Infected Foot

[Guest winli02]

Background:

About a year (maybe more) ago, Dilly started getting reccurrent ear infections. He was on a bunch of different ear drops and antibiotics--they said it was a combo of yeast and bacteria. It finally started getting better but about 8 months ago, his back paw started bothering him. I am not 100% sure if the licking came first or if the licking caused the redness but within about a week, it was red and nasty looking. He went to the vet about 10-12 times for it...they tried antibiotics 3 different times, the last time being for 6 weeks. They also thought allergies since it was skin-related and he was put on a restricted diet for 2 months, during which time the paw got worse. His ear did (and has) cleared up. He does have a large wax build up in the ear but no infection. In addition to the back foot, he has also been licking at his front foot, which although not as bad as the back one, is begining to look red. His back foot is now ulcerated and oozing. We tried a sock on it but the lack of air circulation did not help it heal. He also has used foot soaks of Novalsan which cleans it well but does not help much.

 

So, after this last vet appt, he was referred to a doggie dermatology. The derm looked at him today and said she does not think it is allergies (unless it was a SEVERE one) and thinks vasculitis (or erythema multiforme, pemphigus vulgaris, or bullous pemphigoid). There is bacteria in the area but she feels there is something underlying that is causing it to come back.

 

He is also now on Baytril (one antibiotic he has not tried yet).

 

Her options are:

1) Biopsy--he would be put under but not using gas---to see if they can find the cause

2) Try Prednisone and Pentoxifylline---which she said MAY help but there would be side effects and still may not cure it.

 

I really want Dill to feel better and I am leaning toward the bioposy to try to figure this out once and for all but having him go under scares me. Any thoughts?

[Batmom]

Out of curiosity, what all was included in his restricted diet?

[Guest winli02]

Out of curiosity, what all was included in his restricted diet?

 

It was Natural Choice (I think) duck with no wheat, corn, beef, chicken. No treats/rawhides/bully sticks. It was what the vet recomended at the time, due to the fact it had the least amount of potential allergens in it.

[Batmom]

Hmmmmmmmmmm.

 

If it was Natural Balance, it includes quite a few ingredients that could be allergens. Including one that WAS an allergen for my angel Batman -- fish oil.

 

I spent a couple hundred dollars chasing down itchy red feet with him and by accident discovered that fish and fish oil, present in almost every commercial dog food there is, were the culprits. And fish oil is often recommended for dogs with itchies and other skin problems!

 

Not to say that's your dog's problem, just that it does happen.

 

The one thing that helped before we found our allergen was Genesis spray -- it's a topical steroid.

 

Don't know what to tell you about the biopsy. The ears + itchy feet sure do sound like an allergy but they could be unrelated. Good luck, tho!

[GeorgeofNE]

Dogs can be allergic to plenty of things that are NOT food.

 

Itchy feet and ears are classical signs of allergies, but I guess the doggy dermatologist's opinion is worth a lot more than mine!

 

Does the itching stop if you put the dog on a course of prednisone?

[Guest charmsmom]

I wonder if it's a MRSA infection that standard antibiotics won't kill....

[Guest winli02]

I know I can ask the doc this (and I will) but I am curious to know what a biopsy will or won't confirm (like mrsa). He has not tried prednisone but I am hesitant to keep trying one treatment after another if they do not know what the cause actually is. I had been leaning against biopsy but. I am beginning to think this will be the best way to figure it out and hopefully cure it! If anyone has additional thoughts, please let me know...

[NeylasMom]

I know I can ask the doc this (and I will) but I am curious to know what a biopsy will or won't confirm (like mrsa).

 

I think that's an important question to ask your vet before you determine the next step. I thought of allergies right off the bat as well, and I wouldn't necessarily rule them out based on one derm's opinion. FYI, a lot of dogs with symptoms like this have turned around on a raw diet. It's not for everyone and it may or may not help, but chronic skin problems and ear infections are a common complaint of people who choose a raw diet and generally they see them disappear. Just another think to consider before something more invasive like a biopsy.

 

If it's not an allergy, a raw diet may still help as it's a more natural diet and hence boosts the immune system.

 

ETA: I might not feed a raw diet to my dog if his immune system were seriously compromised unless I was very comfortable with my meat sources so if autoimmune is a possibility here, I might try to confirm or deny that before starting a dog on raw. You could however make a homemade diet at the very least from cooked foods.

Edited June 11, 2008 by NeylasMom

[ahicks51]

MRSA should be easy enough to do without biopsy- a swab followed by culture and sensitivity should be a lot easier, and say for certain if it's MRSA or not.

[Guest winli02]

I found out that with the hair test they did (she pulled a few of the hairs by the infection cause she was afraid that a scrape would hurt him too much) that MRSA was ruled out. I have decided to go with the biopsy on the 26th. I am happy on the one hand that maybe we can finally figure this out but on the other hand, I am totally freaked out and worried!