I adopted an older dog (8 years old), that had been abandoned, from a local shelter a few weeks ago. He licks his paws, especially in between the pads (somewhat raw now), his fur is oilly, and has an odd "dog" smell (I've had 3 other dogs and never noticed it this bad) and scratches alot. I bathed him and have had him professionally groomed. I took him to the vet to find out what could be wrong, allergy, etc. He got a steroid injection and was put on antibiotics. He still smells and is still licking his paws. What could it be? I can't afford blood tests, and expensive meds for him. I just want to make him comfortable.
2006-09-14 05:50:23 · 11 answers · asked by ? 6 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Nutro lamb/rice was what I gave him, vet told me to switch back to Iams - what he had at shelter.
And his skin test showed no parasites.
2006-09-14 06:29:42 · update #1
The biting of the paws and the scratchiness and oil on the fur with odor sounds like a food allergy. U say ur vet says put the dog back on iams, i would never feed my dogs iams nor support the animal cruelty that they do.
Do not feed any food that has corn in or soy, these are the most common factors for allergies, u need to go with a natural food like innova. It may cost a bit more than the iams, but in the long run you will be feeding less, as this is a wonderful dog food. The innova has all natural ingrediants in it and much better for your dog.
2006-09-14 07:52:16 · answer #1 · answered by badgirl41 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This has to be some type of allergy...The licking i between the pads of his paws is a very common thing with allergies..it could be caused by a number of things: His food...The grass or ground he walks on..It could also possibly be a skin parasite or disease..but according to the symptoms you gave, it sounds like allergies..If you want to find out what exactly he's allergic to, you are going to have to have allergy tests done on him..
2006-09-14 06:02:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like allergies to me, I would really encourage you find a place that will let you make payments on an allergy test. You may also want to get him checked for arthritis because of the paw licking. What are you feeding him? The oily, smelly fur may be because of a sensitivity to bad food.
2006-09-14 05:57:26 · answer #3 · answered by Sarah H 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I agree with others on allergies. My dog has them too. Since I put him on Wellness brand food (http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/dogs/wellness_overview.html) he has been doing better. You want to stay way from corn, wheat, soy and dairy. There are lots of food out there that stay way from these things just read the labels...afte rthat there are special allergy foods too. Wellness has two. If a diet switch does not help after 2 or 3 different brands you may want to go to a dog dermatologist.
2006-09-14 10:16:04 · answer #4 · answered by Sara F 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yep. It's probably just dog sweat that dries and smells like corn chips, as well as the scent glands in their pads. You don't have to stick your nose down by their paws to smell it. If their feet get anywhere near your face, you can smell it. Or maybe I'm the only one who can smell it, because I have a very keen sense of smell. BTW, some humans' feet smell like corn chips when they've been sweating in their shoes all day. Gross, yes... but true.
2016-03-27 01:16:51 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe ask your vet if you can give him Benedryl, we have a young Jack Russell who constantly was digging at herself when we first got her, I mean she dug places raw, at first we thought that she had fleas we weren't seeing then we did Frontline, and she was still digging, I began giving her a benadryl a day, and she has been fine since. You may notice the first few days, the dog will sleep more or maybe seem more lethargic, but after he gets adjusted he should be fine. I agree that the oily skin seems to be nutritional related, maybe too much protein in his current food, or if you have only had him short time, maybe something left in his system from last style of food he was on,,hope this helps, let us know what happens, thanks
2006-09-14 06:39:26 · answer #6 · answered by Steph E 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Sounds like a skin allergy, my dog had similar problem, antibiotics should cure the problem, but if in doubt, get a second opinion from another vet
2006-09-14 06:00:39 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
It could be the dogs teeth ! my dog had a terrible stench coming from him and i couldnt figure it out! it ended up being that it was his teeth that needed to be cleaned. As for the paws it could be allergies and if not that i know my dog would do that whenever fertlizer was layedd on the grass because it burns their feet
2006-09-14 06:31:52 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Put him on lamd and rice dog food...a good brand, try nutro or chicken soup for the dog lover's soul...it sounds like he has food allergies.
Go to www.drsfostersmith.com. They have products that you acn spray on the dogs feet so they won't irritate him.
Good luck
2006-09-14 06:03:53 · answer #9 · answered by andicohoon707 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Did the vet run any tests? such as blood work?
That will give a lot of info about the health of the dog.
I had a dog that had oily skin and it was the start of kidney failure.
2006-09-14 17:21:26 · answer #10 · answered by bonniclarkson 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋