My dog is biting his bumpy, hard back paws. What can I do at home?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about Panda. Poor boy! Those do look really red and irritated. Biting the paws non-stop can be a classic sign of allergies. It could also be due to an infection or injury to the paws. He should see a vet for this to get it diagnosed and treated. Tonight, try soaking his paws in an Epsom salt bath to see if that helps. Put a cone on him to keep him from biting the paws and making things worse. If you don't have one, I can put a link below on how to make one at home. I hope this helps! http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html

Thank you for posting your question regarding Cody. The pictures are definitely helpful in getting the full picture of what is going on. There is hair loss and the skin is inflamed and reddened in the pictures. If he is biting / licking at his feet and they look like this, he may be dealing with allergies. Does Cody come into contact with grass? If he does, he may have a contact allergy with the type of grass that is growing this time of year. Epsom salt soaks probably won't help a huge amount but they also won't hurt. The soaks may provide some relief while the feet are soaking. The primary problem probably won't be addressed with epsom salt soaks alone. I would suggest administering Benadryl over the counter. You can give 1mg per pound of body weight, so Cody's dose would be approximately 50mg every 12 hours if he is indeed 50lb. There are multiple causes of allergies but if it is isolate to the feet, I think a contact allergen leading to the above mentioned symptoms. Your veterinarian will be able to send you home with better products to relieve the symptoms further such as sprays and oral medications if the benadryl is not working. There are specific anti-itch drugs available now and injections that are quite safe to use. I would also suggest natural supplements such as Omega 3 fish oil (Welactin for canines), Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent is another great natural oil product and a shampoo such as Duoxo PS to bathe Cody twice weekly until the symptoms are gone. Hope this answers your question and if you have any other concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me for further help.

Very interesting looking. Given the young age of your dog I am optimistic it isn’t anything particularly infiltrative or aggressive. However, it does concern me that it is likely cause your dog some discomfort with the resultant self-mutilation. I think you need to have that paw and those lesions along with the rest of your dog examined after the holiday weekend for a more thorough work up of the issue. In the mean time if you have get one, place an e-collar on Ruger to prevent further unwanted licking and injury. You can potentially try like booties as well if you think he won’t just rip them off right away. When you get to the vet, depending on the results of the physical examination they will likely want to potentially get needle aspirates of the lesions to get a better idea of what they might be. They may even recommend a full thickness biopsy instead. I think this because needle aspirates on the feet are frequently subject to contamination from blood - gravity does not work in out favor in that particular instance. If the areas is small enough and it is causing your dog discomfort, your vet may even just want to schedule to have it removes and worry about biopsying the area after its gone. Pre surgical biopsy would be nice though to better plan out the procedure and how much margins might be needed when removing. Finally, I realize your dog is having issues with this paw only. However, I would look at each and every one of your dog’s paw pads to see if anything else is forming elsewhere. If so, this might suggest a more generalized problem that would require a non-surgical approach if something is curable or treatable. Shepherds in general do like to get lots of weird skin issues so it wouldn’t be a far stretch. Things to consider that might be causing this are cysts, benign growths, malignant growths, some sort of abscessing tissue, a primary dermatological problem, or an auto immune problem. Hope this makes sense. I can discuss with more detail with your in a consult if you’d like.

Poor Maxx. Allergies are no fun, you can try a few at home remedies, but if he doesn't get relief he honestly may need a veterinary visit. Antihistamines can be hit or miss in dogs but you can certainly try Benadryl twice daily if it gives him some relief. You can also soak his feet in lukewarm Epsom salt solution once or twice daily. Malaseb shampoo may help if there is any yeast or bacterial infection component to his itching. When using the medicated shampoos I typically recommend lathering them up, especially affected areas and allowed to soak for up to 20 to 30 minutes before rinsing. If you have a crate or someplace Maxx can hang out while sudsy that helps. And for dogs that will not leave their feet alone I strongly recommend getting an E collar. Sometimes you have to break the cycle of the scratching and licking before seeing any improvement. If there are open sores or very raw areas I would recommend trying to do a veterinary visit as that indicates secondary infection and will likely need systemic treatment as well. I hope Max gets some relief soon thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Gizmo may be chewing his paws from anxiety / stress, allergies or pain. I would recommend bathing him with a sha.poo such as Duoxo PS calm shampoo and bathe twice weekly. I would also recommend malacetic conditioning spray, welactin omega 3 fish oil and essential 6 spot on by dermoscent. If this is allergy related, benadryl is an option that can also be used in cases like this. The typical recommended dose is 1mg per 1lb of body weight every 12 hours. If there is no improvement, I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at gizmo to help determine what else could be the cause. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation if needed.