My dog's paw is red and irritated from a bug bite. What OTC can I use?

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.

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.

These look to be inflamed and irritated not infected so antibiotics are unlikely to cure and may make the condition worse if the underlying cause is not addressed. Allergies, mites and yeast overgrowth would be quite common and I recommend a vet check to determine the best possible action

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

Poor Teddy! That does look quite sore :( If he's acting normal otherwise, you can try soaking his paw in warm water and Epsom salt for a few minutes, 1-2 times a day - often, this helps to draw out fluid and reduce swelling and irritation from minor sore spots or injuries like this. If he's licking or chewing at his paw, you may also need to place an e-collar (plastic cone) on him to prevent this, so he doesn't continue to make it worse. If there is no improvement in the next 2-3 days, or if the spot seems to be getting larger or Teddy seems excessively painful, it would be best to have this checked by your vet - he may need oral antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory medication to treat the problem.

Poor girl. You should try to dry this area well with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water first. And then you can try a hot spot spray from your local pet store. If this is just one area, then there was likely some kind of trauma to the skin. If there is no improvement with the area within 48 hrs or so, then it is best to get her seen for stronger medications/antibiotics. I hope that this helps and best wishes with Shiva's wound. Take care!

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.