Skin Conditions/Excessive Paw Licking

[Jo&Travis]

My 8 month old cockapoo seems to be getting a few skin conditions. First of all he had crusty red lumps under his belly which were described by the vets as 'puppy acne'. This eventually cleared up with antibiotics. He now has a red rash around his bum :( in the fold of his lips and on the back of one of his legs. He also got a little 'runny eye' that was a bit red and sore in the corner.

His other problem is that he started licking and biting his back paw for long periods of time and made it sore. He has received more antibiotics for the skin condition and the sore paw. One week later his skin conditions had not gone, but were getting better however, he has started on his other back paw. At this time, the vets noticed he has blocked anal glands so she squeezed those and said that may have been the reason why he was licking and biting his paws and gave me some more antibiotics. Another week later he is now doing the same thing to all of his paws.

There does not seem to be anything stuck in his paws and he is not limping. Could this now be a habit he has got into? What can I do to break it? Does anyone else have this problem with their cockapoo?!
He will sit and lick for 30 mins at a time throughout the whole day. He is not so bad when really distracted but when he is relaxing he does it all the time.

Thanks for any comments/advice! :)

[KBNurse]

I am having the same problems with both my cockapoos. I have had them to the vet several times. Ar first the vet said it could be allergies. After changing food, treats favorites blankets etc, the problem still persists. I check the areas where they are biting and there is nothing there. No lesions, fleas.....nothing. It is really becoming annoying. I found this site while looking for advice from others about the same issue.

[kendal]

i must have compleatly missed theis post.

can i ask what it is you changed their diet to, have you tryed raw, i know a couple of dogs who it has cleared up the skin problems.

[brookiee]

my puppy does the same thing. she will just lay there and lick or even bite at her paws and i'll try to get her to stop but she'll just start right up again. Is it a cockapoo thing perhaps?

[kendal]

its not a breed spesific thing, and its not a good thing if they are that obsesed with it, it either means that something is aratating her or it is like OCD she has to do it, kinda like a comfert. this could be due to bordem or stress, same reason why some dogs chase thir shadow or their tail.

[Jo&Travis]

Thanks for the replies!

I have changed his food over to James Wellbeloved Turkey & Rice dry food and treats. He does not get any 'human' food or treats and is only given water.

I have since taken him to a new vet, who is much more helpful. He has told me its very unusual for dogs under 18 months to be allergic to food - its normally only after this agre they develop allergies (although I must stress, it is not impossible!). He has said there is 3 most likely reasons he could be doing this -

1 - Mites.
Some mites are near impossible to see by the naked eye, so he has done some skin scrapes and I am currently waiting on the results. Unfortunately nothing was seen under the microscope but they have been sent of to the labs.

2 - air born allergies
Could be anything from dust mites to grass seads

3 - poodle hair follicle
In very rare cases, the hair follicles in standard poodles can become irratated (I am not explaining it at all well!) but it is to do with the way the follicle sits. My vet has said as he has poodle in him, it could be a possibility he has this condition (although very rare).

So, I am hoping it is mites and not something that he will have for life. We do have a lot of air freshners around the house (not because of dog smells - as he doesnt! but because we liked them) and I have taken all of them away. Because it seems to be areas that he is 'treading on' that is effected, I thought this could also be another reason.

I have also got him a little ball that holds treats to keep him entertained. Although I might add, even after a 3 hr walk, he will still lick his paws. It could however be that he needs more 'mental stimulation'. At such a young age, puppies really do not need that much exercise because it can cause problems in later life. Maybe we need to increase the play time?!

I will let you know once I have heard back from the vets!

[esnaer01@yahoo.com]

My pup (kisses) is also having the same problems.
I have been trying to figure what to do as well.
The vet suggested changing her food and we have several times but still persists.

A friend suggested benadryl, but she is not a pet owner but a nurse.
So I want to see if someone has tried benedryl for their pet.

Please I need help, suggestions and/or advise.

Thanks
Eunice

[mum2bobs]

My previous dog has real problems with his skin, something that was eventually diagnosed as atopic dermatitis, which could be the problem with your dog.

There is some decent info on it in this link -

http://priory.com/vet/vetatop1.htm

I tried everything, but to be honest nothing really got rid of it completely. What did lessen it though was heavy doses of Piriton, a diet of raw meat, no treats or anything that could cause allerigies etc.

For his skin, obviously it was important to keep him clean of fleas, but othetr than that I found that putting socks on his paws helped to stop him licking and chewing them, and when they were really bad, and he had problems walking on them because of the pain, then dog boots for outside helped too.

I also found that rubbing Sudacrem on any sore bits worked well, and if I rubbed it on and then made sure he had something to keep him occupied he didnt lick it all off before it had time to help hi skin.

[AriEliyah]

You CAN give a dog Benadryl, just make sure you check w/ vet on dosage!

[mum2bobs]

Piriton was prescribed by my vet and is easily available over the counter too. I think I started on one three times a day and adjusted the dose according to how itchy he was.

[Jerseygirl]

My dog is having these same problems. My vet believes it is food allergys, so we are going thru a diet change. Right now we are wheat and corn free. If shes still itchy and chewing her paws, we'll eliminate chicken and go for a fish formula. We buy all Natural Nutro ( I live in Canada) chicken, rice and oatmeal blend, its the high end food from Pet Smart, and its meant for dogs with allergys and sensitive stomachs. We also changed her shampoo, and found a soap meant for a poodle coat. Using an oatmeal oil, or a dog shampoo or spray with oatmeal should help with itching. On the sore paws I've been using aloe vera and and antibacterial ointment for open sores. Between the toes I've been sprinkling baking soda, that seems to control the itch too....not sure why? lol, but i read it somewhere???

[AmandanKirby]

As a child we had a black lab mix with severe allergies. Their coats have several layers therefore the skin under neath would start to really smell, especially in the summer. The vet told us to give her Benedryl and that really seemed to help with the problem, but she was a large dog 80lbs so I would ask the vet about the dosage.

[ruthie]

My Cockapoo is 5 yrs old, he started chewing his left front and back paw at 2yrs. Rocky would do this until it bled. I have been to 4 different vets and spent a small fortune. Each vet had a different diagnoses, no cures. I have always kept the dog off corn, wheat, etc. He has been on candide, Califorina, etc. - have gone thru the premium list of dog food. About 6 months ago I noticed black skin on his underbelly along with rashes and red marks. Ok turns out it is yeast which causes itching.

Possible Causes:
-Can not metabolize corn, wheat, etc. and may even have trouble with Chicken and certain proteins
-when the paws would get infected from chewing the doctor gives an antibiotic. Ok that takes care of the infection, but now we are back to a yeast infection from the antibiotic then back to infection from chewing. I felt that I was moving in circles only to come back to the beginning. Some dogs are prone to yeast.

Rocky's cure

-Now on Iams prescription KO (Kanagroo and Oat)
-Gets a tablespoon of plain yogurt with 1/4 teaspoon of Prozyme powder (bought at Petco for $10 a bottle) daily (promotes good bacteria discourages yeast)
-Gets 2 baths a week using a yeast shampoo like Miconazole (this is really important) this got rid of the the skin issues, make sure you use a conditioner that is good for dry skin
-Initially whenever the dog is chewing paws dip in plain listerine (sounds crazy-but gives relief) I only had to do this for about a month.

It has been 6 months and Rocky has not been chewing his paws and the black skin along with red dry scales are gone. So are my vet pills. The food is not cheap but it cost the same as any premium food. Some may argue that it is not premium but it works. Good luck.

[kendal]

wow, fantastic that you got it sorted, hope it continues. thanks for shiring with us.

[Golddie]

Our cockapoo started having the same problems with her paws and licking/itching and had breakouts on her tummy that were bacterial infections caused by the skin problems--allergies and yeast. Our doggy dermatologist tested her feet/toes for yeast, which came back postivie. He prescribed a Miconazole shampoo which has now been changed to Keta-Chlor. We bathe her in it once a week and it has really, really helped. Also, keeping the fur between her toes clipped short has helped, as well.

For a while our dog took Atopica, which is pretty expensive, and has side effects, but it really seemed to calm down the problem, and she is off of it now. She takes Children's Benadryl (amount prescribed by her doctor) sometimes now, which helps. But I have found the Keta-Chlor and fur trimming to be the most helpful.

[LynnJ]

Hi Jo, I would be interested to hear how Travis is getting on. My cockapoo, JJ is 1year old now and has almost exactly the same thing as Travis had, he keeps on licking his feet, sometimes back left then front rght etc. I tok him to the vets and she said it ws al allergic reaction but we have just been away to the seaside for a week and he only licked once. Back 1 day and he is at them non stop!! I am wondering if it is possible that its an attention thing, either that or it must be something in our garden. I am at my wits end and wondered how you got on.

Thanks

Lynn

[Tabby]

My 2 year old 'poo is exactly the same. Last time I took her to the vets I told her about it and she said it was an allergy to something, quite possibly hayfever! I was told to give her half a Piriton tablet a day. She is fine when I give them to her :D

The vet also said that another sign of the allergy was that the skin in her ears was slightly red, not with an infection. That also cleared up with a nice bit of Piriton in her system. If only all cures were as cheap!

[mum2bobs]

I dont know if my experiences eith my previous dog will help - he had all of the symptoms you describe from puppyhood and at times it was a nightmare to be honest.

He had all the spots on tummy, licking feet signs, and at times his feet were so red and raw that he literally couldn't stand on them. His legs would quiver and shake and he would keep sitting down and banging his back paws on the ground.

At times it was so bad that I genuinely thought he would have to be put down to stop him suffering. He wasn't a cockerpoo by the way, just a lab type mongrel.

After a long period of trial and error here is what I found helped.

Medicines and Treatments - Piriton, every day. He started on one I think but ended up taking 6 a day. They certainly helped but did not totally remove the problem.

I also found that Sudacrem helped ease the itching and pain too.

Food - Watch what you give him to eat, and that includes doggy treats. With Monty I stopped all treats and had him on various hypo allergenic diets. At first each one would seem to help but after time he started itching again.

For a while I even cooked his diet - fish, rice, a little bit of veg etc and that was the best result I had with him.

Household stuff - Stop using any substances on the floors - no cleaners, no carpet sprays, nothing but water.

Foot protection. - I used small kids socks on Monty and surprisingly enough he used to tolerate them really well. I would only use them when the licking was getting persistent (which with him was a good part of the time), and would keep them on with some Velcro strips so that his circulation wasn't impaired. Sometimes I would put two socks on each poor for added protection but it did help.

With Monty it seemed that if his paw was allowed to splay a bit, as pressure was put on them with walking it made things worse. The socks seemed to keep the paw supported so the skin didnt get stretched, if that makes sense.

He also had some little boots for when he went out for a walk, again this was only done when his feet were very bad and as he got older and the problem eased he didnt need them at all.

Vets - one big thing I regret was that I didnt have insurance for him and so couldnt afford for him to get skin tests etc for him. A search on the web made me think he had something called atopic dermatitis - here's a bit of info on that that might help.

http://www.medicinenet.com/pets/dog-health/atopic_dermatitis_in_dogs.htm

http://priory.com/vet/vetatop1.htm

[Laney]

So, just to confirm, it will do my 5 month old cockerpoo no harm at all to try him on one tablet of piriton per day....is that correct? x

[wellerfeller]

So, just to confirm, it will do my 5 month old cockerpoo no harm at all to try him on one tablet of piriton per day....is that correct? x

Hi Laney, I am not sure about the dose of piriton for a dog as have no experience of this but I will say may be try and use something other than piriton as I have used this for myself and find it completely knocks me out!!! ZZZzzzzzzzzzzz:eek:
May be worth trying a childs allergy syrup, there are lots to choose from, piriteze is non drowsy I think, just use a small syringe to dose. :)

[Laney]

I just thought....Rocky has just finished a 10 day course of antibiotics (trimedoxine) for his tummy problems (constant loose stools). I wonder if he has a yeast infection from this? :confused:

[wellerfeller]

I just thought....Rocky has just finished a 10 day course of antibiotics (trimedoxine) for his tummy problems (constant loose stools). I wonder if he has a yeast infection from this? :confused:

sounds very possible, ask your vet again x

[Laney]

I found this very interesting thread online and thought I would post the link in case anyone else searches on itching/chewing/licking etc.
http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/yeast_infections_dogs2.html its worth a look and seems to have saved a lot of folk a fortune in vets bills....not to mention thier poor pooches' comfort. I will let you know how we get on with it...the ACV and yoghurt, that is. x

[M&M's mummy]

So, just to confirm, it will do my 5 month old cockerpoo no harm at all to try him on one tablet of piriton per day....is that correct? x

You must use Piriton tablets that are NOT the one a day type. My vet advised me today that for my 9kg adult dog to use 1/2 tablet 2-3 times a day.

For a 5 month old puppy I would use 1/2 a tablet once a day to start.

[kelly282]

Izzy has just started doing this too in the last few weeks, she is 8 1/2 months. Dont understand why as you have said nothing is in her paws i thought it may be that the fur inbetween the paws was too long but im confuzzled too with why she has suddenly started.:confused:

[kelly282]

i was thinking an attention thing cause she does'nt even go next to her paws when shes playing or sat with us.

[Laney]

Not tried any of the possible options yet except washing his feet in head andd shoulders (for itchy scalp). I have only seen him chew once since. He didn't chew/lick following the first wash for 2 days. On the third day he did...and I rewashed his feet (today). I have not seen him chew since again. This would be fab if it works. I don't want to medicate. I have also switched to N.I. Here's hoping.......:D

[mamahen]

I have a cockapoo with same issues. Horrible. Have spent so much money on vet bills. He chews on paws...spots on legs....scratches constantly. He has had hundreds of ear infections. He will start scratching areas until they are open, bloody, and oozing sores. It is a miserable existance for him...and he is only 5 years old. When he was 3 he got a catarac in one eye and is now almost blind in that eye. He cannot even find food on the floor when we give it to him. Not sure what to do for him. May ask vet to either find him a new home (who would want a scarred, blind, scratching dog?) or possibly put him down. We bought him from a breeder in Iowa. He was shipped here on a plane. Beautiful personality but just a miserable dog.

[Pollypiglet]

One of my jack russells would lick her paws to excess. Some say it is down to stress or an aviodence behaviour. She also got interdigital cysts which could result in her 'toes' spreading by as much as an inch in severe cases. Started her on aloe vera juice from health food store althought she continued to lick as now behaviour was well entrenched all the skin problems claered and cysts disappeared. She lived beyond 15.

[mum2bobs]

I have a cockapoo with same issues. Horrible. Have spent so much money on vet bills. He chews on paws...spots on legs....scratches constantly. He has had hundreds of ear infections. He will start scratching areas until they are open, bloody, and oozing sores. It is a miserable existance for him...and he is only 5 years old. When he was 3 he got a catarac in one eye and is now almost blind in that eye. He cannot even find food on the floor when we give it to him. Not sure what to do for him. May ask vet to either find him a new home (who would want a scarred, blind, scratching dog?) or possibly put him down. We bought him from a breeder in Iowa. He was shipped here on a plane. Beautiful personality but just a miserable dog.

My last dog suffered from this so I understand how you feel. At times his feet would be sore raw and saw he literally couldn't walk on them unless he had some sort of protection on them, and for a while I did think that I might have to have him put to sleep as the suffering was too much.

I don't know what treatments you have your dog on but these are the things that I found worked for him.

Piriton - can be bought just over the counter at any chemist and worked well for reducing itchiness. He was a big lab type dog so was on 6 tablets a day but obviously that dose would be reduced for a smaller dog.

When things got really bad would also get antibiotics and anti inflammatories from the vets which eased things considerably.

CanAural ear drops regularly to keep ears clean and antibiotic drops from vets if they got really bad.

For his paws and tummy - Sudacreme and then kids socks on his paws kept in place with some velcro - believe it or not they were tolerated well and stopped his sore skin getting irritated by carpet fibres, grass etc.

Malaseb dog shampoo regularly and regular grooming.

Hypoallergenic diets (tried him on vegetarian dog food for a while which seemed to work well), NO treats, very careful with anything he ate as he seemed to react to lots of things badly.

For a while I even had him on completely home cooked food - mainly when he was having a flare up of symptoms - and would give him cooked fish, veggies and rice for a few days just to give his system a rest.

No cleaning products used on the floors - Shake n Vac, bleach, polishes etc were banned to the bin so he didnt walk on anything that could irritate his feet.

By doing all of the above his symptoms were more or less kept under control. We took him away camping and he was sitting outside the tent with pink kids socks on his feet and rapidly became the centre of attention :)

It was a pain in the bum at times doing all of the above, but worth it because it gave him a decent quality of life, kept the symptoms at bay or even totally free of them at times.

Hope that helps a bit.

[colpa110]

One of my jack russells would lick her paws to excess. Some say it is down to stress or an aviodence behaviour. She also got interdigital cysts which could result in her 'toes' spreading by as much as an inch in severe cases. Started her on aloe vera juice from health food store althought she continued to lick as now behaviour was well entrenched all the skin problems claered and cysts disappeared. She lived beyond 15.

Hi Sue

I have been reading about Aloe Vera lately and wondered if it could help with
Betty's itchy face...how did you give her the juice ( ie neat/diluted, how much and how often etc..) Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks