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Hello...before I go running to a vet, I wished to see if anyone else has experienced this issue. Trying to narrow down possibilities. Here is my story.
Teddy is a three year old big male GSD, we live in Tucson AZ and our back yard is landscaped with small rocks. Teddy is one of two dogs we have, our lab is not having this issue.
He is not left outside unattended, only goes out to do his business and see what is happening. Yes our yard receives alot of sun and the little rocks I am sure get warm.
I have been looking on the web for possible issues, one being a seasonal outside allergy, food issue or he has like athletes foot {fungal infection}.
I have on occasion seen him licking his paws and nibbling on his legs however he is not limping, back pads and flesh seem to be worse.
There is no grass in our yard, however I have been considering planting some feeling maybe the small gravel is an irritant for some reason. I do not see any lesions just yet
My vet is a no nonsense guy however tends to immediately prescribe costly scripts and by process of elimination come to a final diagnosis. Maybe I should take Teddy to another..
Anyway if anyone else has experience with this issue, please share your story.
Sounds as if the rocks are too hot and may be burning the pads of his feet. Also if they aren't smooth rocks they could be cutting the pads.
Yes, I wonder about this too.
However it is also possible that the gravel is irritating his paws. If he plays and runs around back there the gravel, rocks, concrete, etc could be wearing his pads down too.
FWIW- I would look for another vet. If you can't trust your vet to give you an object fact-based diagnosis or best guess in a case like this, then why are you using them? Not everything requires an Rx and you need a vet who you can trust to reliably do right by you and your dog.
Sounds like his pads are burned... The standard test is if you can't hold the back of your hand on the surface (rocks, concrete, whatever) for 5 seconds it is too hot for your dog to walk on. And that doesn't mean 6 seconds is OK.
Thank everyone for their response. It appears now what ever is bothering him has migrated to his ears. So I am giving in and taking him to a vet. Most likely allergies, yeast infection I suspect.
Regarding one comment or two about burnt paws, I considered that however I would think my Lab would have similar issues.
In the end I am hoping my vet will be able to give me a diagnosis on the spot and not subject my Teddy Bear to a lengthy pill regime.
Regarding one comment or two about burnt paws, I considered that however I would think my Lab would have similar issues.
Not necessarily- it is entirely possible for the hot gravel/stones to bother one dog's pads and not the other dog's pads, in a similar way to how different people's skin has different heat/sun tolerances.
At any rate, hope your vet can sort it out quickly.
One of my senior black labs has severe allergies and it took lots of time, lab tests, etc to come up with a treatment plan that really helps.
One of my senior black labs came to me with severe allergies. Did a full and expensive work up, blood to the lab to see what her biggest issues were. Then we did a 12 week food trial of Hills Science Diet Prescription Z-D. She improved a great deal on the scrip' food and we switched her to something else but she's very itchy again so I'm going with another prescription food, venison. Some improvement but I may go back to the Z-D.
Dust mites and Storage mites can be a big part of the problem. Here's some info about that:
She is also taking Allercept Therapy Drops - Allergenic Extract Prescription Product prepared by Heska, the lab that does the blood work and the drops are custom formulated for her specific issues. They will help her body adjust and tolerate what she's got the biggest problems with but it takes about a year, according to my vet. Here's a link with info about this treatment:
She gets treated with gentocin/miconazole drops in both ears twice a day. When I first got her her ears were so blocked/inflammed that the vet could not get an otoscope down in them but they are much improved now. She will need this stuff for the rest of her life.
She also takes three 25 milligram tablets of diphenhydramine twice a day as an antihistamine. I get the generic bottle by Rexall that has 365 tablets for $6.75. She will also need this for the rest of her life.
I know this is a lot of info but I hope it helps others learn about dog allergies and how to deal with them.
I now buy the antihistamine at Costco - bottle of 600 is about $4.
On Sunday I started her on a fairly new drug, Apoquel. It is pricey, (about $73 bucks for the first two weeks) at least this first batch of 16 mg. pills taking 2 a day for the first 2 weeks, then the dosage will drop to half that if it helps her. Costco doesn't carry it yet because they can't get it from Zoetis, the manufacturer. Their website claims that they have fixed the problems of availability.
So if it is allergies it may take some time to figure it out. I hope your dogs problem is no where near as severe as mine and that it won't be too costly to figure it out and treat it.
The rocks are burning his feet. Try using a thermometer to see how hot the rocks actually are.
Also, maybe wash the surface, incase a weed killer had been applied.
I would also contact my vet.
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Teddy Going to Vet
