Mutilating Paws - Out of Options - What do we do?

I sense dogslife's frustration, and I must say that while symptomatic relief can be good, since the dog undergoes less suffering, you do need to continue the investigation so that no underlying condition brings consequences you don't want to have to deal with later.  Please do take the advice and get any requisite testing done to find the root cause of your dog's discomfort.

ORIGINAL: dogslife

For some reason, probably due to the antibiotic, Snowball has started urinating in the house! He has to go quite often now, and it's almost as if he has no control over it. He will just be standing there and start peeing, which is unusual for him. I'm going to call the vet next week and ask if this could be the result of a UTI. A side effect of the anti-biotic is "increased urination," so that could be it, too; and the urge is perhaps stronger than usual or maybe even unexpected

Is there something stopping you from getting bloodwork and a urine sample?  If you have given the dog a steroid, of course the itching stops.  It is what steroids do.    You have no idea what you are trying to treat in your dog. 

 
I took Snowball back to the vet today, and he does NOT have a urinary tract infection.  The vet said the steroid shot increases thirst and urination, and Snowball is probably drinking more water than he normally does and cannot always let me know quickly enough that he has to go out.
 
The vet does not know how long the steroid shot will last.  He does not think bloodwork is necessary at this point.
 
More than likely we are dealing with allergies.  The vet does not recommend allergy testing for a couple of reasons.  One, the shots help only about 50% of the dogs who get them.  Two, we live in an area called "The Valley of Sickness" because of how bad human and animal allergies are.  And the allergies can change yearly.  What Snowball is allergic to this year, may be completely different next year. 
 
For now, the vet sees us continuing the antihystamine.  If it no longer gives Snowball relief, he may suggest another shot (one or two a year) and/or another allergy-related medication.
 
For now, Snowball has found relief and has not been chewing his paws.  The peeing in the house situation we can help by monitoring his water intake.

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear about your dogs problem. Have you tried putting dog shoes on him/her? Also, how much exercise does he/she get?

Take care,
raeby

For now, Snowball has found relief and has not been chewing his paws. The peeing in the house situation we can help by monitoring his water intake.

What do you mean by that?
I would not cut down his water intake, he knows what he needs and it will help kidney function. I would pay closer attention and take him out more often. JMHO.

Please don't limit his water intake.  Regardless of the problem, he still needs adequate hydration, and if you dry him out, it may make the paw situation worse, plus it can cause other issues.  

 
Why would a vet deny bloodwork?  Esp when you first started this thread you were considering euthenizing this pet!!!
 
  Bloodwork is a basis for learning about the health of any creature. Denying a patient basic bloodwork is odd.   For a dog, a full panel is  about $90 to $100.  Basic is only $30 or $40.
 
Did you have a urinalysis, culture and sensitivity done? (that is how you would know that the dog did not have infection)  Those simple tests can tell you about kidney function and diagnosis of other potential serious disease as well. 
 
Limiting a dogs water intake is a poor idea.   Anti-histamines also cause diuresis.  You don't want to dehydrate your little pet. 
 
 
 
 
 

Since I'm not a vet, all I can do is talk to my vet, ask questions, and then rely on his expertise.  Why would I spend $100 (which is what it will cost) for blood work when the vet doesn't recommend it and doesn't believe there is anything other than allergies going on based on his observation and examination of my dog?? The vet said Snowball is NOT dehydrated (he checked him out).  I don't know what kind of urinalysis they did.  I am not limiting his water intake; however, there is no "watching him more closely" to insure he does not urinate in the house.  I have taken him outside to potty, and 30 minutes later he stands right in front of me and pees on the floor.  No warning.  No idea what's about to happen.  So, we are having to keep him in "his room" most of the time, taking him out to play outside and to be with us for limited periods of time throughout the day.
 
 
 

ORIGINAL: Dog_Lover1221

Since I'm not a vet, all I can do is talk to my vet, ask questions, and then rely on his expertise.  Why would I spend $100 (which is what it will cost) for blood work when the vet doesn't recommend it and doesn't believe there is anything other than allergies going on based on his observation and examination of my dog?? The vet said Snowball is NOT dehydrated (he checked him out).  I don't know what kind of urinalysis they did.  I am not limiting his water intake; however, there is no "watching him more closely" to insure he does not urinate in the house.  I have taken him outside to potty, and 30 minutes later he stands right in front of me and pees on the floor.  No warning.  No idea what's about to happen.  So, we are having to keep him in "his room" most of the time, taking him out to play outside and to be with us for limited periods of time throughout the day.

 
I would spend the $100 because the simple test is a baseline.  The information in blood tells about organ function and possible disease processes. 
 
Your vet is charging you plenty to do routine allergy treatment, that earlier you said did not work.   That is why I would simply just ask to please do the baseline so you know what you have got already. 
 
Your dog would get dehydrated if you limited his intake of water.
 
If he is making mistakes you could get the blue puppy pads/chux to help keep his area clean.  I am sure the dog feels miserable that he can't hold it. 

Steroids can really do a number on the whole system.  They CRAVE water and the obvious result is that they have to pee more often.  But, because they CRAVE it, they NEED it.  There is a very real danger of renal failure if a dog dosed with steroids isn't allowed to drink enough.
 
As for the blood work, every single one of my dogs has baseline bloodwork done.  And I have six german shepherds.  My vet charges $60 for the baseline bloodwork or pre-op bloodwork and it's worth every penny to be able to have something to compare to down the road.

I too get basic bloodwork done on each dog every couple of years-- just to catch any problems before they become symptomatic. It's the first thing most vets do when you walk in the door with a dog with any kind of problem.
When you have a doctor (animal or human) who just wants to give you/your pet regular shots of steroids rather than trying to figure out what is truly wrong, it's time to find a new doctor. All they do is cover up symptoms, and they have significant side effects.

Let me share a little story about steroids.  I had a serious injury that haunts me to this day with "trigger points", literal knots in the muscles in my shoulder girdle. When I lived in CA, my pain doc did BOTOX injections into he those trigger points since I had already exhibited a clear allergic reaction to steroids.  When I moved to WV, the pain doc thot Botox was stupid, only for wrinkles, blah, blah, blah......this was a workers comp injury and they had no problem paying for botox so that wasn't an issue.
 
This pain doc took me off my pain pills (said that the blood test showed I wasn't taking them and implied I was selling them.....in fact I'd taken FIVE of the darned things within 24 hours of the blood  work).  He also took me off the muscle relaxants rather effectively by refusing to give me skelaxin, which does NOT go through the CNS and insisting on giving me the stuff that made me drunk feeling...told me to "enjoy the high".  Now the reason he did this, is that by making me suffer he guarenteed that he could continue giving me steroid injections each and every month because he could charge BIG time for those.  Never mind that every time I had an injection I had to spend 3 days in a chair eating a variety of histamine blockers.  Yes, I could have refused the injections, BUT the pain was so intense by the end of 3 weeks that I was completely unable to function.
 
Long story short, all those steroids totally screwed up my immune system and my "hay fever" type allergies turned into major, life threatening allergic reactions to just about EVERYTHING I encountered.  Twice I had to be taken by ambulance from my college classes in respiratory distress.  The trigger both times?  Cologne that another student wore.  Then I had to start carrying an Epi pen and of course THAT meant that when I used IT I had to be taken to the ER for observation since epi causes the heart to race.
 
I learned the hard way NOT to trust doctors or vets who want to stick a needle in you to mask symptoms.

Jeesh Glenmar, I sure hope your reported the fraud.   Someone like that deserves to be behind bars.
 
 Steroids are helpful in situations that are short term, and the patient is also usually being treated for the underlying condition... 

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

I too get basic bloodwork done on each dog every couple of years-- just to catch any problems before they become symptomatic. It's the first thing most vets do when you walk in the door with a dog with any kind of problem.
When you have a doctor (animal or human) who just wants to give you/your pet regular shots of steroids rather than trying to figure out what is truly wrong, it's time to find a new doctor. All they do is cover up symptoms, and they have significant side effects.

 
What's "going on" appears to be allergies.  However, as the vet stated, allergies here change from year to year and there is no guarantee that what Snowball is allergic to this year will be the same next year.  I would have to allergy test every year, and even then, there is no guarantee the shots would work.  This is a horrible area of the country for allergies (the family is suffering now, too).  If we cannot get help for Snowball, I'm considering allowing a family member in another state to take him to see if he does better there.  He has volunteered, so this may be an option for us in the future.
 
I am giving Snowball plenty of water and taking him outside more often.  I will probably get the blood work done in the near future, especially if the problems continue.  We are approaching the fall season, and Snowball's allergies are typically not a problem during this time. 

Yes, I did report him to the State Medical Board and nothing was ever done.
 
BUT, the point is that long term steroid use can really do a major number on the body.

According to the vet, one or two steroid shots a year is not harmful.  He acknowledged that a lot of "newer" vets believe steroids are harmful, but he disagrees to a certain extent.

I would not say that the steriod shots are "masking" the problem.  If allergies are causing Snowball's paws to itch, thus causing him to chew them to a bloody pulp, are the shots not helping relieve the symptoms - just as an allergy shot would relieve his symptoms?
 
The vet (and I) are fairly certain we are dealing with allergies.  This means we could allergy test every year and give shots.  Basically, that's what I see as our next option.