My German Shepherd has cysts...

Question
My German Shepherd has "cysts" in the webs of his paws - between the toes.
They weep and show signs of blood and are inflamed..  The vet says they
will go away on their own, but seem to be getting worse. The infected paws
are tender to the touch, and he sometimes limps.  Will icthamol ointment
("drawing salve") be helpful or harmful to the dog?  He is 8 years old, so
he is not a puppy.  We wash them out, put peroxide on and have been
putting antibiotic ointment on them.  Please advise.  Thank you.  

Answer
Stop using the peroxide...it will dry out the paws too much and can harm the skin with prolonged use.

Soak the feet in epsoms salts daily.

You can use the drawing salve, but you will have to wrap the feet otherwise he will lick it off and get it everywhere.  However, I doubt that there is anything there to draw out.  

In this case, it sounds to me that he should be on oral antibiotics.  You could ask your vet to do a culture of the area and if it doesn't get better, then biopsy.

You can try giving him Ester C--500 mg four times daily to help boost his immune system.