QuestionMy dog has been diagnosed with pyoderma, which I understand is related to allergies. I inspect him often for that reason and found the area in between his toes is very inflamed to the point of him developing a limp. He is also losing pigmentation on his paw pads, which is fairly recent. What can I do for him to make him better? Is steroids the best way to treat his allergies? I am concerned of the long term effects.
AnswerPyoderma is a secondary problem to many skin diseases including allergies. Often between the toes, a yeast infection will develop due to the high pH of the skin in that area. Ask your vet to do a cytology looking for yeasts.
For pyoderma, the dog will need to be on some type of oral antibiotic and some type of bathing regimen. I recommend Cephalexin capsules and BEnzoyl Peroxide shampoos.
For allergies, steroids are easy and cheap. If the steroids are used at a low dose intermittently, there are very few dogs that have reactions. FOr those that cannot tolerate steroids, we have other drugs, like cyclosporine (Atopica) that relieves itching.