My Italian Greyhound has open sores between toes. What can I do?

This is called pododermatitis. There are interdigital cysts between the toes that can get infected. I recommend soaking the feet in a warm epsoms salt twice daily to draw out the infection. Also use a cone to prevent Opie from licking his feet. If the sores are not drying up and healing then he should get a veterinary exam and mostly likely they will prescribe a course of antibiotics. Feet can take several weeks to fully heal. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Opie.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the photo you have provided, it appears that Winston has a rash / irritation on his abdomen. I would recommend using an ointment such as Sentry Wound Ointment, which can be found at PetCo and apply twice daily until resolved. If there is no improvement or it worsens, I would recommend having Winston examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Oh goodness I love greyhounds and in the US we never see them as puppies just as adults rescued off the race track! Sadly a lot of skin conditions look exactly the same. The most common skin diseases that look like that are: demodex (non-contagious mite) which are sometimes hard to get on a scrape, a skin infection either from yeast or bacteria or ring worm. I recommend you ask your Vet about treating for demodex despite a negative scrape. Some of the edible flea and tick products are being used off label to treat demodex. I'd also ask the vet about doing a tape cytology of one of the hairless areas and look at it under the microscope to see if there are too many yeast or bacteria present. And then have them send out a culture of the hair/skin for ringworm. The culture can take up to 4 weeks to be finalized. I guess ultimately it could be nutritional and Rain just may need time on the diet you have him on. Good luck!

I am so sorry to hear that Rhett is having such a hard time with ulcer like sores between his toes. It is difficult to know what caused the initial lesions. It is possible there is something stuck between his toes, like a forgein body or there is an allergic reaction. However, when dogs have an itchy or painful area they often kick and infect it and cause, moist dermatitis or "hot spot". Hot spots can be very difficult to heal, and take a long time. The keys to a successful healing process are; A clipped area around the sore Cleaning the sore with a vet prescribed antiseptic Leaving the sore open to dry out (as the moisture promotes bacterial growth) Antibacterial/ hydrocortisone spray prescribed from the vet for healing An e-collar to prevent Rhett from scratching or biting at the hot spot and making it worse Measure the hot spot with a ruler, and compare in a few days time to make sure that it is reducing in size. If you feel like Rhett is not healing well, I would suggest a return trip to the vet. Oral antibiotics and/ or a steroid injection may help to jumpstart the healing process. If this was not helpful, feel free to post your question again with pictures so I can see the specific lesions and be more helpful. I know skin conditions including hot spots can be very frustrating for you as a pet parent and for Rhett. I sincerely hope it starts to heal soon. Warmest regards to you both.

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 her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. A chlorhexidine based shampoo is usually good for these general infections. Also, douxo chlorhexidine pads can be used for the infectious component. 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 Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. Poor Duke! I would gently clean the wound with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep him from licking at it, you can put an Ecollar on him. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and he will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. I hope this helps!

Poor Coco! Diabetic pets can be prone to skin ulcers and other wounds, just like diabetic people. It can also be hard for these lesions to heal without help, since diabetes suppresses the immune system and decreases circulation to the paws and toes. I would recommend taking her to the vet in the morning to have this spot checked, since she may need oral antibiotics to treat it because of her diabetes. In the meantime, you can try soaking the affected paw in a bath of warm water and Epsom salts to help prevent the skin infection from getting worse.