Yellow Lab

Question
I have a 5 year old Yellow Lab that has, what I think, allergies.  She is always licking her paws that are now a reddish color and developing swelling and blistering one the top and her inner paw.  The red is like a black/red wax that is emits from the paw and that seems to be the reason for this.  Her ears are always full of a black/brown substance that I believe is yeast.  She has it on both ears but one is way worse than the other.  She is always rubbing her ears in the snow or grass to itch.  The blackish substance seems to burn her ears and develop soars in her ears.  She is constantly scratching.  We have tried so many different foods and have had her tested for allergies.  Every time we get her tested it changes.  We don't know what to do to help her.  The vet wants to put her on steroids but we don't feel that is a long term solution.

Answer
Allergies are seasonal, so it is not surprising that you get different allergy results when tested.  YOu need to determine which allergens are present in the dog's environment and then hyposensitize against those.

Steroids are an acceptable treatment for the allergies.  There is a drug called Atopica that does not have the deleterious side effects of steroids.  

There are many things to do for the yeast infection in the ears and between the toes.  One of my favorite sprays is Malacetic Ultra Otic made by DermaPet (www.dermapet.com).  It can be used on the feet and in the ears. A drug called Ketoconazole will help treat the yeast and it will also allow your vet to decrease the dose of Atopica, which is expensive.