First of all, go see your vet. She can easily eliminate the obvious triggers, which helps narrow down the problem. It’s very possible, your vet will find an immediate cause and solution to your dog’s problem. There are a number of other causes for skin problems and paw chewing that have nothing to do with allergies. Thyroid activity plays a key role in skin and general dog health. Too much or not enough thyroid hormones can cause hair loss, skin discoloration, weight gain or loss, and skin problems.
A blood test and your vet’s advice can narrow down your list of suspects quickly and easily. She may also want to do a tissue scraping to check for cell development, mites, fungus, yeast, etc. A microscopic look at your dog’s skin can sometimes reveal the problem immediately, or at least rule some out. Genetic disorders may also be the culprit. Sheltie skin syndrome or dermatomyositis, which can occur in many of the collie breeds, affects the connective tissue and can cause a variety of symptoms.
Only your vet can determine if your dog might have a genetic disorder or other hidden reason for skin problems.
Once you’ve seen a vet, here are other things to try.
Narrow down the possibilities. Try to eliminate unlikely triggers and identify the most obvious. If you can remove them from the dog’s environment, great. If not, boost your dog’s self-esteem, immune system, intellectual and physical stimulation and treat her symptoms with patience. Your dog’s life will be easier, and so will yours.
Make sure your dog has plenty of fatty acids in her diet. When dogs were wolves, they ate birds and deer and rabbits and nuts. They got fatty acids in their diet because their prey ate grass, the primary source of Omega fatty acids. Today, most dogs don’t get enough of these important nutrients in their food and it can affect their mood, their blood chemistry and skin health.
Go to the grocery or drug store and get some of the stuff listed below. Start slowly and work up so your dog has a chance to get used to the extra oils in his or her diet. If you go too quickly, you can cause diarrhea and no one wants that. Your dog will eat the gel caps like treats or you can put drops in her food.
Give your dog a different capsule every night with dinner, usually a dose of 200mg, or one small capsule is sufficient. Be extra careful with the cod liver oil. It can give your dog a case of the runs if you use too much. Don’t use more than a quarter-tablespoon for each 40 pounds of dog. Reduce it if your dog’s poop is soft. Dog poop should be firm. If it’s soft and stinky, you’re probably giving him the wrong food, too many treats or too many oily supplements.
Evening primrose oil - 200 to 500 mg, twice a week for an average sized dog. Evening primrose oil is a great source of Omega-9 fatty acids which have been linked to inflammation and mood disorders in humans. Although there have been no studies on dogs that we know of, we think this may be the most important of all the supplements you can give your dog. By giving your dog Omega-9 fatty acids, we think it can lower their bodies reaction to allergens, possibly reduce itching and may even help take the edge off of neurotic behavior. So far, the data is anecdotal or borrowed from human studies, but we think this might be one of the most important food supplements you can give your dog. Borage oil and some other supplements contain Omega-9 fatty acids but evening primrose oil is easiest to find and has the highest concentrations.
Fish oil capsules – 200 to 500 mg, once a week for an average sized dog. A good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil is good for your dog’s nervous system, heart, skin and immune system.
Flaxseed oil capsules – 200 to 500 mg, once a week. Good for all of the above but has more Alpha-linolenic acid in the form of Omega-6 fatty acids, which are highly beneficial to your dog’s skin. Safflower oil works too. Use about a quarter teaspoon added to his food once or twice a week.
Cod liver oil – Very high in vitamin A and D. Good for coat and skin, and a variety of other nutritional needs of your dog. If you want your dog’s coat to shine, cod liver oil is your best bet.
Vitamin E - The studies are conflicting on this, but we lean toward using it. Give you dog the smallest gel cap you can get a couple of times a week. Vitamin E has several properties that make it a good candidate to help dogs with skin issues or allergies.
Change his food. Try a food specially formulated for allergenic dogs, or try a food based on a higher protein, simple carbohydrate diet, closer to a dog/wolf’s natural diet.
Put some socks on your dog. Elizabethan plastic collars and muzzles only work when your dog is wearing them, and the collars usually don’t work at all. Even if they did work, we consider them to be cruel and unusual torture devices that more likely add to the problem than help. Your dog certainly doesn’t want to wear either.
Socks on the other hand, or paw, can be an excellent way to keep your dog from chewing his feet, help contain the infection, and are usually a comfortable, effective method to prevent chewing and licking. Use white cotton children's socks. Dyes and other materials can be itchy. Unfortunately, the problem with most socks we have tried is that they come off within a few minutes.
There are some socks and "booties" that don’t come off. They are made from plastic or rubber materials that are tough enough to prevent the dog from chewing through them. Dogs sweat through their noses and their paws. If they are wearing waterproof socks, their feet will get sweaty and damp, causing the dog equivalent to “dishpan hands.” This is not only the perfect environment for bacterial growth, it’s probably not helping to relieve their itchy skin.
For some dogs, a solution seems to have been found by a combination approach. DermaPaw sells cotton bobby socks attached to an elastic harness that looks something like dog suspenders. They also provide instructions and a video on how to make some yourself. The socks are cheap, washable, and allow oxygen to the area. The theory is that by covering the dog’s paw with as light-weight and least intrusive method possible, the dog doesn’t mind it much, and won't try so hard to chew through the covering. DermaPaw also sells a topical ointment that contains non-toxic ingredients to prevent itching, infection and speed skin healing. We should mention here that our opinion is biased, since DermaPaw sponsors this site.
Don’t bathe your dog too much. Sometimes a warm bath or shower is great for a dog, especially if they like water, but you don’t always have to use soap. If you do use soap, always use a conditioner. If your dog smells really bad, and he’s constantly licking at his skin or chewing or scratching, there’s a good chance he has a bacterial infection.
Dog skin is slightly more alkaline than human skin, so human shampoo and even many dog shampoos will actually dry your dog's skin because they are either neutral pH or slightly acidic. You want to get a shampoo with a pH of 8 or above if possible. If you can't find a high pH shampoo, you can rinse your dog with a plastic container of water mixed with a few tablespoons of baking soda. This will not only raise the pH of his skin so it doesn't dry out and itch so much, it can also absorb allergens.
Some people keep a container of water and baking soda by the door. When your dog comes inside, swish his feet in the mixture during allergy season. This not only helps to remove pollens but can often soothe itchy skin.
Antibiotics: If you think your dog has a severe skin infection, take him to the vet. Antibiotics can clear up skin infections within days, and the longer you let an infection go, the worse it can get. If you can’t catch it early, get antibiotics. If it keeps recurring, try some of the natural dog skin remedies. Many contain ingredients such as olive oil, chamomile tea, or other antiseptics that in many cases will stop an infection and heal the skin.
Chamomile and Sage tea bags are effective alternative treatments you should try. Chamomile has been shown to be a very effective antiseptic, some studies have even found it more effective than antibiotics when applied topically. It has also been shown to speed wound healing. Get some at the grocery store and apply wet tea bags to your dog’s feet. Chamomile can also help calm your dog, and don’t worry if your dog finds it tasty. It’s perfectly harmless.
Sage tea has been used for years to prevent swelling of mucous membranes and relieve skin irritation. It's a good anti-histamine with the added benefit of being generally safe. Europeans have been using sage tea for hundreds of years as a mouthwash to relieve gum irritations. One interesting property of sage tea is that is it used as an antiperspirant all over the world. Since a large number of a dog’s sweat glands are in his feet, sage tea may help reduce wetness, bacteria, swelling and itching, all at the same time. Be careful not to allow your dog to eat or swallow the tea bags. It could cause an upset stomach. Also, be careful not to get any in your dog's eyes. It dries out mucous membranes and could irritate doggy peepers.
Epsom salt baths can help in several ways. Not only has salt and salt water been used as an effective anti-bacterial agent for thousands of years, as evidenced by salted foods, many breeds, such as Labrador retrievers were bred to spend their days standing in salt water, helping to bring in fishing nets. Epsom salts contain not only sodium chloride, but potassium and nitrates that can aid in restoring the natural balance of bacteria on a dog’s skin. Salt can also raise the pH level of your dog’s skin, which may help regulate normal bacterial ratios. Regardless of the reason, a warm saltwater bath soothes the itch, helps disinfect the area and is a fun experience for dog and owner alike. Don’t rinse your dog’s feet after her bath. Let her lick the salt off or gently pat dry her paws. Again, try not to get any in her eyes.
Experiment around and write down the results. Every dog is different and they all live in different environments so you'll have to figure out what works or not by trial and error. Be patient, skin and allergy problems are usually complex and there are usually no quick fixes. Symptom relief is often the best you can do and even that is often difficult to achieve.
Video showing how to use DermaPaw
Video showing how to make a sock harness for your dog
Video showing how to put a sock harness on your dog if they won't lay on their back
Warning!
Never use tea tree oil directly on your dog. Many shampoos contain tea tree oil in such small quantities, it may help and pose no threat to your dog. Use caution, however, and make sure your dog doesn’t ingest any or get it in his eyes.Although it has a well-deserved reputation for excellent anti-microbial, anti-fungal and flea killing properties, it is dangerous and possibly deadly for dogs and cats. According to National Animal Poison Control Center, the use of tea tree oil in dogs has been associated with hypothermia, muscle weakness, ataxia, tremors, altered behavior, and paralysis.According to the American Cancer Society: "Tea tree oil is toxic when swallowed. It has been reported to cause drowsiness, confusion, hallucinations, coma, unsteadiness, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach upset, blood cell abnormalities, and severe rashes. It should be kept away from pets and children."
Be very careful with eucalyptus or any products that contain it. Although it has proven anti-microbial, anti-fungal and even flea killing properties, it can be toxic to dogs if ingested. Additionally, eucalyptus can irritate your dog’s eyes and nose. Shelties and other collie breeds are especially sensitive to it and large ingested amounts are toxic. Eucalyptus is an excellent antiseptic and natural insect repellant, it also tastes terrible and is very aromatic. Often used in herbal remedies, eucalyptus is meant to serve the purpose of killing bacteria and, because it tastes so bitter, prevent your dog from licking the area. The problem is that your dog will probably lick the area despite the bitter taste, ingest the eucalyptus and possibly poison itself. Never use Tabasco or pepper sauce to discourage paw licking. Imagine someone sprinkling pepper sauce on a cut or sore on your own skin. We think this is a ridiculous, yet often recommended licking deterrent. The fact is, you are torturing your dog. We also think bitter apple or bitter lime spray is almost as bad. Almost all of them are dissolved in alcohol which would obviously sting if applied to already inflamed or irritated skin. Never use cortisone itch cream or ointment. If ingested, cortisone can cause intestinal bleeding, rash, difficulty breathing, depression, severe nausea, stomach pain, swelling of feet or legs, rapid weight gain, agressiveness, and vomiting to name a few. If steroids of any type are used, make sure your vet prescribes them.
Never use shock collars to prevent dog paw licking. We feel this is so obvious, we shouldn’t have to mention it, but just in case the idea crossed your mind...
Here's a video of our own dog before we created DermaPaw and what he looks like today
We feel this subject needs a central source of information and that is our mission. Dog paw licking , dog dermatitis, dog skin allergies and some dog allergy treatments often lead to serious consequences because of lack of information or partial information. These complications and side effects can include lick granuloma, also known as atopic granuloma, obsessive compulsive behavior, bacterial mutation caused by selective evolution through overuse or incorrect use of antibiotics, warts on your dog's gums caused by Atopica, bladder infections caused by antihistamines, ulcerative colitis caused by misuse and ingestion of cortisone spray or cream, Cushing's syndrome and other auto immune disorders resulting from irresponsible use of steroids and a list long enough to fill a book. The more information you have, the better able you will be to make decisions concerning your dog’s health. We remind you to check your sources, including information from this site. The opinions expressed are not meant to be used without the collaboration and advice of your veterinarian. Always check with your vet before doing anything that could possibly adversely affect your dog’s health, but remember, the choice is yours. Many sites regarding dog allergies, dog dermatitis, dog paw licking, dog paw chewing, dog foot chewing, lick granuloma, and other canine skin conditions basically boil down to "go see your vet." We don't disagree with this general advice, but believe you should go see your vet with a basic understanding of your treatment options and the efficacy and side effects of each. Ultimately, your dog is depending on you to make choices that are in his or her best interest. Only by understanding your dog's condition and your treatment options, will you best be able to do that. Choose wisely, your dog is depending on you.
