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Question About Food Allergies


Guest HoundyGirl

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Guest HoundyGirl

Gus, my grey, has inflamed paw pads. The parts that touch the group look ok, but the parts that surround those pads and the parts that don't touch the ground are red and raw. This has happened before, but not as bad. He's in a cone to prevent licking. The vet gave him a steroid shot (depo-medrol, I think) and said that the allergy is likely topical because it's not in his ears as well. But I think I've read reports on here of food allergies being expressed weird ways, like with hot spots on the skin in one area. Could this be a food allergy?

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I'd think it could be. Food is easy to change and usually cheaper than trying a bunch of stuff at the vet. It's probably not going to hurt him to try a different food. I'd try grain free with a different protein than he's eating now.

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If it has happened before, and gone away, it's not likely to be a food allergy, but could be an allergy of some other sort like a seasonal pollen allergy.

 

I'm rather shocked your vet went straight to a long-acting steroid shot instead of trying Benadryl or something else first.

 

When it happened before, was it about the same time of the year? If he's allergic to something like (just an example) Oak pollen, it would make sense that it would happen during the same approximate time of the year if it's a pollen allergy.

 

A food allergy would not just come and go (unless you switch foods, obviously!)


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I would guess more environmental due to the fact this comes and goes and is just with the paws. Having said that, changing the diet can't hurt and many people have claimed changing the diet can help with allergies. If you don't already I would try adding omega 3 supplements like salmon oil and you could try a limited ingredient diet or try switching foods to to test things out.

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Could you maybe post a pic? Desi had foot issues that nearly drove me mad. Over the course of 2 years I spend $$$$$ and more $$$$ runnning tests & trying different foods.

We finally ended up trying the immune suppressant Atopica (cyclosporine) and that has totally fixed it....(knock on wood)....He's been 4 months lesion-free.

Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog.

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Guest HoundyGirl

I'd take a picture as suggested, but I think it'd be hard to get the raw parts to show up well. This is the second flare this August -- they come and go so quickly. The first one was so bad he licked his one paw until it bled - the vet I saw at that time said it was a lick granuloma and implied that he's a high energy dog that needs more exercise, but it was the same thing as I've described - just one paw was worse than the other three. I didn't try to argue with the vet about Gus' energy level because the truth of the matter is I've got a broken foot right now and can only walk the dogs for about 20 minutes a day, so Gus isn't getting enough exercise. But he's your usual low-energy grey.

 

This time, the redness has already calmed down a lot but he still wants to lick. This has happened in the winter, too, but nearly as bad. I was thinking food allergy because I had been feeding him Diamond Chicken and Rice, but switched to Iams with the last round of recalls. He seemed to get it about one every few months on the Diamond, but since switching to Iams in July, he's gotten it more often. Just in case this is food-related, I've got him on Blue Buffalo salmon and potato now and have stopped giving him his beloved popcorn, because a friend told me that corn is often what dogs with food allergies are allergic to.

 

Oh, I've been wracking my brain to think of what he's walking through that could've done this and I come up with nothing. They don't use pesticides or fertilizers at my townhouse complex. He's not walking through any visibly moldy areas -- he mostly walks in the street and the grass. I haven't used any new cleaners on the floor.

 

I'm not sure why the vet went straight to the depo-medrol. He said if this happens again, he'll do some testing to find out what causes it. I tried to tell him that it has happened before, but he didn't listen.

 

In case you can't tell, I'm lukewarm about this vet, but they're the best in this area so I'm trying to make due. Raleigh is an hour and a half away, but I can take him there if I really need to at some point. I really can't wait until I move to a larger metropolitan area!

 

I'll try to get a pic tonight.

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Guest 2dogs4cats

My maltese has environmental allergies and it's hard to pinpoint sometimes what exactly it is. I wash his feet with Malaseb twice a week and it's the only thing that works. It has to stay on for at least 10 minutes and it took about 3 weeks for it to really start working. Ask your vet if it's something you should try. My vet basically told me to try out different shampoos to find out what worked. I think it's key to keep the feet clean all the time. I think they have Malaseb wipes too. My vet also told me that a shot would be the last resort, so wierd that you got that right away. Good luck! Allergies stink.

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