My dog has swollen toes and inflamed eyes. Is it allergies or pemphigus?

These types of reactions are not usually associated with seasonal allergies. I would expect that she perhaps had an insect sting or a spider bite. If the swelling returns she should be seen by a veterinarian. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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

That is quite a bit of swelling! I would recommend that Daisy get checked out by the vet. It’s hard to say without examining her if the licking and chewing was caused by the swelling or if it is a result. Allergies can cause excessive licking, inflammation or lymphatic flow issues can cause swelling, and treatments for all of these conditions will vary.

Poor Zues - those lesions are quite prominent! Recurrent interdigital (between the toes) lesions can be frustrating and can be caused by a number of different issues, including atopy (environmental allergies), food allergies, bacterial infections, yeast infections, mange, autoimmune issues, or even cancer. In many cases, secondary bacterial infections occur when dogs lick or chew at their feet, meaning that the bacterial infection happens on top of another cause, like allergies. This might explain why the antibiotics helped initially, but the lesions then recurred. At this point, it sounds as though more diagnostic testing is needed. Your vet will likely want to do some skin cytology (examining some cells under the microscope) to check for signs of bacteria and/or yeast, a skin scrape to check for the mites that cause mange, and may even recommend taking a biopsy so that a pathologist can evaluate the affected tissues. Depending what those tests show, your vet may then recommend trying allergy medications (such as Apoquel or Cytopoint), a prescription hypoallergenic food trial, or other medications. I understand how frustrating this issue must be and wish you and Zues all the best!

It does look quite red between Charlie’s toes. He could have a skin infection secondary to allergies. It also looks like he might have an interdigital cyst or inflammatory nodule in between his toes which can also be related to allergies. I would suggest seeing your vet to discuss treatment options. He may need topical or oral medications to help treat infection and you can also discuss the possibility of allergies during the visit.

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!

Thank you for submitting your question. I can concerned that Teddy had an autoimmune disease that is affecting his eyelids. This is when the body attacks its own skin cells. He could alao have a severe allergy. Even if the underlying cause is something different, a skin biopsy is warranted to give you a definitive diagnosis. If possible, do the biopsy prior to starting the steroids (but it sounds like he may have started already). I hope this information helps you and Teddy!