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All three have itchy feet? Is it seasonal or all the time? What are they eating? Do you add any vitamins? What does the vet prescribe? Does it work?

Our vet has me moving all 3 dogs to a special diet for allergies and have been using Pyoben, medicated shampoo for their feet…I can’t tell if it’s seasonal yet as this is the most itching I have seen from early fall until now. Tess does have allergies. Sophie was checked yesterday–no yeast! But still itchy…I have not given them any vitamins except the supplement Omega 3…nothing has changed in our household environ…suggestions for shampoo/conditioner/yogurt/supplements? Thanks!

Are you referring to the pads on the bottom or the top of his of his paws. Road pays a lot of attention to this. When I tell him to stop, he looks at me and continues. I can hear his teeth grinding when he does this. He has no redness or anything on his feet, he does not have fleas etc.
Any suggestions??
Alma

Because all 3 dogs have itchy feet I would say it is enviormental-not allergies. Do you notice them licking, biting scratching other body areas, especially the inside hind legs and around the head? Any ear infections?

My thoughts on itching…

I live with an itchy dog, my husband’s Labrador retriever Eli. According to one source, this is not uncommon in middle-aged retrievers, particularly Labs and Goldens. I groom a number of itchy dogs. While Eli is itchy year-round, he is itchier during pollen season, again in August and after the hard freeze arrives, itchiness greatly subsides. Some of my grooming clients exhibit the same scenario. Others, not. Earlier this year, I spent a lot of time educating myself about itchy dogs and possible solutions. There are a lot of resources on the Veterinary page within this website. Start by scrolling to the bottom of the page and reading the last two paragraphs. Then reference pertinent articles and websites on the left. Soon, you’ll discover what I’ve concluded. It’s a crap shoot!

From my experience, adding raw meat to the diet helps. Eli’s symptoms subside noticeably, unless it’s pine pollen season or August, when meat makes up the majority of his diet. The Apsos’ apparently healthy skin does better, as well, when meat is added to kibble. Eli gets one Benadryl tablet mixed in with his meal.

Kathy, I advise adding raw meat to your dogs’ diet. There are now a number of products on the market. I feed Oma’s Pride. Alma, how’s Roadie doing on Blue?

Eli is bathed every other week in either olive oil soap (Katy, I’ll be trying your I Love My Dog! Sunflower Shampoo Bar on him next week) or very, very diluted Head and Shoulders. I tried a number of products; these two work the best for him.

On the Veterinary page, I mention my dislike for cortisone (prednisone, prednisolone, steroids; all the same drug category). I am referring to oral drugs. Topical cortisone is of benefit. Here’s some products worth a try, found at:

http://www.petsuppliesdelivered.com

DERMAGARD HYDROCORTISONE MEDICATED SPRAY
A fast, effective aid in the relief of trouble spots on the skin of dogs, cats and horses. Dermagard Spray is to be applied and left on for continued residual effectiveness, Cools, dries and protects irritated skin. Soothes, helps promote healing and provides temporary itch relief.

SULFODENE
Amazing medication kills fungus spores picked up in weeds that cause summer itch, mange, eczema and hot spots. The most frenzied itching is relieved instantly. Open sores heal over. Scales disappear and hair grows back.

DERMAGARD HYDROCORTISONE MEDICATED LOTION
Produces immediate, dramatic results in the reduction of inflammation of the skin and the relief of itching. Dermagard is a rich topical lotion to be applied and left on for continued residual effectiveness, soothes irritations and helps heal abrasions.

DERMAGARD HYDROCORTISONE 0.5% MEDICATED SHAMPOO
A super gentle, protein rich conditioning shampoo that reduces inflammation and irritation. This rich medicated shampoo stops itching and soothes the skin while moisturizing and revitalizing the coat. Formulated to work with Dermagard Medicated Spray and Lotion for maximum effectiveness.

I have used both the cortisone spray and sulfadene, brought in by clients, for use on their dogs. Both seemed to provide temporary relief.

Debby and Julie, Wow–thanks for all the insight and great approaches to making our dogs much more comfortable. I was feeling that their nutritional needs coupled with seasonal changes were the primary factors in their persistant itch. I was at a point of seeking a nutritionist for input and you have given me a wealth of valuable info–thanks!

Debb this might be a duplicate. roadie is doing fine with Blue. He does not like the vitamine that are in the dry food. He politely spits them out on the floor. I have to mix them with the can food which I have from Blue for him not to detect them. His stool is fine from the change.
I am putting drops in his one ear for the earmites. He eats twice a day in the morning and something when I eat my dinner. I let him out about ll:00 p.m. before I get in the bed. He lets me know when he has to go out by barking, one time at 2:00 in the morning (smile) He does not pick at his feet all the time, but when he does he grinds his teeth, very annoying to me (smile)
I haven’t taken him to vet a s yet for a checkup but as of now he doing okay. I groom him every other day, groomer once a month. His hair is getting long, and I see some black coming in on his back. The picture of Zeke are pretty, Are they going to mate Sadie with him?

Alma

Sadie had an ovariohysterectomy (spay) before she left Julie’s. So, no, she won’t be mated with Zeke. This scenario, for our dogs, is standard procedure. Just like Roadie, Sadie was shown to her Championship, bred to produce the next generation, neutered and placed in a forever home. This is ideal, allowing us to continue our work as breeder/exhibitors, making a (hopefully) positive contribution to the Apso gene pool and then placing the dog so that he/she can live most of his/her life as someone’s pet.

Good comments from everyone on the itchy dog feet, so I’ll check in here, too. Sadie came to live with us about ten days ago, and I noticed her itching right away. Zeke doesn’t seem to itch much at all. After discussing it with Julie, her opinion was that it was the dryness, and of course, Sadie moved from humid MN to extremely dry, drought-sticken NM, so that is the logical cause. I bathed her yesterday and used some anti-itch collodial oatmeal conditioner on her, and it seemed to help. Not as much itching. I also changed her diet over the past ten days to a completely raw one. I am feeding Primal, rotating between chicken, beef and lamb. I also give raw, skinned chicken necks in the AM and green tripe and raw goat cheese (a teaspoon or so) along with either sardine fish oil or cod liver oil with their Primal dinner.They get a fresh, cooked egg to share every AM also. They also get a small bowl full of raw goat milk kefir (like liquid yogurt) as a mid-day “snack”. They lick their bowls clean, and cute little Sadie now comes over to the ‘frig to ask for her meals! I had “itchy” dogs in the past, but when I moved them to a raw diet, the itching went away. I think, for my dogs, it was grain allergy from their dry kibble, even though it was good quality. A lot of dogs can’t digest grains. But environmental situations should be looked at, especially household cleaning chemicals on floors, carpets and outdoor toxins on lawns, especially. These guys are so close to the ground, that everything they come into contact with either clings to their feet and hair, or goes up their nose.
A side note about Zeke and Sadie. Yes, Sadie was spayed before arriving here. Zeke is not yet neutered, and I am not certain that I am going to neuter him. But I have no intention of ever breeding him, not only because of the agreement I have with Debby, but because the world doesn’t need anymore excess dogs and I wish for only those people like Debby and Julie to be the ones to accomplish this task. I am holding off neutering Zeke because I’m not yet convinced it is in his best health interest to do so, at least not as a puppy. I have control over him to the point that there will never be any “accidents”. I have plenty of time to further investigate the “evidence” and make a decision that I feel will be the best for him in particular, and not just for dogs in general. I fully support Debby and Julie in the way they are running their show and breeding program. I thank God for them and what they are doing, truth be known!
Katy

Hello Kathy, I read your last comment. I have started giving Roadie and little ground raw meat with his meals. I also put a little olive oil in his food each morning. He is not scratching as much, but occasionally with start bitting at his feet. He has not fleas so it is not because of that. What is Primal and where do you get it.
I feed him Blue dry mixed with the can Blue. He like it but does not like the life source vitamins that are in the dry food. He politel drops them to the floor… I have some goat cheese that I was going to make some biscuits from the Oprah show. I think I will give me a taste of that and maybe cook him an egg sometimes.

Alma