Help! doggy feet

[ticosmyham]

Well I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for my brother's dog.. I'm watching him this week beacuse Chad (my brother) went out of town for the. I've noticed that just about everytime Apollo (the pup) sits down, he starts chewing on his foot. And I mean chewing..it looks like he's gonna bite it off! And I can't do anything to stop him. I call his name, put a toy in front of him, try to physically get him to stop..nothing works! His foot is where he chews is all pink and the fur is slowly disappearing...I think this is pretty serious...any suggestions?? :confused:

[tatsxxx11]

It sounds like a classis "hot spot." Once a dog starts focusing on that one area to bite and chew, it's hard to break the habit. I've never had a dog with a hot spot but have friends who have. I understand it can be based in boredom, anxiety, etc. Is Apollo eft alone a lot during the day? Any specific fears or separation anxiety issues that you know of? Sometimes spraying on some bitter apple can help to distract him away from the spot and as you mentioned, trying to refocus his attention to something else is also a good idea. If the skin looks raw and reddened, I would definitely have him checked out at the vets; he might need some antibiotic or a brief course of steroids/anti-inflamatories. I had a friend who let his dog's hot spot go untreated/addressed for so long that the vet finally had to bandage that foot and then soft cast it to allow it to heal. When your brother gets home, suggest that he take Apollo in for a visit. I'm sure the vet will have some good advice! Let us know how Apollo's doing:) He's lucky to have such a caring and concerned auntie:)

[ScoobyDoo-Doo]

Have you tried vasoline? Maybe a little petroleum jelly would help soothe the spot. Don't put alot on just enough to treat. The dry hot heat could also be starting his paw to "Crack". Try to keep him walking on grass if it is too hot.
My dog Scooby chews on his foot alot too. It hasn't hurt him any. I had one dog that chewed on his toe-nails!!! I kept hearing a 'popping" noise and he was pulling at his nails! gross!:eek:
If there is any bleeding put some Septic powder on it. If you don't have that you can use Corn starch. Corn starch will work just as well for nail bleeding if you ever cut the nails too short!!!

[lv4dogs]

A hot spot is caused by excessive moisture, it could be a hot spot, it could also be a lick granulanoma (sp?). The LG is what is caused by boredom ussually, like an excessive habit.

If it is a hot spot (they are ussually moist & smelly) I would not put any vaseline or ointment on the area nor would I bandage the area, as it will only make it worse. You want to keep the area as dry as possible. Shave the fur if possible. Air is the main healing ingredient in hot spots. They do sell an over the counter hot spot medicine/shampoo made by salfodex (sp?) it is found at walmart or the like, it is a small bottle w/ yellow liquid. It does help.

Have you looked his feet all over? Any thorns, cracks, bites, sores, ticks, anything out of the norm? Make sure you check in between the toes.

If you are unsure & the area is getting raw I would make a vet appointment. Good luck

[dragondawg]

Paws start to itch. Puppy chews paw, until raw. Bacteria join in, with more itching and burning. Puppy chews paw more. etc etc

You should try for a 3 prong approach to this.

1. Consult with your local Vet as to the appropriate Benedryl (gel caps) dosage per the puppy. The usual range is 1-2 mg per pound. Or alternately get a script from the Vet for Hydroxyzine a longer lasting antihistamine.

2. You will probably need an antibiotic from your Vet to treat the skin infection inside-out. Cephalexins are commonly prescribed.

3. Some Vet's may prescribe an antibiotic-antiinflammatory salve such as Panalog. Likewise a standard OTC triple antibiotic salve with a procaine derivative to take out the sting is also effective. Note something like Panalog is very oily designed to soak in fast before Junior can lick it off. If you go with an antibiotic gel then you will need a lick deterent. Some people use bitter apple although it can sting if the skin is too raw or damaged. I prefer a couple of drops of tea tree oil mixed in with a little bit of the antibiotic salve and gently rubbed on the surface. The taste is very astringent and they will not lick it after the first time.

You might consider throwing in a fish oil supplement (e.g. 1- 1000 mg gel cap per day for a small-medium dog) along with Vitamin-E (dry or succinate salt form).

With the allergy suppressed, and the rest of the above helping the skin heal puppy should be more content not to chew his paw.

[ticosmyham]

Wow thanks for all of the advice you guys! Pet Talkers to the rescue once again! ;)

tatsxxx11- Apollo is barely left alone. If he's not with my brother, he's with me! :) ...I don't think he has any fears...not that I know about at least. But this, "Once a dog starts focusing on that one area to bite and chew, it's hard to break the habit" sounds like whats happened.

ScoobyDoo-Doo-It started bleeding a little bit earlier this afternoon and i tried Corn Startch...great advice!

lv4dogs - I checked between the toes, and I saw a little sore.. =/

dragondawg- Thanks for all the great advice..I think I'm going to have my mom take him to the vet tomorrow for some kind of antibiotic...I'm worried!

Thanks again for all of your suggestions! You helped a lot! :D