@ThreeGreenSheep
Stepping out of lurk mode for this. I’ve tried searching but
can’t find much. Sorry this post is so long, but I’m really at my wits end with
this and I need some fresh opinions, suggestions, advice, anything really.
One of my dogs, Maya, seems to chronically tear up her paw
pads. Every few months one or both of her back feet either cracks, chaps,
splits, or peels. The first couple of times I figured she had cut her foot on
something, but now I don’t know what’s going on. It doesn’t seem to be tied to
weather, or much of anything. I’ve investigated everything she could be
injuring herself on and don’t think that’s it. It’s obviously painful for her
though, and I really want to get to the bottom of it.
She’s not an active dog, quite a couch potato really. She is
crated when I’m not home, and she has some severe stranger phobia/aggression so
for now at least she isn’t being taken out for walks. We have a fenced yard,
and she’s always supervised outside. I’ve combed the house and yard for
anything that could do this and found nothing. Plus I have another dog with no
similar issues. Maya is a 3(?) year old mix and healthy except for this. She
doesn’t have any contact allergies or skin problems.
I have hardwood and linoleum floors and clean with diluted
vinegar only. Both dogs are raw fed and supplemented with fish oil. No recent
changes in diet or brands of anything. They get a bath every six months or so
with extremely diluted lavender castile soap. No topical flea/tick
preventatives. I’ve tried moisturizing and “musher’s secret” without change.
When they start to split or peel I’ve used calendula cream or antibiotic
ointment but neither makes a big difference. My vet seems stumped and pretty
much just gave me antibiotics and suggested boots. I’m afraid to try boots
because I don’t want to wrap up her feet so that they can’t get air circulation
and heal. Plus, at this point Maya isn’t keen on me touching her feet so I’m
sure shoes would not go over well. I’m desperate for some other ideas. Has anyone seen
something like this? Or know what might cause it? I'm posting pictures of her back left foot. It's much worse than the right. And one of the whole dog, for good measure: -Rebecca
Dear Three Green Sheep--
I understand how frustrating this situation can be--it took me a year and a half to figure out that Woody's paw pads were breaking open and sore right after he got his Trifexis for the month. Then they slowly healed, and again developed the cracks and lesions on the days immediately following the next dose. I found out that the back pads in particular take a lot of wear and cell turnover is faster--so this ends up being where an autoimmune thing, or something a little different called 'drug emergence' can manifest. I tried everything mentioned here, and a lot of it helped, but it was stopping the Trifexis that really healed it. I feel bad about making him take a medicine that was doing this for so long! My other dog didn't seem to have any problems with it.