Dog dragging butt, licking paws, red spots. Is it allergies? Home help?

When dogs itch and chew excessively on their feet it is usually due to an allergy. The allergy can be to something in their food (usually the protein) or they can have environmental allergies to things like grasses and pollens. These dogs usually benefit from a special diet and an anti itch medication like Apoquel or Cytopoint. These medications help block the itch sensation so the dog stops itching. Toby's allergies look pretty severe based on the pictures you loaded. So I would recommend talking to your vet about getting him started on one of the medications mentioned above to help give him some relief.

It does look like Toby's skin is quite irritated! The small bumps could mean that there is bacteria in his skin (also known as pyoderma) and he should see a vet for examination and appropriate medications. However, there is usually an underlying cause for the itching and subsequent infection. The most common causes would be fleas, ticks, mites, or allergies. Allergies can be from a range of things, including flea saliva, food proteins like chicken or beef, or the environment like dust, pollen, mold, or grass. If Toby has a food allergy, he may benefit from a novel protein diet or a prescription dog food for allergies. These are good things to discuss with your vet. While you wait for his appointment, try to prevent Toby from further itching his inflamed skin to prevent further damage. You can cover him with a dog or human shirt or try to put socks on his feet. If he is licking then he may need to wear a cone/e-collar. You can try to use some hydrocortisone cream on the itchy spots, but don't let Toby lick it off!

It looks like Tobias is having an allergic reaction. It could be to something he ate that he wasn't a supposed to, an insect bite or even contract with a fabric or substance that is causing a reaction in his skin. Try a cool compress over the affected areas to help with swelling and inflammation. Place an e collar on Tobias to stop him scratching or licking the areas Some owners find Benadryl useful in this situation; https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-human-medications-that-are-sometimes-safe-for-sick-pets/ If his skin hasn't improved over a 24 hour period I would advise a trip to the veterinarian. The vet will be able to provide stronger anti - allergic medication.

Tobi appears to have allergic skin disease, which sometimes involves secondary bacterial or yeast infection as well as the itchy skin. The raw patches and scab areas on Tobi make me think that he may need to be on antibiotics. Benadryl is usually not very effective for moderate-to-severe itching, and there are special allergy drugs designed just for dogs that work much better to help with allergies. I would ask your vet about Apoquel and Cytopoint medications for allergies. Also, Tobi probably needs to be on antibiotics but he would need a test like a skin culture to know for sure. Hope that helps!

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!

You can try giving Toby an oatmeal bath, that may temporarily help soothe his skin. Unfortunately it's illegal for me to recommend using any OTC drugs without seeing him in person, I can't say it's safe. If he's still really itchy on Monday, take him back into the vet. Best of luck.

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.