Mac's foot Symptoms are back

[jenn D]

Mac finished up his course of oral antibiotics and steroids about 5 days ago. He was on them for about 2 1/2- 3 weeks. Durning that time he stopped licking his paws completely hitch was awesome so I thought we were out of the woods. He was originally put on them because the vet determined he had a bacterial infections his paws. About three days ago he is starting to lick his back paws again. :( this was 5 days after finishing his oral antibiotics and steroids. we go back to the vet in a week for an ear recheck since he was put on stronger topical ear meds since his ear infection was so bad. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Could he not have had enough antibiotics? Or were there steroids helping. I'm nervous about steroids as my daughter had them during chemo and long term use is associated with loss in bone density and ANV issues. I'm not sure what to do at this point

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You're not doing anything wrong. He very likely has Atopy, and it's very very difficult and frustrating to treat, because essentially there is no treatment. You can't cure it, you can only manage it by keeping the symptoms at bay. Steroids work like a miracle to alleviate symptoms, but of course it is not a cure, it's suppression of the immune response that is causing the itching. Once the steroids are out of the system, the allergy symptoms come roaring back. He's licking his paws because that's where a lot of a dog's histamine receptors are, and he's having a histamine response to the allergens.

When JD got steroids for autumn ragweed flares (which is what's going on with a lot of dogs right now), he got them at tapered doses and then alternate days for at least a month, I want to say two months. 

In dogs, the main concerns with using steroids more than four months of the year are liver damage, kidney damage, and steroid induced Cushing's disease. If you can get away with using them once a year, you should be okay. But JD flared in the Spring too, although not as badly as he did in the Fall. Most allergic individuals are allergic to multiple allergens that can cause symptoms for a good part of the year. 

Have we talked about the antihistamines, fatty acids, etc? All of these can be used to help keep the itching down, but when the allergies/itching are severe enough to cause infections, it's time to consult a specialist. :( 

[F, Calla & Luca]

The Bacterial infection may have been secondary to licking. He may be licking due to seasonal allergies, which were held at bay by the steroids. I would treat him as if it were allergies starting with an antihistamine. I sometimes use Allegra for Call, others use Claritin and Zyrtec.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Lately I've been hearing of people having good results with hydroxyzine (Atarax), too. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm pretty sure we've talked about this before, but here's the info: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

From the above discussion:

For temporary relief of inhalant allergies, here are some things that you can do:

Give Omega 3 fatty acid supplements. You want the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA, which are only found in fish. You can also give GLA in the form of evening primrose oil supplements. In both cases, use human softgel supplements. 

If you feed dry dog food, check the Omega 6:3 ratio. You want a ratio of 5:1 or less, the lower the better, and the Omega 3 content should come from fish.

Give antihistamines. Different antihistamines are more effective for different dogs. Typically, you want second generation antihistamines that do not cause drowsiness, like Claritin, Zyrtec, Atarax, etc. rather than Benadryl.

Use OTC anti-itch sprays on the affected areas. These are available at most pet supply stores.

Wipe the dog down every time he comes in from outside, paying particular attention to the feet. Brush the dog daily.

Keep the indoor areas where the dog spends the most time as clean and dust free as possible. Wash bedding weekly, wash food & water bowls daily. Vacuum as often as possible.

Keep dry foods in air-tight storage containers and don;t buy more than you can use in a month unless you can freeze it. 

If the feet are affected, you can soak them in tepid water with epsom salts. Be sure to dry thoroughly afterwards.

Bathe the dog often, weekly if possible, with a shampoo formulated for allergic dogs. (I like Douxo Calm). Do NOT use leave-in conditioners or other grooming products. Use a cool dryer setting or air-dry. 

As much as I hate doing it, keeping windows closed really helps with pollen allergies. Run the A/C in warm weather especially, the allergy symptoms are exacerbated by humidity. Use a furnace filter with a high allergen rating and change it monthly. 

[jenn D]

Ok thanks guys. Could allergies be associated with his ear infections or maybe just a seperate issue? I was hoping he wouldn't have allergies. My other 3 seem to be fine but my son is on his allergy meds this fall. I've got him on pet plan and I'm wondering if they cover allergy stuff. He's currently eating acana wild prairie.

[F, Calla & Luca]

The ear infections are probably a separate issue. But, it is possible, that from scratching Mac started some kind of infections. As to insurance coverage, if the allergies are not yet documented at some point they might pay if you needed testing etc. The antihistamines are largely over the counter so I would try that first without having the vet document allergies.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I know several people here whose dogs' allergy treatments were covered by PetPlan, but not if there is anything in his vet records about allergies prior to getting the coverage. 

[jenn D]

Also, we changed up our furniture in the den this weekend and it kicked up a lot of dust behind things etc. so we got a good cleaning done but I wonder if it agitated things.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Change your furnace filter. Wash his bed and bowls. Brush him and wipe him down religiously when he comes in from outdoors, to reduce the amount of pollen he brings in from outside.

In addition to F's suggestion to try antihistamines (look for dosing info on-line, dogs need higher doses of some antihistamines than people), I'd start him on 500 mg evening primrose oil softgels (human supplement), one every 12 hours. I'd also pick up an anti-itch spray at any pet supply store for his feet. It does give temporary relief. 

And a weekly bath with a good allergy shampoo really helped JD when he had flares. 

[jenn D]

Ok thanks. I'll get that stuff and start setting up a routine. Appreciate the help.

[Karen & Maple]

Karen, this discussion has sent me down a rabbit hole of past allergy posts. Maple has been gnawing at her front feet specifically between the pads for the past couple days. I kept inspecting them to no avail. I thought perhaps mites and remembered reading on the Thornit ear powder website that it can be useful on paws too. So, I tried it today and it seems to have brought some relief. She's also been reverse sneezing for the past few weeks. I read that sneezing is an unusual allergy response but maybe post nasal drip is causing irritation to the soft palette? She also has been licking her rear a little more than usual and pawing at her face some. I'll have to consider allergies and the above suggestions. Where EPO can benefit even dogs without allergies, I think I'll pick some up.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We finally took our dog to the dermatologist when he had skin issues. This is different from Max's specific problem most likely, but we found that the antibiotic and  duration that our regular vet gave us was not quite the one to address his issue and the duration needed to get deep into the skin infection needed to be at least 30 days minimum, and in fact, took two 30 day rounds.