RED ITCHY PAWS

Question
I HAVE TWO AMERICAN HAIRLESS TERRIERS AND ONE OF THEM HAS SEVERE DRY AND RED PAWS AND GOING UP HIS LEGS.  HE LICKS AND NIBBLES AT THEM CONSTANTLY, I'VE TRIED TAKING HIM VETS BUT MOST VETS HAVEN'T SEEN THIS BREED SO THEY CAN'T OFFER MUCH HELP. PEOPLE LOOK AT ME LIKE I'M NEGLECTING HIM BUT I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I'VE TRIED OATMEAL BATHS AND DIFFERENT CREAMS WITH ALOE, OATMEAL AND LAVENDER BUT NOTHING SEEMS TO HELP. I WAS TOLD THAT IF I DON'T DO SOMETHING SOON HE MAY GET STAFF INFECTION. I'M FEEDING HIM  HYPOALLERGENIC FOOD SO NOT SURE WHAT IS CAUSING THIS, IF IT WAS ON ONLY ONE PAW I WOULDN'T BE AS CONCERNED, BUT ALL FOUR PAWS ARE AFFECTED.

Answer

Hi Vanessa,

This isn't a question of breed, it's a question of disease, and experience in treating this kind of disease. At the very least, your vet could have given you a prescription medication to control the itch, until the actual condition could be further evaluated and treated.

If your dog has a case of skin mites (some kinds are microscopic),  an allergy other than to food, or a thyroid problem, the hypoallergenic diet you're using and the shampoos and other treatments you've been trying wouldn't work on this skin condition. Your dog needs to have a skin scraping test done to see what's causing this. Blood work may also be needed, and medication is required to give the itch a rest, so the skin can heal. There may also be a secondary skin infection which would also require treatment.

If your local veterinarian doesn't have experience in this kind of skin disease, you need to take your dog to a veterinary dermatologist. Your regular vet should be able to give you a referral to a specialist, but if not you can locate a veterinary dermatologist here:

https://www.acvd.org/ (click on "find a dermatologist" in the menu on the left)

Short of trying a veterinary specialist, you may want to try another veterinarian in your area. If you're currently using a vet associated with a large pet store, like Banfield Pet Hospital at PetSmart, try using a veterinarian in private practice.

Best of luck,

Patti