Allergy or infection?

[Rebecca Giardina]

I think my boy just likes to keep us on our toes!

Gus normally gets allergies in the summer (we have always lived in places with 4 seasons, and now we are in California lol!) and since changing his dog food, his paws stopped being red.
I noticed the past week or 2 he was licking them again, and today when bathing him, I noticed this on his paw!
He isn't limping or in pain, he lets me touch it and doesn't seem phased, except licking.
Is it due to allergies (grass ect) or could it be an infection of a hair follicle or something?



Any suggestions for home remedies? I am still waiting to get my CA drivers license and my husband works all week so hoping to find some relief for now. I just bathed him and soaked his feet in an anti-fungal type shampoo.

 

[ddnene]

It's called an interdigital cyst, very common in bulldogs… mine just had one about 2 weeks ago. You can soak it in epsom salt or I used vetericyn on a cotton ball, and it went away in a couple of days. I honestly don't know what causes them… some people say alleges or abrasions to the area.

 

[Vikinggirl]

I was going to say it looks like an Interdigital Cyst as well. Here is an article I posted on this before.

[h=2]

Interdigital Cysts[/h]

Bulldog Interdigital Cysts

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Baggy Bulldogs​

Interdigital Cysts, (growths between the toes). Nobody really knows what causes them, some people think it is a fungus and some think it is an ingrown hair or that it may form as a result of the penetration of the skin by a foreign body — frequently grass awns. They usually clear up on their own and I am of the opinion they should not be punctured because that can lead to infection. And if possible try to avoid the antibiotic route unless there is an infection. Interdigital cysts are common in some breeds of dog . They are soft to firm fluid-filled swellings that form in the web of skin between the toes. They sometimes rupture and discharge fluid or pus.

​

Breed Occurrence

The following breeds of dog are said to develop interdigital cysts commonly :

• English Bulldogs
• German Shepherd Dogs
• German Short-haired Pointers
• Great Danes
• Pekingese
• Scottish Terriers
• West Highland White Terriers

Signs

• Pigmentation of the skin and hair between the toes (red-brown-black)
• Soft to firm swelling(s) in the web of skin between the toes
• Discharge fluid or pus
• Increased licking or biting of the feet between the toes
• Lameness

Complications

Bacterial infection is a secondary complication.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is based upon the typical location and appearance of the swellings in the interdigital skin. XRays may be taken to detect foreign material eg metal, or underlying involvement of bone, and a biopsy may be taken to eliminate the possibility of cancer.

Treatment

Medical treatment involves the use of corticosteroids (like prednisolone) which are effective in some cases. Surgical exploration of the cysts will help to identify and remove any foreign material eg grass awns.
Surgical removal (excision) off the swellings is the usual outcome if a patient does not respond to medical treatment. Unfortunately recurrence at the same site or in another interdigital web is common.
Prognosis

Good if a foreign body can be identified and removed. Guarded if no primary cause can be found because recurrence is common.

​

When the area is not infected applying the bath instructions below in an early stage this will help to dissolve it in a few days in 90% of the cases.
Soak your dogs paws (preferably two or three times a day) with Epsom salts. The easiest way to do this is to do in the tub or fill the laundry tub up with 2 to 3 inches of warm water and 1 cup of Epsom Salts.
Put your Bulldog in the tub and just pet him for about 10 minutes or so. After ten minutes or so have elapsed, put your bulldog on a thick towel and gently pat his affected foot dry.
Some people use the method below when this does not work. My last Bulldog had this problem a few times but the method named above always worked for her so I never used the method described below.
After the first bath with Epsom Salts and drying its paws, fill up a cup with about an inch of hydrogen peroxide and hold his paws in this for a few moments. The area and in particular the cyst itself will respond to the hydrogen peroxide with bubbling, where as the rest of his foot does not. This shows that there is catalase enzyme present in these areas, which is one of the components released when blood or damaged cells are present.
​

LEARN A LESSON FROM YOUR DOG, NO MATTER WHAT LIFE BRINGS YOU, KICK SOME GRASS OVER THAT AND MOVE ON.
​

 

[Vikinggirl]

Here is a link to another article by JeannieCo on Interdigital cysts.

English Bulldog News Forums - Interdigital Furuncle / Interdigital Cyst

 

[2BullyMama]

It's called an interdigital cyst, very common in bulldogs… mine just had one about 2 weeks ago. You can soak it in epsom salt or I used vetericyn on a cotton ball, and it went away in a couple of days. I honestly don't know what causes them… some people say alleges or abrasions to the area.

Here is a link to another article by JeannieCo on Interdigital cysts.

English Bulldog News Forums - Interdigital Furuncle / Interdigital Cyst

Agreed! And, they are most commonly caused by and allergy... could be grass or something else in the environment, not just the food.

 

[Rebecca Giardina]

I was thinking it was a cyst, but a lot of friends kept saying it looked like a foxtail and he needed a vet ASAP!
Well $200 later, it's diagnosed as allergies, they shaved his paw and cut the spot open (they said it MIGHT have been infected, it smells dreadful!) and my bright husband declined a cone! So now I am having to watch him like a hawk to stpo him licking it more. I just ordered a Comfy Cone I saw on amazon though.
$180 just on medication seems insane. He has an antihistamine, antibiotics, Omega 3, a paw spray and a shampoo (spray twice a day and shampoo the feet every 3 days)

I guess the plus side is it's only allergies and not something serious.
Is it possible he will need the antihistamines for the rest of his life now?

 

[2BullyMama]

I was thinking it was a cyst, but a lot of friends kept saying it looked like a foxtail and he needed a vet ASAP!
Well $200 later, it's diagnosed as allergies, they shaved his paw and cut the spot open (they said it MIGHT have been infected, it smells dreadful!) and my bright husband declined a cone! So now I am having to watch him like a hawk to stpo him licking it more. I just ordered a Comfy Cone I saw on amazon though.
$180 just on medication seems insane. He has an antihistamine, antibiotics, Omega 3, a paw spray and a shampoo (spray twice a day and shampoo the feet every 3 days)

I guess the plus side is it's only allergies and not something serious.
Is it possible he will need the antihistamines for the rest of his life now?

Gotta love the hubbies! :D

My girl, Banks was on Benedryl 2x a day for most of the year due to grass allergies and I had to wipe her paws/belly after every outing. Only time she was not on the Benedryl was in the winter months -- so, it is possible

 

[Rebecca Giardina]

Totally unrelated so I MIGHT start a new thread... But can bulldogs just randomly develop hip dysplasia?! Gus has shown symptoms now for 2 days, limping has turned into him just dragging his back right leg around...And last night he didn't jump at my husband! (Normally as soon as he gets home, Gus goes crazy jumping at him to say it's dinner time...)

 

[2BullyMama]

Totally unrelated so I MIGHT start a new thread... But can bulldogs just randomly develop hip dysplasia?! Gus has shown symptoms now for 2 days, limping has turned into him just dragging his back right leg around...And last night he didn't jump at my husband! (Normally as soon as he gets home, Gus goes crazy jumping at him to say it's dinner time...)

Yes... Most large breed dogs are susceptible to it

 

[bullmama]

Allergies are actually pretty serious.... They can cost a fortune! Like [MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION] said, try benedryl because it will make them sleepy and less paw licking. I think the cysts are from the saliva due to paw licking- and when they get one they lick them even more.

Hope he feels better.... He may have pulled a muscle or tore a tendon (hopefully not!)

Try to keep him from jumping and keep him relaxed. I know easier said than done.


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[MissWaddles13]

I noticed Miss Porkchop has been biting her paws lately. My guess, it's allergies from the grass. I haven't noticed any severe cyst. I noticed pinkness and her biting area. I been wiping her paws with baby wipes after we walk and hope it helps. I applied neem oil but she still bites. I am learning here from all you bully parents


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