My dog has red, itchy, smelly skin & swollen feet. What can I do?

I am sorry to hear about your pup. One of our major rule-outs/possible causes in these cases is an allergy. We can have allergies to things in the environment like grass, pollen, dust (called atopy) or food allergies. We can also have flea bite hypersensitivity where just one or two flea bites can make a dog break out all over and itch. Often a secondary skin infection with bacteria or yeast develops in these cases, which require antibiotic therapy. There are some lower cost antibiotics available ahttp://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.htmls generic drugs at many grocery stores, so if you let your vet know your financial limitations, they can try to find the most cost effective options. Sometimes once the secondary infection is under control the itching may be managed with a lower cost drug like an antihistamine such as hydroxyzine, benadryl, or zyrtec, along with a fatty acid supplement. Being on an effective flea preventative is also crucial in these cases. You can read more about allergies at https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952662 . I would look around to see if there are any low cost clinics in your area. Sometimes the human society or APL or ASPCA will have these. Some vet clinics will also take payment plans or work with companies like Care Credit to offer payment plans. You can read more about ideas to help pay for vet care at http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

You can call the vet and ask about using an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs if this does not interfere with the new protein. Prevent him from licking the feet by having him wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Do not walk him and make sure that he is only walking on soft surfaces. You can wash the feet daily with soap and rinse well. Once it is dried, you can apply a dab of organic coconut oil and rub it in well. Make sure he does not lick this as it can cause GI upset. You may also call your veterinarian and ask about a medication like Apoquel or Cytopoint which will help with itching the most. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This sounds like an environment or food allergy. The red is due to yeast proliferation from moistness in the hair. I would recommend a novel protein elimination diet for 40 days. Benadryl is a good anti-histamine but may not work as it only improves a certain type of allergy. Neosporin can be damaging to the kidneys so I would avoid using it. It also only contains antibiotics and so would not be helpful. Fish oils can also be very helpful at lowering inflammation in the body and improving skin and joint health.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. This is quite severe and warrants therapy. The likely secondary infections need to to be addressed and the itchiness also need to be addressed to prevent this issue from getting worse. Medications like prednisone can be used for the itchiness and antibiotics for the infections. In the meantime, you can use an e-collar in the meantime to prevent further self-trauma. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

Poor girl. This is what appears to be a skin allergy which can be to something in the environment or something in her food. The top food allergens are chicken, turkey, beef or lamb. I would suggest a prescription diet which is controlled and proven effective for food allergies. My top picks are Royal Canin Ultamino, Royal Canin skin support, or Hill’s Z/D ultra. California natural by Natura can also be tried without a prescription card. Here is a website link with more info on food trials in pets to rule out a food allergy. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2499 For immediate relief I would recommend a topical shampoo (Duoxo calm shampoo) and allergy medicine (ie Apoquel) from your local vet. It can take anywhere from 6-12 months on average for allergy shots to start becoming effective in pets and usually around 75% of pets respond to these. I hope this helps and best of luck getting Simba relief from her allergies. Take care.

I'm sorry to hear that Miles is having all of these skin problems. How frustrating! It sounds like you are on the right track with the diet trial and the allergy testing. He may be a good candidate for an allergy medication called Apoquel. It controls the itching very well and doesn't have the side effects frequently seen with steroids. Medicated shampoo to bathe the paws can help. So can simply wiping the paws with a damp rag every time he comes in from outside. This physically removes allergens from the environment. I hope this information helps!

I am sorry to hear about Diesel! Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with. We can have allergies to ingredients in food (it is usually a protein source and not a grain allergy), or allergies to things in the environment like pollen, grass, dust, etc. If he isn't already on a fatty acid supplement, I would consider starting one (such as Welactin) as they can have anti-inflammatory effects in the body and reduce itching in some dogs if given daily. With mild allergy cases, sometimes antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, cetirizine, or hydroxyzine are used and are effective. You should discuss with your vet if they feel any of these are appropriate for Diesel. In severe cases we need stronger immune-modulating drugs such as Apoquel or Atopica (unfortunately these are also more expensive but can make a dramatic difference for some dogs). Sometimes these dogs also have secondary bacterial or yeast infections that may require treatment by a veterinarian as well that are contributing to the itching.