Skin Problem

[shekhina]

I have a Siberian Husky here for a couple of weeks before he moves on to Canberra. He's off to the vet as soon as it can be organised, but thought I'd post here and see if anyone has any idea what this skin condition might be by looking at it, or if there's anything I can do to help him between now and when he sees the vet.

I've been told he licks at his feet a lot, although I have to say I haven't seen him do that at all since he's been here. He's fast asleep in a crate in my room at the moment (stinking it out, so not used to smelly dogs!).

His nails are so terrible, poor guy

[Rottifan]

Yes I agree those nails need cutting back. Licking can be a sign of irritation, especially if he is only licking his feet and not the rest of his body (its not like the rest of his skin everywhere else wouldnt be equally as much of a problem as the skin on his feet...if it were a skin problem). Either his nails are making walking an issue and causing him discomfort (which could be eliminated by having them cut back so that they dont contact with the floor). Also a good idea for hairy dogs is to trim the hair on their feet (around their pads on the base of their feet so that the pads make clean contact with the floor surface). Lastly if the dog is 'out of alignment' it would therefore have pinched nerves in his back (is his topline flat/straight/level like it should be or is there a big dip or is it roached/curved upward?) then when the dog moves he would have referral pain shoot down his legs or a general irritation which can also make it hard for them to lose weight and settle for any length of time. A common sign of being out of alignment is the chewing or licking of feet. See a good animal chiropractor (vets might suggest xrays but I've been told that wont correctly diagnose this as the problem due to xrays not showing nerves) and after a few treatments the symptoms should cease. Best of luck!

[shekhina]

Thanks Rottifan

His back looks OK to me. He is limping on his front right foot and I think that's likely to be caused by the very long nails. He's also very settled and seems quite comfortable laying about. I'm just hoping he's toilet trained, and holds on overnight, or else we'll be making a middle of the night dash outside

[becks]

What happened to the poor dogs face?

[sas]

Any reason why those nails can't be clipped right back or has the quick extended all the way down?

I wouldn't be suprised if he's licking his feet because they bloody hurt with those talons.

He could be itching due to an irritation.

Why can he not see a Vet today or tomorrow?

[poodlefan]

What happened to the poor dogs face?

Looks like he's rubbed it raw on a wire run or fence.

He could have a yeast infection in his pads - soaking them in a Malaseb solution won't hurt and might help.

[jemappelle]

What happened to the poor dogs face?

Is it like that because of the irritation where he is licking his feet?

[Fordogs]

Looking at that nose he could possibly have an autoimmune problem.

[shekhina]

I have no idea what has happened to his face, it's not my dog. I picked him up yesterday from people who no longer wanted him.

He is booked in to see the vet tomorrow, I had to wait for funds to be able to pay before I could book him in.

He'll be getting all his work done tomorrow and then I'll be able to treat him here at home with whatever the vet feels he needs after a skin scraping.

Thanks for the ideas, will talk to the vet about those possibilities tomorrow

[persephone]

I would suggest his lips are bare from nibbling at his feet .. compounded by a bacterial infection . Fix the foot problem.. the toes look bent at odd angles..because of way too long nails and the joints are probably painful? (and after some initial AB's ..his lips should heal

Perhaps put a bucket or muzzle on to assist in the healing?

[OSoSwift]

His nose also looks a little like the reaction dogs can get when they are allergic to plastic and are eating out of a plastic dog bowl???

His nails would feel much better after a good trim.

Good luck.

[aussielover]

Poor thing!

Cut his nails today if you can.

The face lesion looks a bit like eosinophilic granuloma to me. Sibes are more susceptible to this. Is it itchy for him?

Is it ulcerated?

Good on you for looking after him

[Erny]

Good on you for looking after him

+1

Looks like he is quite uncomfortable and the skin at the front of his muzzle would have to be very painful. Poor dude. Lucky you've got him and that he's going to receive some imminent attention that should have him feeling better soon.

[shekhina]

I cannot cut his nails today, I don't have anything to do them with, my dogs seem to wear theirs down quite well. Even if I did, I would not attempt to cut the nails of a dog I don't know.

He doesn't appear to be itchy. I haven't seen him scratch, I haven't seen him licking at either his lips or his feet I was told he licks his feet a lot, but even though he was inside from about 6pm last night I haven't seen him do it. Every time I check on him through the window outside he's not licking either, just seems to be enjoying the sun and the breeze.

I will be so glad to get him seen tomorrow, poor guy must be so uncomfortable with those nails

[shekhina]

The vet feels that the skin condition is the result of an immune mediated disease. He has had biopsies done, along with everything else, today and we'll get the results back in the new year.

Poor boy is still pretty dopey, sore and sorry for himself. He's resting up in his crate for now. I hope that he's feeling better for Christmas turkey and vegies tomorrow