My British bulldogs red , inflamed feet and paws

[Tassie]

I would think it's definitely worth asking his breeder and any other British Bulldog people you might know if they have any thoughts.   If it doesn'e affect anywhere else except his feet, it would suggest a contact allergy as the original problem, but it might now be self-fulfilling habituation.

 

My other thought (apart from another thumbs up for something like the Sensitive Skin Big Dog frozen  patties - which have the advantage of having bone in there as well - and the cooked pumpkin skin, which can't hurt) would be to get a referral to a specialist veterinary dermatologist.   A quick search threw up about 4 in Specialist Referral practices in Melbourne.   

[teddybeans]

7 hours ago, sheena said:

 

A friend of mines, border collie had this problem & after spending $$$$$$'s at the vet, someone suggested trying feeding cooked pumpkin skin

 

Interesting, does anyone know what it is that made them stop scratching?

[teddybeans]

4 hours ago, Steve1985 said:

I currently use just wet water wipes out of the packet

Could it be the chemical/alcohol in these that he may have allergy to?

[Steve1985]

These particular ones literally are just water wipes no chemicals no fragrance just moistened with water , but good thinking incase 

[teddybeans]

I’ll probably go to another vet for a second opinion before going to a specialist.   I don’t think paw licking is uncommon, they must see it often.  

 

A different vet can confirm a diagnosis or provide another perspective .  It sounds like the irritation won’t automatically go away by itself so they  may need to treat with an injection and meds.  Your dog should get some relief after treatment - at least mine did.

[teddybeans]

If the allergy is food related, then modification with the diet is required at the same time otherwise it will just flare up again.  Problem is we don’t know what’s the cause of the allergy so tricky one.  

 

Maybe reduce the the number of ingredients in the diet.  I don’t think veggies are a problem but things like egg may be a culprit, maybe take this opportunity to try a new protein and stop feeding kangaroo?  Don’t try chicken either, it’s high on the allergy list.  Maybe stop the coconut oil too and progressively at it back in when it calms down.

Edited June 27, 2019 by teddybeans

[Steve1985]

@teddybeans thanks for your great advise. I aggree , I would like to keep him on a raw food diet rather than dry, I just find overall except his feet he reacts well with it. I was thinking to go down the barf avenue , which will eliminate me adding any veg etc as it already contains all of that and bone, even though I do give Basile 2 bones per week as a treat/meal. I used to give him a kangaroo PMR mix which is similar to BARF just no bone content in it but we moved far away from the shop who sold that so then we started making our own veg, I do think he was a bit better on that particular diet, so I will go down to my local pet shop and enquire about the BARF pattys and he is booked in to see the vet tomorrow. He is absolutely fine not a problem at all with anything else just this problem. Fingers crossed . Like you said allergy is a tricky thing to tackle especially on this bread of dogs that are more prone than others.

[juice]

Personally I’d get barf patties sensitive and feed nothing else for at least 3 months , it takes a while for food changes to work . 

I’d also ask the vet for steroid tablets . 

The problem with boots is they need fitting or they fly off , do you have a petshop you can take him to to try them in before you buy them ? 

[juice]

Do you live near a Costco ? 

[karen15]

My staffy was quite crippled as a youngster from sore licked feet. Multiple vet visits, lotions and potions, no improvement. In desperation while away saw a different vet. He suggested soaking in condes crystals daily. I might have done it twice daily to start with, so long ago I can't remember. It cleared it up and any time after that when his paws looked a bit red, I'd do them again. Easy to do, just mix up in a jar. Put paw in, stand 30 seconds, do next paw. It will stain, so do outside.

[teddybeans]

17 minutes ago, karen15 said:

My staffy was quite crippled as a youngster from sore licked feet. Multiple vet visits, lotions and potions, no improvement. In desperation while away saw a different vet. He suggested soaking in condes crystals daily. I might have done it twice daily to start with, so long ago I can't remember. It cleared it up and any time after that when his paws looked a bit red, I'd do them again. Easy to do, just mix up in a jar. Put paw in, stand 30 seconds, do next paw. It will stain, so do outside.

Thanks!  going to add that to my back pocket in case it flares up again.  What are these crystals used for typically.  My dog is a licker, it is poisonous if he licks a bit of the water with the crystals?  I'm assuming when you say soak you mean to put water?  Whats the ratio?

Edited July 7, 2019 by teddybeans

[moosmum]

I had a similar problem with my boy. Feet and belly were always worst affected, and nothing seemed to help. I began to suspect a grass allergy. I had people telling me No, it would not be that. But after trying everything I kept coming back to the Kikuyu lawn I had started. 

Got rid of my lawn and hey presto, never again!. It took awhile to get rid of. It was very obvious I had found the culprit though because he would find a small patch and it would flare again. I would get rid of that patch and it was all good til another managed to sprout. 

 

Might be worth a trial to keep him off Kikuyu for a while and see what happens.