Maltese X With Itchy Feet

[skip]

I am caring for a white scruffy dog that was in a rough condition. Been to vets for antibiotics etc even a steroid shot to help him. Better now and coat is improving plus weight.

Grass etc also plays a part so I watch this and bath his feet etc. At the markets recently I brought dome magnesium cream which obviously stung on application but stopped quickly. Anybody used a similar cream?

Never had a small white fluffy so any hints on feet care appreciated.

My Kelpie has grass allergy but this dog is licking, chewing etc. All flea treated etc too.

Advice appreciated.

[Papillon Kisses]

You could try a calendula tea rinse. It seems to help Malcolm when he gets itchy from grass.

Edited October 19, 2016 by Papillon Kisses

[persephone]

I second the calendula tea !! Plus , if licked off, it will do him good - unlike most things! Buy the calendula from health food shops . Rinse his feet in the calendula after walks . I would also suggest removing grains and any artificial colourings from his diet :) he sounds like he's found a good person to help him!

[tdierikx]

Licking/chewing at feet can also be a sign of stress or anxiety... usually only lick/chew the front feet though...

Does the problem affect all 4 feet? Does he also get red or itch on his tummy?

T.

[Guest crazydoglady99]

What are you feeding him skip?

Could it be poultry (or other food) allergy?

[skip]

They eat a bit of every thing. Diet will be harder to sort thou I do think its grass. He sticks to cement like glue so only walk him on the path now. Seems to be a long existing promblem from what I've been told. I will get some tea. Tryed it with my Kelpie thou not much success. Willing to try again. And yes his belly and lower back all itchy. All four feet.

Will check diet, do have some grain free black hawk but it may be a meat one. Mine didn't do well on the skin health black hawk so brought a meat one a while back which I haven't opened yet.

Thanks

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

What flea treatment are you using?

[westiemum]

Skip I have a old Westie girl with very itchy saliva stained brown feet. She was a chronic licker and chewer. Similar behaviours, avoiding the lawn and perimeter patrolling on the concrete. Tried everything under the sun to help after two vets tried stuff too, to no avail.Calendula tea is fantastic for temporary relief but I found the 'itchies' always came back.

Finally, a locum vet appeared at my usual vet with an interest in skin (not a dermatologist) and took scrapings from her ears and all feet and nail beds and looked at it all under a microscope. Diagnosis was a very heavy chronic yeast infection (malassezia).

Prescribed an intensive programme of itraconozole (very expensive but worth every cent), dermotic for her ears and daily malaseb foot baths (I'd do this in front of the telly each night). The itraconozole was prescribed as a loading dose of 7 straight days ( from memory) and then 'pulse therapy' of two consecutive doses a week which I gave her on the weekends. All of this almost killed me!

At the three week mark, she was much better and at the six week mark the yeast was undetectable under the microscope. She is now on a maintenance regime of epiotic ear cleaner twice a week, cortavance spray on her feet and the tail end of one dose a week of the itraconozole.

Yes it's been a helluva job to keep it up. But it's been worth it as her paw licking has virtually gone and she's so much more comfy. The vet told me the problem with chronic yeast infection is it gets into the nail beds and embeds in the nails themselves so it can be very hard to get rid of without an intensive regime.

So moral of my story is get the correct diagnosis first. Get your vet to take feet scrapings and look at it carefully under the microscope. And go from there. You'll spend a fortune in money, time and energy guessing 'possible cures', particularly if the problem is a chronic one.

Hope that helps your little one. Good luck with it and will be very interested in how you get on.

ETA: I've also started her on Protexin powder (a great DOL suggestion) with her dinner at night which is a probiotic and hopefully helps normalise gut bacterial flora and help deal with the yeast systemically.

Edited October 22, 2016 by westiemum

[RuralPug]

You might be interested in a couple of home made yeast killers that are mentioned in this thread. My recipe I have been using for over 30 years with great success and those who have tried it for yeast (and crusty nose rolls in flat faced breeds) have been very pleased.

With extreme yeast infections, bear in mind that boosting the immune system and checking the diet for allergies is also of assistance.

[westiemum]

I'm very interested RP - those two recipes make intrinsic sense to me and I'll use it as a maintenance regime - don't want to go through this again.

[skip]

Thanks everyone. I brought some grain free food too so will use that as well.

I recently used frontline plus on all the dogs although luckily we don't get fleas that I can see but just in case.I used the malasab wash too but I do have some cortivance from my old dog still.

His ears are fine, very good but definitely the feet can get infected as a secondary thing. So you buy witch hazel and alcohol from a chemist or health shop? That anti yeast wash sounds promising.

Interestingly we had a few visiting dogs last nite and he chewed a lot. Tonite and since then hardly any chewing so stress could be a factor. Poor dog has been very stressed and not well cared for. Gave his face a trim tonite as his hair is growing a lot. Yah!

Thank you for your advice.

Edited October 22, 2016 by skip

[skip]

Also he is still on antibiotics from his first recent vet visit but if needed I can go back and suggest the drug Westiemum suggested.

[RuralPug]

Thanks everyone. I brought some grain free food too so will use that as well.

I recently used frontline plus on all the dogs although luckily we don't get fleas that I can see but just in case.I used the malasab wash too but I do have some cortivance from my old dog still.

His ears are fine, very good but definitely the feet can get infected as a secondary thing. So you buy witch hazel and alcohol from a chemist or health shop? That anti yeast wash sounds promising.

Interestingly we had a few visiting dogs last nite and he chewed a lot. Tonite and since then hardly any chewing so stress could be a factor. Poor dog has been very stressed and not well cared for. Gave his face a trim tonite as his hair is growing a lot. Yah!

Thank you for your advice.

Witch hazel and isopropyl alcohol are both stocked by most pharmacies plus non-pharmacy Priceline-type places.

Yeast is opportunistic so if he is chewing due to stress that will leave damp moist places for it to colonise. Same with allergies that stress the skin - yeast can jump in there as well. Occasionally you never actually find the root cause, but treating the symptoms and maintenance against further yeast incursions can work well. My rule is that if you don't see an improvement after 10 days of intensive anti-yeast treatment, then look for another cause.

[persephone]

I remember the vet telling me one thing which has remained in my brain.

With malassezia .. always make sure the anal area gets cleaned/treated regularly, as the anus is one of the sources.

When dogs curl up esp. ...then lick feet, they transfer nasties that way ...

So backsides & between toes are important areas to treat/keep dry :)

[Scottsmum]

I remember the vet telling me one thing which has remained in my brain.

With malassezia .. always make sure the anal area gets cleaned/treated regularly, as the anus is one of the sources.

When dogs curl up esp. ...then lick feet, they transfer nasties that way ...

So backsides & between toes are important areas to treat/keep dry :)

Actually... You've reminded me of something my Mum used to say too. Always use clean / a fresh /disposable wipes too - every time. So don't wipe out the ears then all the feet with the same wipe. Use a fresh wipe for each ear and each foot (plus their bum) - you just increase the chances of transferring the infection to all the feet etc if you do use one wipe.

[westiemum]

Yep SM - and I have separate bottle of Dermotic for each dog and wipe the nozzle carefully between each ear.

[skip]

Interesting about anal glands as at the vet visit he had infected anal glands too. Feet look good today but I also used some neocourt cream I had. No chewy today but I have brought the ingredients as suggested for anti yeast and will give his feet some maintenance.

Took the Kelpie and scamp the jack Russell x to dogs day out. A lovely lady from Furtography was doing photos and she did scamp for free as she photos rescue dogs regularly. So looking forward to these. Bummed I didn't take the scruffy dog but my friend takes dog photos so will do that way.

Let you know how we go itchy wise.