Help! My dog has crusty, dry, scaly skin on her paws. What can I do?

There are many possible causes of scaling skin and crusts, including skin infections from allergies (flea, food or environmental) and even some endocrine/metabolic conditions (hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease). If Xara is licking her paws excessively, this is a sign of itchiness. Since none of the lesions appear irritated, consider bathing her with a gentle dog oatmeal based shampoo and closely examine her for signs of fleas or flea dirt, which resembles a fleck of pepper. Make sure she is on a high quality flea preventative once a month (Nexgard, Bravecto, Advantix, Comfortis/Trifexis). Consider changing her diet to one with a different protein source, but do so gradually over 5-7 days. Diet changes can take 2-3 months to achieve efficacy. Obviously if her skin begins to look worse or does not improve with these measures, take her to her vet for an exam.

I would recommend having him stand in an Epson salt bath for 5-10 minutes 2-3 times a day. You'll have to use the tub for a dog of his size, and make sure the water is just lukewarm and that he doesn't drink any. You can give him his dinner piece by piece over 5 minutes to keep his interest. Once you're able to, definitely get him in to the vet to determine the underlying cause of the sores. I hope that helps Chance feel a bit better in the mean time.

Place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent further licking. You can soak the paw in an Epsom salt foot bath for 10-15 minutes daily. Make sure the paw is completely dry afterwards. A soak in diluted chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) may also provide some relief.

Hello. We need to know why Max's feet are dry & cracked. This could indicate a bacterial or even a fungal cause. Until you can have him evaluated, you can wash his feet in a skin antiseptic like Hibiclens ( available at all pharmacies ), dry well & then apply a very light coating of Vaseline. Try to do this at least 1-2 times a day. If no response within a couple of weeks, do see your veterinarian for further recommendations. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Adding oils can help some pets with dry skin, but it can take 6-8 weeks to take effect, and in my opinion it doesn't make a very big difference. Omega 3 oils would be best to try. The biggest side effect is greasy or loose stools. Dry or cracked paws could be caused by excessive licking, or it could happen with allergies or autoimmune disease. I would recommend having Pavi checked out by the vet to see if this may be the case.

Hello, and thank you for your question. Possible causes for Millie's symptoms include skin allergies, skin parasites (mites, fleas), bacterial infection or fungal infection, or a combination of these. Was there any new food or treat introduced prior to these problems starting? If so, I would start by eliminating this. You can also try soaking Millie's feet in a shallow bath of Epsom salts and lukewarm water, to help provide some relief. Bathing her with a gentle aloe and oatmeal type shampoo may help to wash off any surface allergens causing irritation. If she is chewing or biting at her skin or paws, you wil need to put an e-collar (cone) on her head to prevent further damage. If these suggestions do not help, I would recommend taking Millie to the vet. They can perform tests to check the underlying cause, such as a skin scraping, skin cytology or fungal culture. At minimum, they can prescribe medications to help with her itchiness and treat suspected bacterial infections. I hope this helps, and that Millie is feeling better soon!

Before looking for a remedy, look for the cause. Have the skin scraped to check her for Demodex mites as they will common infest the feet. Scabies mites can also infest the feet but are difficult to diagnose on a skin scrape. I recommend to start her on an oral flea product such as Simparica or Nexgard as they will treat scabies. If it goes away within 4-8 weeks, then you know it was mites. Food allergies will also present as itchy feet. Discuss a food trial with your veterinarian. This is the only way to diagnose a food allergy. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.