets rarely know about this, either, so I'm impressed. The Omega fatty acids work even better in conjunction with antihistamines. Claritin and Zyrtec are better choices than Benadryl.

There is no way for anyone to know what Stella is allergic to without doing a skin test, which is a fairly expensive procedure done under anesthetic. Blood and/or saliva tests are worthless, and a waste of your money. But remember that the allergy is something which is being inhaled, and not something she is coming into direct physical contact with. If it were a grass allergy, it would be the grass pollen to which she is allergic, and not merely walking on grass. And many pollens travel 400 miles in the air, so avoiding them is difficult. Allergens have to enter the blood stream by ingestion or inhalation. Since there is no grass pollen in your area right now, chances are it's not grass. The most likely culprit is weed pollen, specifically ragweed pollen. if it is, the ragweed season is just about over now, so this should soon end.

We have lots of information and tips for controlling allergy symptoms in the Health & Medical group. We also have an Atopic Dermatitis group which you are welcome to join. True allergies are a genetic disease of the immune system, and allergies can only be managed and not "cured". For serious cases, you need to consult a veterinary dermatologist and start a treatment plan which usually involves either desensitization shots or a drug called Atopica. Prednisone is used for flares, but when a dog has symptoms 4 or more months of the year, you need a treatment plan that's long term. Most dogs with Atopy are allergic to several different things, and some of them, like dust mites, can affect them year round. Unfortunateyl, allergies usually get worse with time, and the treatments work best the earlier you start them, so it's good that you have consulted the vet and started trying to find some relief for Stella.

[L.M.]

I'm going to start marking on my calendar when Stella has her flare ups because now I'm very concerned that she is having them for much of the spring and summer...which is well over 4 months.  I don't remember exactly when her issues started (because at the time we thought they were only yeast / staph infections)  but I think this has been affecting her for a while.  

I'm glad too that the vet didn't start with the food...Thanks to DK, we knew better though even if she did =)

We will try the fish oil, but I'm worried that Stella won't eat if I mix the liquid from the capsule in with her food...I, myself, have taken fish oil in pill form and even then there is a taste to it...

Thanks for the info and advice and I will definitely be joining the Atopic Dermatitis group. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You don't have to put the oil on the food; just give it to her as a pill. Nature Made has some fish oil gelcaps that are smaller sized and easier to give if you have to put them down her throat.

Spring and fall coincide with heavy pollen seasons, so that makes sense.

The 4 month rule is because the most common drug used for allergy symptoms, specifically the intense itching, is prednisone, which is a miracle drug in terms of stopping the flares but can have severe side-effects when used long term. So the thinking is that if a dog had one minor flare each year and had to have one course of steroids, it wouldn't be so bad, but you don't want a dog on steroids for long periods on a regular basis, so you have to find an alternative plan. So don't panic, but keeping a calendar of her flare-ups is definitely a good idea.

I just approved your AD Group membership. :-)

[L.M.]

So today Stella's foot is actually looking worse...it really almost looks like an open wound, so I'm guessing she was chewing on it last night while we were asleep.  We have pills for her, for the itching, and antibiotics (I guess for the infection on her foot).  We also have spray, which is more like lotion coming out of a spray bottle...she more or less licks this off despite my best efforts.  Do you think I should cover the foot (I was thinking of putting a baby sock on it after I spray it so maybe it sinks in at least a little bit).  Or will it heal more with the air getting to it?  I feel so terrible for her because today she seems noticeably uncomfortable...more so than yesterday.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's very important that you not cover it; it will heal faster with air circulation. 

What are the meds you were given? What are the pills for the itching?Usually for something this bad, they would give you prednisone, which usually kicks in pretty fast. Is the spray something the vet gave you? Is it possible to just keep her from licking it for 5 or 10 minutes after spraying to let it get absorbed?

[L.M.]

Everything we have was prescribed by the vet, including the spray.  We have:  Douxo Calm Serum (this is the spray lotion), Cefpodoxime proxetil, and Temaril P tablet (I think this one is the steriod? She gets the Temaril twice daily).  Then of course there is the fish oil, which I'm holding off on until she starts acting a little bit more like her old self.  

I will keep her foot uncovered...I figured it was best, but when I saw it earlier today, it made me nervous.  It does look a little better this evening...seems like the swelling went down a bit just within the past few hours.   Seamus also seems to be picking up on something being "off" with Stella...he had been extra obnoxious with her (humping her and crazily sniffing her backside) when she was diagnosed with her yeast and staph infections months ago...and now he is doing the same things again. My poor Stell...she put herself to bed by 8pm tonight!  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The Douxo serum is an over the counter product that you can buy on-line probably much cheaper than what your vet charges: http://www.entirelypets.com/duoxomain.html?gclid=CMD60ezIk7MCFcxAMg...

I use Douxo Calm shampoo for Jack, and it costs half what the vet charges. I would have liked to hear that the lotion was Keto-Chlor, that's worked very well for us when JD has infected his paws with licking and biting them. If you don't see a big improvement soon, you might ask your vet for it instead.

The Temaril P is a steroid/antihistamine combo for itching and inflammation. Some vets use that, others prefer to prescribe plain prednisone and a separate OTC antihistamine like Claritin; that's what we use. What I like about the separate meds (besides their being much cheaper) is that you can adjust the dosage independently for each one. The other drug is the antibiotic for skin infections.

I hope the meds help and Stella gets some relief soon.

Here's a link to the American College of Veterinary Dermatology "find a specialist" website. I think I would make plans for a consultation in the near future. Hopefully, Stella's allergies will settle down as the weather changes, but winter is the best time to do testing, so you might want to book a consult soon: https://www.acvd.org/locator/locator.asp

[L.M.]

Thanks, Karen!  

[L.M.]

Well, Stella is slowly starting to improve.....the toe is looking better.  She still seems to lick it at night, but it is healing.  My poor girl, though, is feeling the side effects of those steroids.  We have been joking that Stella is getting "roid rage".... our usual dainty and delicate girl ate her food AND her brother's yesterday morning...that's a good 4 cups. (My husband was literally out of the kitchen for a few minutes at most when she stole Seamus' food.)  Then she pooped about 4 times in the afternoon.....poor thing.  But I am finally seeing some improvement with her foot, at least.  I'm praying this doesn't turn into a year round occurrence! 

[Donna K & Quincy]

Good to hear that Stella is improving and hope it heals fast. I hate to say the c word but maybe a cone at night will help her heal faster.