Dog licking paws

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Jay. I see Max found something new to do to keep us worried now.

Thanks for the great pictures. I've included them here:





At first glance this really looks like some sort of local reaction. I would be suspicious that he stepped on something or even has something stuck in there.

However, if it is now happening to another foot then there is a possibility that this is an allergic outbreak. Has he eaten anything new recently? I'll see things like this where a beef allergic dog eats a rawhide or gets tossed a piece of steak.

Another possibility is road salt. I've seen some dogs who get really irritated because of the salt on the roads at this time of year. The salt can cause some initial irritation and then the dog licks and makes it worse.

Keep up with the fuciderm cream. It contains antibiotic but also steroid which will help even if this is allergy. But, if it gets worse he may need some oral antibiotics. (Is he already on some? If so, he may need to have his dose upped, but check with your vet before doing so.)

I hope he improves soon!

Dr. Marie.




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Dr. Marie replied:

That's good that he is improving! It really kind of makes it look like he has some local irritation (i.e. he stepped on something), but it's kind of weird that it's affecting two feet.

I'm really doubtful that the liver treats are the culprit.

As with most things with Max, it's probably going to remain a mystery for now. If he's improving with the Fuciderm there is no harm in treating for a little longer if necessary. If it's going on longer than a week or getting worse at all then he'll need to go back to see his doctor. Or better yet, you could just rent a room at the vet clinic and sleep there, LOL.

Dr. Marie replied:

Low doses of steroids won't cause him to have thin skin. Chronic use of high doses can have serious side effects but the dose that Max would be on for allergies would not be detrimental to him.

What you mentioned about Max loving to go to the clinic reminded me of a commercial that used to be on the air. It showed this dog who kept on limping. The owner would drive him to the vet clinic and the vet couldn't find anything wrong. This kept on happening over and over again. It turned out that the commercial was for the car. The dog kept faking a limp so he could get a car ride.

We are off to some boxing day family fun today so I won't be online for a while.

...just got your pictures of Max at Christmas and Hallowe'en. He is so freaking cute!