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Pink Paws


Guest dougbb

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Doug's paws have been getting progressively pinker over the last two months. Though they can look raw and slightly swollen up to his "ankle" joint and even on his knuckles, they don't appear to bother him -- sometimes after walks I catch him licking them, but he generally grooms himself after walks anyway.

 

I'm thinking he's allergic to something in the So Cal summer grass, but wanted to defer to the GT community. A paw pic (post-washing) is below: does this look like allergies? And, if so, environmental or food-related? He's been on the same kibble since February (salmon & sweet potato), so I tend to think it isn't due to food. He also has sensitive skin -- he's had at least two bouts of bacterial skin infections on his inner thighs, possibly initiated by an allergic reaction.

 

Starting today I'm washing his paws after walks and giving him twice daily dosages of Benadryl at a bit less than 1mg/pound. Any other advice or thoughts? Assuming this is an allergic reaction, how quickly will the Benadryl take effect? We'll take him to the vet if the paws aren't looking any better soon.

 

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Hopefully Jjng will see your post. This is what she posted in another thread regarding Benedryl:

 

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/289289-scratchy-scratchy-scratch-scratch-scratch/page__hl__benedryl#entry5309219

 

That distribution, along with the seasonal occurrence, sounds more like environmental allergies. I find that antihistamines only help with the milder cases. As tbhounds mentioned, Benedryl can be given up to 3 times daily.

 

If you decide to switch to chlorpheniramine instead of Benedryl, it comes in a 4 mg tablet, and a small dog would get 1/2 to 1 tablet twice daily. My mixed breed Corey has mild allergies every spring/summer, and he does better with Chlor-Tabs than with Benedryl.

 

For a 19 lb dog, I wouldn't give any more than 1 fish oil capsule daily. And keep in mind that it can affect clotting, so if he ever needs surgery, let your vet know that he's getting fish oil and stop it at least a few days before any scheduled surgery.

 

And as tbhounds mentioned, Zyrtec is another OTC antihistamine option for dogs. But only try 1 at a time, and give it at least a week or two to see if it works before switching to a different one. With Zyrtec, make sure you get the regular one, and not Zyrtec-D. Regular Zyrtec comes in a 10 mg tablet, and a typical dose for a small dog is 1/2 a tablet once daily.

Edited by macoduck

 

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Looks like Rocket's paws last year from allergies. Last year they were so bad that licking them caused infection, so he was on antibiotic, chlorpheneramine, and Pred. So far this year we are getting by with the chlorpheneramine, but I am actually going to call tomorrow and see about trying Zyrtec or something else. He was up all night last night itching and licking. They are harvesting corn nearby, and the corn dust is on everything here, so you can't breathe without inhaling it.

 

Note that Benadryl may be less effective on that type of allergy. Might be worth a call to your vet to see what they are dispensing for allergies currently. Usually, if one dog in an area is having allergy issues, many are, so the vet has probably already seen many similar cases and has an idea what will work best on the current types of pollens and irritants.

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