Allergies and Chewing Off Paw Pads - Need Advice Please!
 

I recently posted here and here about my newly adopted little Alex and his allergy issues. Short story - he was given up by his previous owners because they didn't want to treat his allergies. I adopted him and have been treating him with a combination of allergy shots, a raw diet, Zyrtec, and skin management (i.e., oatmeal baths, keeping his skin clean, etc).

Like many dogs with allergies, he chews/licks his paws. My other dog has mild allergies during the summer and does this too. However, we just realized that Alex is actually chewing off his paw pads (see attached pictures)!

Any advice for dealing with this? How do I get him to stop? Should I wrap his paws? I feel so bad for the little guy. I tell him to stop and he gives me this look that says, "I'm trying but I just can't help it!" I know paw pads do not heal easily and I'm concerned that he will develop an infection.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

That is very inflammed tissue between the pads. That needs medication and therefore visit to the Vet. He or she will prescribe either Panalog(old remedy) or there could be a new better one to heal the tissue.
You could try soaking the feet in epsom salts, 1 tsp Epsom salts dissolved in one cup of water in the meantime.
But I would urge you to take him to the Vet for treatment. That could get really infected if you don't.

Poor thing, that's got to hurt him... I hope they heal up with medication;)

Along with Lorraine's suggestions I would get socks on his feet. I've cut the tips off of old socks before and used surgical tape to attach the socks to one of my rescue's paws (he was scratching excessively). Maybe by keeping him from chewing his pads for a few days that would give them some time to heal.

As posted above, I used the tips of old socks, but I know they do sell socks for dogs.

Thanks, I think I'm going to try and take him by the vet this afternoon, just to be safe. He was just there and received a long-acting antibiotic shot for a minor skin infection related to his allergies (this was just a few days after bringing him home from his foster home). I will also go get some Epsom salts.

Excellent idea!! I will try that now, at least until I can get him to the vet.

Oh my .. that poor baby. I have a pup with bad allergies. Two years ago the vet put him on Temeril P and it has helping his itching! He went through the allergy injections and took anti-histamines, but those were not enough. As I said...it has been two years and he has not had any issues being on that medication. It does have prednisone in it, but it is a low dose.
Good luck at the vet today .. will look for an update later.

Yeah, I discussed many options with my vet and she agreed that we should avoid steroids of any kind, if it all possible. Thankfully, the Zyrtec really seems to help. Of course, we would not let him be uncomfortable, and we have to do something w/steroids, we will.

The allergy clinic is quite optimistic (based on his allergy test results) that he will have significant improvement as a result of the allergy shots. They told me that it's just a matter of managing his symptoms now and keeping him comfortable for the next 4-6 months while we wait for the shots to work. Another good thing is that his allergies are seasonal and don't occur during the winter months (so I've been told).

While he may show some improvement in other areas, his little feet look terribly sore. I have a feeling that perhaps something else might be in order .. even if only on a short term basis until he stops biting them. Once they start, it is often difficult for them to stop. Its like when we get a mosquito bite...we itch and that stimulates the histamine in our body and we itch more! And, you cannot tell a dog not to itch...that it will stop if they stop. :) Oh..and yes, also you have to treat symptoms while waiting to see if the allergy injections are helping.

I am not crazy about steroids either, but they do sometimes have their purpose. And, honestly with a low dose like in Temeril P it rarely causes problems. And..if there is going to be a problem it will usually stop once you discontinue the med.

Aw, poor fella. Allergies are just miserable for these kiddos. Their desire to get at their paws is analogous to humans having allergies, and feeling a desire to rub/itch their eyes/nose, to cough, or sneeze etc.

While socks and stuff can help w/ the consequences of the licking/chewing - it doesn't help w/ the misery behind the need/desire to do it.

I'd try to treat the symptom. I know he's getting his shots, but I'd get this fella on Atopica asap and keep him on it for the 4-6mths needed before you can evaluate the effectiveness of the shots (then, do the usual "Atopica wean"). If Atopica doesn't show relief w/in 3-4 weeks, I'd try steroids after that (alone). In addition, I'd probably use steroids to provide relief while the Atopica is ramping up (Atopica must go thru a ramping up period).

While steroids may not be ideal (long term), they really do have a place (imo) when it comes to symptoms like this. Steroids can be great therapeutic agents, when used correctly. :)

This and this.

We have used steroids for my liver compromised girl (Kenalog and Temaril-P) which would be even more risky and she did okay. She had to have relief as does your pup. Hopefully the shots will work, but something needs to be done as soon as possible. Something like Temaril-P is such a low dose (and there may be a few others to choose from). It may take a few days to work though, so an injection of something should also be considered. Atopica is best for long term (if shots don't work or between now and then), but it will take awhile to work.

chester has enviromental allergies so the salmon oil on his food has helped and I wash everything in all free and clear and bounce the same no perfumes and dyes, sometimes I will just rinse him off in warm water and that can help, oatmeal is too strong for chester for the bathing, and apple cider vineagr 50 /50 mix with water can help if they are not open sore, poor baby with the paws, that has got to hurt

Bo has allergies and took Tamaril P for 2 weeks. He completely stopped itching. He had his last does Wed. so far so good. I wasn't crazy about using it either,but he needed relief. I hope all goes well at vet.

We use atopica for Daisy as I mentioned on your previous thread. It has helped her to stop biting her pads. I also put bag balm on them to help and to avoid licking that off, we use Bo's Kiss-E soft collar. Her name on here is Mom to Hot Rod and she sells the collars. They are really cute too.

For soaks, we have used epsom salts, but honestly I like Domeboro's solution better if the area is itchy - we have used that for hot spots with success with our dog Barney.

Good luck

Hi. That looks terrible. When I first adopted my Tinkerbell, she had been tearing up her ears. She had scabs the size of quarters on both ears, open sores, and both ears were 2-3 times thicker than normal. I immediately put an E-collar on her because not only were her ears going to itch anyway, I thought at least to stop any further damage, which in turn would cause more itching on top of it all.

Even when my vet saw her, they asked 'Why is she wearing an E-collar?' After I explained, they still acted like they didn't agree with my decision, but I could not let her continue to inflict more damage to herself. I was afraid she would hit a vein and cause uncontrolled bleeding when I couldn't be there to watch her.

She wore the collar for almost 3 months, as medications were applied to help the scabs come off and the wounds to heal. I took the collar off a few times a day to give her a break, but as soon as she started scratching, back on it went. Once her ears were healed and the swelling went down, I allowed her more and more time out of the collar, until she could be trusted not to tear herself up.

Her problem turned out to be sarcoptic mange (scabies) and as my vet researched, she discovered that Yorkies are very susceptible (prone) to picking this up. She was treated with Revolution, and all mine are on it now, as Scabies seems to be a problem here in our outdoor environment. Come to find out, 3 neighbors' dogs were also being treated for allergies (two for over a year) with no improvements. When I told them about the Scabies, they went to their vet and were diagnosed with scabies and treated too with Revolution. One of the owners had picked it up too, as did I, and called our doctors for prescription cremes to use.

Sorry this got so long. Preventing secondary damage is very important. Also, frequent bathing can cause foot problems if the feet are not completely dried afterwards with a hairdryer.

I would have the vet look at this, as with that amount of damage to the pads, an antibiotic will more than likely be needed to prevent a secondary infection. Feet are prone to picking up bacterias and fungi, so it is important to get this treated immediately and to prevent futher damage to the area.

Coconut oil is very soothing to the skin, is a natural antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, promotes healing and is very soothing to the pet. I use it for any skin conditions, add it to their feed, and use it for any cuts or scrapes I find on my dogs. I know it's an oil, but it is absorbed rapidly into the skin, so you won't see oily pawprints all over your house, should you decide to try it.