Rash on chin & feet

almost looks like a contact allergy? something both his feet and chin got into? New bowl? digging? new fertilizer someplace you walk? I would consider all those things. Maybe give some benedryl and see if some yogurt added to food might help if it's a yeast based problem? I am sure other's can help more..

Hope they go away soon!

Thats the very first thing I thought of too, Gina. But nothing has changed lately(that I know of) that he touches that would cause this. He has eaten raw for years, and has no food bowel (he eats on a towel). His water dish is a glass bowel, same one he has had for the past couple years. And he gets plain yogurt several times a week, usually mixed with something and frozen in a kong.

 He has had the rash between his toes before, but never the bumps on his chin. The vet has seen the rash between his toes, I believe it was last spring. He said to just give him some benadryl and try to keep him from licking it . It didn't help, at all.  But eventually it just went away on its own.

I have no idea whats causing the rash on his feet. It comes and goes randomly, I haven't been able to figure out any trigger for it. There are no fertilizers or pesticides on our lawn, no new detergent used on bedding or clothes, and no difference in his diet.

Spazzy

....He HAS NOT been itching it....

I spoke too soon.

I just noticed him scratching at his face several times today, around his cheeks and mouth/lips.

Almost *definitely* a contact allergy.

Poison oak, Wandering Jew (either the houseplant or any of the many varieties that grow outside), night-blooming jasmine, there are ZILLIONS of contact allergens that are plants and it can be something he's getting into directly OR

(this is SO not fun)

It can be something YOU or a resident human are bringing in on YOUR clothes. 

For example -- you go hiking and come home and kick off your boots into the closet.  8-10 months later you decide to clean the closet -- you reach back and grab everything out -- and then rub your nose.

You wake up later with poison ivy ON YOUR FACE. 

All you have to do is walk on the leaf of someone's wandering jew plant at work -- come home and the dog rolls on the carpet where you just walked -- the oil that transferred to your shoes and onto the carpet and then transfer to the dogs skin. 

The dog nuzzles the paw that itches and the contact allergen transfers to the mouth area.  It almost DEFINES "contact allergy" - the reddened lips and the sores around the mouth.

My guess is it's a weed growing  IN the yard or garden where he walks.  It gets between his toes where there is less hair. 

I'd put a box of baby wipes or Scottie wipes near the door and wipe off his feet  EVERY time he comes in the house.  Black tea works even better (it will help cut the oil as well and dry the sores).

I just don;t see how it could be a contact allergy. I mean, it makes sense, but I havent done ANYTHING different before or durring a flare up. They just, happen. The thing on his toes he has had a couple times before, and it was last for a LONG time, once he gets it.

We haven't gone on any walks in the woods or hikes at all lately (too hot, Bailey hates the heat). There is a small field behind our house, it belongs to a neighbor but she lets me use it. Bailey runs around in that field several times a day. The field is kept mowed... so there is no long grass or other plants. He doesnt dig, but he does like to roll in the grass (he does this in our yard, too)... but he does this ALL THE TIME.... EVERY day. There are no chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides used in the field or in our yard.

And if it is from some sort of contact allergy, why would it only be BETWEEN his toes, and on his chin? Why not on the bottom of his paws, his belly, legs, etc?

He got the rash between his toes durring last WINTER. What the heck could he come in contact with in the WINTER that would cause this? I do NOT use any frebreeze or other smelly sprays/fresheners on anything in the house, no chemicals/cleaners on the floors...

IME what he has could just as likely be symptoms of an inhalant allergy as a contact allergy, especially if he's shown any increased widespread itchiness.  I'm guessing it's getting close to ragweed time up your way?  And if it's been rainy/humid mold allergies can be a problem.  Grass/weed pollens are inhalant allergies (not contact).

Oh geeze, its on all 4 paws now. And not only between his toes, its between the pads on the BOTTOM OF HIS FOOT now. Its all red and irritated between his pads... it could be just from him licking his feet so much tho. My poor boy is licking his paws constantly. Just went outside for a quick potty walk and he had to stop walking twice to sit down so he could itch his armpits.

Should I give him a bath? Maybe start bathing him daily (or every other day? or weekly?).

I'm parinoid about giving medication, so I really didnt  want to put him on benadryl daily ( I KNOW its a pretty safe medication, I have the dosage in my Pill book medication guide, thanks to Callie ) ....... But I don't think I have a choice now, he is just plain suffering from massive itchyness.

I have some booties for him, the ones I used on his foot after he had surgery to remove that weird growth. Should I put those on him every time he goes outside?

If you've got a good shampoo, I'd definitely give it a try. You might want to make the final rinse a dilute of white or cider vinegar with water. For the feet, you can try steeping some tea really strong, cool it off and then try to soak his feet in that or at least use it as a wipe every time you come in from outside. You really must start using the benadryl. The chronic itching and licking is going to lead to bigger problems fast. Give the high end of the benadryl dose and give it consistently for the next few days. You might be able to get this under control but you might need a visit to the vet. That paw licking can turn into nasty yeast infections really quickly. I hope you're able to get a grip on it. I know all too well how frustrating this is.

Spazzy

Oh geeze, its on all 4 paws now. And not only between his toes, its between the pads on the BOTTOM OF HIS FOOT now. Its all red and irritated between his pads... it could be just from him licking his feet so much tho. My poor boy is licking his paws constantly. Just went outside for a quick potty walk and he had to stop walking twice to sit down so he could itch his armpits.

I'm not surprised.

The pictures of his paws you posted earlier already looked kinda yeasty to me.  Which happens when they start licking a lot and keep their feet damp.

Bathing may help.  It washes off pollens that accumulate on their skin and coat, and a good oatmeal shampoo will help temporarily relieve itching.  The problem is that it's really a very temporary effect.  You may have to do it every day or every other day to maintain some level of relieve, and that's a lot of work.  If you don't have time/energy for a full bath, rinsing him with the hose or even using wipes or a damp towel to wipe him down can help some.  Keeping a container of water by the door and dunking his feet every time you come back in from outside might help, and you might consider soaking his feet in some Epsom Salts or a tea solution a few times a day.

Definitely get started on Benadryl, and give it regularly.  But keep in mind that it may not work.  It doesn't work for all dogs.  But there are lots of other antihistamines that can be given.  Sometimes it's a trial-and-error process to find the one that works best.

Spazzy

I have some booties for him, the ones I used on his foot after he had surgery to remove that weird growth. Should I put those on him every time he goes outside

   You should put them on him anytime you can't watch him. such as when you're at work, or at night. The redness is from his licking, and the boots will keep him from doing that. I used to put boots on Jessie's feet to keep her from licking them before she started allergen immunotherapy. If I didn't, her feet wouldn't heal. She used to lick them until they bled.

Spazzy

Should I give him a bath? Maybe start bathing him daily (or every other day? or weekly?).

   There are some shampoos for allergy dogs that will give him relief for a few days to a week. Nu Sal T is very good; you can google it and order it online. Allergies actually change the pH of a dog's skin and make it more susceptible to yeast and bacterial infections. Pouring a vinegar- water mixture on him after bathing will help the pH;  use about one part vinegar to four parts water.

Spazzy

Oh geeze, its on all 4 paws now. And not only between his toes, its between the pads on the BOTTOM OF HIS FOOT now. Its all red and irritated between his pads... it could be just from him licking his feet so much tho. My poor boy is licking his paws constantly.

   It's a vicious cycle; the paws itch, so he licks them, which makes them more irritated, so he licks them more, ect. You can help his paws heal by making a soak with a chlorhexidene gluconate concentrate. You should be able to get this at your vet because they use it as a disinfectant. These instructions are per my vet; mix 30 ml ( one ounce) to a gallon of water and soak his paws for five minutes twice a day.  I poured some of the mixture in a ziploc bag and soaked Jessie's paws one at a time. By using a baggie, I was able to avoid spilling it. Once you make a solution, you can use all of it before making more; it will "keep" for years.

.

 He seems a little bit better today, not quite as itchy. He had benadryl twice yesterday, and this morning (and again tonight with dinner), but it has also been raining for the past 2 days, so maybe whatever was irritating him isn't as bad because of the massive amount of rain.

jessies_mom

   There are some shampoos for allergy dogs that will give him relief for a few days to a week. Nu Sal T is very good; you can google it and order it online. Allergies actually change the pH of a dog's skin and make it more susceptible to yeast and bacterial infections. Pouring a vinegar- water mixture on him after bathing will help the pH;  use about one part vinegar to four parts water.

The shampoo I have his Tropiclean, the oatmeal kind- http://www.tropiclean.net/products/oatmeal-tea-tree-shampoo.php Is it any good? Should I get a different kind?

What kind of vinegar should I use for his feet?

That looks like a good shampoo. I had the best luck with the Nu Sal T, but I'd use what you've got on hand too. For the vinegar, white vinegar is probably best but even a cider vinegar would work. The rain might be helping but my bet is on the benadryl. Keep giving it for another couple days and then see if you can back off of it.  If you do bathe or start rinsing the feet, be extra careful to dry the feet well, especially between the toes.

 I'm glad he's doing better; maybe the rain washed some of the pollen out of the air. It's been a terrible allergy season.

Spazzy

What kind of vinegar should I use for his feet

  The vinegar water mix was for pouring over his body after bathing him to help the pH of his skin.  I'm not sure it would help his feet since they have a yeast infection, and perhaps a bacterial infection as well (Jessie's had both types of infection on her feet.) The chlorhexidene soak I told you about will kill both yeast and bacteria, thus helping his feet heal.

 ETA; The soak only works on mild infections on the surface of the skin; if the infection goes deeper, you'll need to take him to the vet for antibiotics. Watch for signs such as one or more toes swelling, or infection under a pad.

The rash on his chin is completly gone. I didn't do anything for it/put anything on it, it just went away on its own. Hopfully it was just a contact allergy to something and doesn't happen again...

I kept him on benadryl twice a day for 2 weeks, and it really didn't seem to make a difference.

jessies_mom

Spazzy

What kind of vinegar should I use for his feet

 

  The vinegar water mix was for pouring over his body after bathing him to help the pH of his skin.  I'm not sure it would help his feet since they have a yeast infection, and perhaps a bacterial infection as well (Jessie's had both types of infection on her feet.) The chlorhexidene soak I told you about will kill both yeast and bacteria, thus helping his feet heal.

 ETA; The soak only works on mild infections on the surface of the skin; if the infection goes deeper, you'll need to take him to the vet for antibiotics. Watch for signs such as one or more toes swelling, or infection under a pad.

Thats what I meant, not just for his feet. I've been trying to bathe him more often and it seems to help with the issues with the rest of his skin, but not his feet... it's probably because they touch whatever it is that is irritating him every time he walks outside.

His feet are still so red and irritated. No swelling AT ALL, no bad smell or any sign of infection. It's just red and itchy.

I've started washing his feet several times a day with the shampoo, and it seems to be helping a little. The thing is, he is constantly trying to lick his feet. So, after I wash them, I dry them & then wrap them with "vet wrap". The boots he had are mostly destroyed & have big holes in them (they were cheap... I should have known they wouldn't last). I'm going thru about a million rolls of vet wrap a week (okay, maybe not a million. But deffinitely a whole lot of them) because it doesn't seem to re-stick after its used once. It seems to be getting better slowly, as long as I can keep him from licking them. If he gets a chance to lick them, they get all irritated again & we're back to square one.

I don't want summer to end, but in a way I really can't wait for winter so poor Bailey will have a break from allergies for a while.