Dog with skin irritation - can I do anything else? *PICS*

[TinaK]

I have a huge staghound dog (greyhound X deerhound X who knows what) called Tiger. He is a hunting dog/pet

Photo of Tiger as a pup

3 days ago I noticed he was a bit sore on his front foot... so I took a good look between his toes and saw one spot that looked a bit red. I applied neosporin (imported from the US during my last trip over - it's prescription only human medication here

). That spot cleared up and his front leg is now fine.

Then 2 days ago I noticed a hairless patch on his upper hind leg... shown below

This patch has not changed since I first noticed it. it is not red raw.. just red and hairless.

I also noticed him licking his back foot. It looked a bit pink between the toes but nothing serious. I inspected closely between each of his toes and determined that it was not a grass seed. I sprayed his foot with dilute iodine in a hope that it would help out. Over the past 48 hours his foot has turned from pink between the toes to evil & red and he is limping badly. Clearly the iodine did nothing!

Here is the best photo I could get of his sore foot. It was taken after his bath this evening.

He has also developed some blister like lumps around his lips...

This leads me to believe that it is a skin irritation/disorder - pyoderma, with fleas being the possible underlying cause. (Since moving from the city to the farm I have had a constant battle with fleas! argh!)

Tonight I washed him with Malaseb (chlorhexidine) and paid special attention to between his toes. Tomorrow I'll have to head into town and grab some good flea treatment like advocate or frontline.... what we used a week ago hasn't done the trick.

He seems to be licking his foot less..... and my hubby won't let me put him back outside... so I'll have a beast dog sleeping on my couch!

I worked at a vet clinic for 6 years so I believe that I have done the right thing. Bringing him to the vet isn't really an option unless it's a critical situation... we just cannot afford it this week

Anyone have any other ideas? Similar experiences or suggestions?

I've had a such a bad luck run with animals this week. My best mate (cat) died, I found my pig sucking on a chicken (who survived)... and now this! When it rains... it pours.

 

[theoldchick]

You can try benadryl at 1 mg per pound 3 x daily and see if the itching decreases. Unfortunately, since you have worked at a vet clinic you know a skin scraping is in order to determine if your is developing demadectic mange-also known as red mange. His symptoms are not an emergency at this point, but avoid using any topical or oral steroid until you are sure you know what you are dealing with.

 

[TinaK]

Thanks for your advice oldchick

I worked at a vet clinic but was in the 'large animal' dept... so I sort of know what's going on with dogs... but I am certainly no expert!

We have 2 Jack Russels here as well. The older one gets very irritated skin if she gets fleas.. She had started to lick and make her tummy pink... so she got the same treatment.

Hope it's not mange. We have plenty of red foxes, kangaroos and koalas lurking around so anything is a possibility out here!

 

[justhatchin]

Hi! I have not tried this but plan to. I really think it will work. The quote is not the same as the address, I think the info on the address is better . Hope this helps. It also said somewhere not use vinegar if there is open sores.

"1
Check your dog carefully for fleas by combing through his hair with a flea comb. If you see any black spots, he has fleas.

2
Bath your dog thoroughly using an all-natural flea shampoo to kill the adult fleas. Follow the shampoos instructions carefully to ensure safe use.

3
Rinse your dog thoroughly until the water runs clear. Any leftover soap will irritate his skin.

4
Spray your pet with a mixture of 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 gallon of water. Don't rinse it off, just let him air dry. Fleas hate the smell of vinegar, so it will be easier to comb out and remove dead fleas. As an added bonus, it will give your dog's coat a healthy sheen.

5
Add 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar to your dog's drinking water to help prevent and kill future fleas"

and heres another spot with good info..

http://www.dog-health-handbook.com/vinegar-kills-fleas.html

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

Another suggest to add on top of the below.
Have a look in his ears.
We had a dear lab who was a love but certainly had his mystery health issues.
He had a very similar reaction with connected ear infections on two occassions.
We found out in time and after testing that all the sensitivity was in line with
food allergies (poultry and wheat in Beau's case).
Good luck finding the cause...he is a beautiful dog

.

 

[4H Amy]

We have a black lab that I take to the vet about once per month with skin and ear infections. I have had his skin scraped a few times. He is taking Benadryl now, he is 100 pounds so the vet told me to give him 1 mg per pound. He takes 4 (25 mg) Benedryl in the morning and 4 at night. It seems to help but he still scratches alot and has fur missing from the insides of his legs.
Everytime we visit the vet they give us antibiotics and steroids. So we have found a homeopathic vet that I have an appointment with in February since my other option is to take him to a vet allergist and get monthy allergy shots.
I switched his food a long time ago, he only eats lamb & rice food now (Blue Buffalo brand). That does not help at all though.
I will let you know what the new vet says. Keep us up to date on your dog, it may help my lab too.

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

We have a black lab that I take to the vet about once per month with skin and ear infections. I have had his skin scraped a few times. He is taking Benadryl now, he is 100 pounds so the vet told me to give him 1 mg per pound. He takes 4 (25 mg) Benedryl in the morning and 4 at night. It seems to help but he still scratches alot and has fur missing from the insides of his legs.
Everytime we visit the vet they give us antibiotics and steroids. So we have found a homeopathic vet that I have an appointment with in February since my other option is to take him to a vet allergist and get monthy allergy shots.
I switched his food a long time ago, he only eats lamb & rice food now (Blue Buffalo brand). That does not help at all though.
I will let you know what the new vet says. Keep us up to date on your dog, it may help my lab too.

 

[TinaK]

Pleased to update that Tiger is now fine! What I did seemed to work and he is now happy and not lame at all!

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

Yeah! Glad to hear he is feeling better!

 

[redhen]

I am having the SAME problem with BOTH my dogs right now... What the heck!? Both!
They eat decent food, (TOTW) And no fleas that i can see at all...
Sooo, i'm trying the benadryl and gonna put some flea meds on them to be sure...

OP, what all did you do to get the itching to stop?