Feet licking is back, I'm so so upset

[Noobs]

If you will let me know how long you think it will take to see a change in the licking after I start the new food

I am no expert so I don't have an answer for that question but if I had to guess I would say to give it at least 4-6 weeks.

[Duffy Jones]

Yes food can cause it but we see many dogs who lick their feet have yeast on their feet. The yeast is very very itchy and they will lick their feet until the bleed. You should have him checked for yeast in his foot pads. Your vet should be able to run some cytology and look for it. Then if it is yeast you can use either topical sprays like miconazole spray or wipes but many of them need ketoconazole. Most will respond very well and you can avoid steriods. We have a lot that have seasonal foot licking secondary to seasonal allergies. We have also had a lot because we have had lots of rain in GA this year and many of our pets got yeast infections because their feet were staying wet. Many times once you get it under control then you can use the wipes to prevent flare ups.

Good luck

duf

[mustlovdoggs]

Thank you Dr. Jones I'll talk to the vet again. I bet that is it..... We have had alot of rain here too. I've changed his food over and over again and now its worse. I 'll call today and talk to the Vet ( he's a great guy) I'm thinking also to going back to cooking his food. I'm so lost with this problem.
Thanks for your help.... Glad your here with us.

[Duffy Jones]

Check this link out about yeast. It is from a great dermatologist Keith Hnilica, DVM. It has some good pictures and talks about it.

http://www.itchnot.com/images/Malassezia_Dermatitis.pdf

duf

[Doolally]

The trouble with allergies is there is so many things they could be allergic to.allergy testing can be helpful but in some cases it's hard to find the cause.my dog tested positive for allergies to grasses and I treated him with immunotherapy vaccines and now he is almost symptom free.I really do think you need to take your dog to the vet as you have tried all you can at home.steroids can be bad but they can also help stop the itch scratch cycle which he is in.but steroids aren't the only treatment available so express your concerns and ask to me referred to a dermatologist.
The trouble with hypoallergenic/exclusion diets is they are a pain to do properly and your dog may be allergic to things in the environment rather than the food anyway.to test for a food allergy you need to find a novel food your dog has never had before,say potatoe and salmon and feed exclusively that for 4-6weeks,if the symtoms disappear then you can add in another food group for 4-6 weeks then add another,if the dog reacts at all you know he can't tolerate that food and you go back a stage.
Have you tried antihistamines to stop the itching,they really help my dog when the grasses are seeding.
You have my sympathies,itchy dogs are not fun

[Duffy Jones]

Make sure they check his feet for yeast. Most feet like you describe may be started with allergies and food but they get yeast infections. If you do not treat the yeast in the feet then it continues on and comes back.

look at the pictures of the feet and see what you think.

http://www.itchnot.com/images/Malassezia_Dermatitis.pdf

duf

[Nettle]

Thank you for that link - really informative.

[sarahjayne]

Maybe its a psychological problem
Is he generally a stressed or anxious dog ? Are there particular times when he licks his feet more than others ?
Maybe there is something that triggers this response ? Think about it, it could be something really subtle.
Maybe you could try a calming therapy such as T touch, an anxiety wrap or a Bach flower "Rescue remedy", just to see if it reduces the frequency of this behavior.
Well, I hope you manage to find a solution It's very frustating not knowing what is causing the suffering for you both.

[josie1918]

You could wash his feet in Virbac's Allermyl shampoo, that will stop the itching. In 13 years I have never seen foot licking, chewing that was not a food allergy. While it can be almost anything your dog is allergic to the top 3 are Beef, corn and eggs.
It takes up to 30 days for all allergens to be removed from the canine system, BUT you should see it getting better in about 3 days.
I would try to find a food that has a different protien source chicken or lamb, and no corn or corn by products, for example a lamb and rice diet, while not a true allergy diet, it has a novel protien and no corn and does help a lot of dogs.

[mustlovdoggs]

Well, the change in food helped but, he is still at it.
Dr. Jones thanks for the page. I checked it out, thank God Tristans feet are not close to being that bad. I am going to try some of what they had said, I need to go back to the page and print it off. There was a lot of good info there. To much for me to remember. Thanks for your help. If this doesn't work, I'll take him in. I have talked to the Vet and told him what you had said. He agreed.
Josie... The food change did helped, I'll google the Virbac's shampoo. Thanks for your help.
Sarahjayne...He is a little crazy thats for sure. But I tried nerve meds, they really didn't help. Now if he has a bone he doesn't lick his feet,he will lick his bone. Emmabeth had me use the bones to help him and it works but when the bone is gone it is back to the feet.
Thank to all for the help. It may just come down to taking him to our Vet. and running the test. Thanks friends Jan and Tristan