skin problems

Question
My 15 year old poodle has skin allergies as well as poodle warts. Is there any way to relieve his suffering topically? He licks his paws until he cries, and scratches his warts until they are bleeding. prednizone does nothing for his scratching his warts until they bleed; it does help relieve the paw chewing, but cannot be used long term. He eats Venison & sweet potato dog food and nothing else!

Answer
Hello Joyce,
You might try giving your dog Benedryl tabs for his itching to see if this helps any, and you might also try Benedryl cream for his paw pads.  He could be allergic to something outside in the yard or around the house.  
How long has he had the itching and chewing, and how long has he been on the Venison and Sweet Potato food?  I am not sure about Venison meat, but if its like beef, dogs can be more allergic to the heavier meats such as beef or pork, and that could also be the cause of his itching and biting.  
You might try Lamb and Rice or something with Turkey meat in it to see if this helps him any.  If you switch, you will need to keep him on the new food for at least 3-4 weeks to see if it is working or not.

When he scratches his warts, put an antibotic on it such as Triple antibiotic cream with pain relievers.  This should help him to not scratch them as much.  

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim