Something is wrong with my dogs PAW!! Swollen in between toes..

[JimboSlice209]

Today we were watching Bruno play when we noticed he had some sort of inflammation in between one of his toes in his front paw. We looked closer and while inspecting we noticed it almost looks raw, swollen, or inflammed like if something might have bit him.

I was looking thru EBN to see if somebody had a similar problem with their bully but i didn't come across anything.

We applied ointment on it to see if that would help with the swelling but if it stays swollen were taking him to the vet to get it checked. Hopefully somebody can help us out or diagnose whats wrong with my little buddy..

 

[rjisaterp]

[MENTION=10944]JimboSlice209[/MENTION] here is a link that may help... http://www.englishbulldognews.com/content.php?617-Interdigital-Furuncle-Interdigital-Cyst

 

[ddnene]

@JimboSlice209 here is a link that may help... http://www.englishbulldognews.com/content.php?617-Interdigital-Furuncle-Interdigital-Cyst

 

[2BullyMama]

very common actually... interdigital cysts .... the link to the article is great info to help treat it. They are caused by allergies either food or environmental. My boy used to get them, horrible, then we found out he was allergic to rice, removed it form his diet and he never got another one

 

[Vikinggirl]

I agree with Christine, I was also going to say it looks like an Interdigital Cyst. They are usually caused by allergies. Soaking his paw in apple cider vinegar and warm water, or Epsom salts and warm water will help, then keeping it dry.




Dr. Welton, Dog Veterinarian


These types of cysts can be very difficult to get rid of, since they are not the primary issue, but a secondary manifestation of skin allergy. They actually are not cysts, but the result of furunculosis, a condition of the skin which clogs hair follicles and creates chronic infection. This leads to chronic focal thickening of the skin, which gradually produces a cyst like structure. Furunculosis is the result of allergy, so for the long term, if you can get over this issue, the underlying allergy must be addressed tp prevent recurrence.


First, let's discuss symptmomatic therapy. If dog is licking the paw with the cyst, this must be stopped first and foremost. All the treatment in the world will never work if the dog keeps licking. If there is licking, you must fit the dog with an elizabethan collar, which you can buy from your vet or from most pet stores.


Next, the foot with the cyst should be soaked in Epsom Salts dissolved in warm water for 10 minutes, 3 times weekly. Epsom salts can be purchased in the medicine section of any grocery, or at any pharmacy. Soaking flushes the pores and hair follicles, serving to unclog and disinfect them.


The cyst should be be cleaned thoroughly with benzoyl peroxide wipes. On a day when benzoyl peroxide cleaning coincides with an Epsom Salts soaking day, clean after the soaking. Cleaning with this solution provides more antiseptic activity, as well as modulates inflammation. You can get thes wipes under the brand name Stridex pads in the skin care section of any grocery, or at the pharmacy.


Finally, to combat the allergy, I also additionally treat with the over the counter antihistamine, Benadryl, dosed at 1 mg per pound of body weight, administered orally, 3 times daily. I like to pursue this treatment course for 6-8 weeks while also on the antibiotic cephalexin. Since cephalexin can only be obtained by prescription, you would need to get this from your vet. It may be a good idea, since this gives you the optimal chance for success.


As far as getting to the bottom of the source of the skin allergy, a food trial is a good start to rule out food allergy. While corn, wheat, and other fillers and preservatives can be involved in food related skin allergies, animal source proteins that the dog has been regularly fed are most commonly implicated. Therefore, the food trial should consist of hypoallergenic diet that is filler free, preservative free, and has a primary protein source that is novel, that is, a protein source that the patient has never been fed. You should feed such a diet exclusively for 8 weeks, then see if less topical and oral antihistamine treatment is necessary to keep the patient comfortable, and even be eliminated altogether. If this occurs, then your solution is to feed the diet exclusively indefinately. Some of my favorite choices for prescription, hypoallergenic diets, are IVD Venison and Potato, and Hills Z/D Ultra. Your vet should have these for sale.


If ultimately food is found to not be an issue involved in the skin allergy, then it is assumed that environmental allergy is the main cause of the skin problems. You can choose to manage this symptomatically as needed in the manner I listed above, or, you can talk to your vet about allergy testing to identify the primary allergens causing the reactions. Once this is determined, the allergens can be isolated in an injectable serum, which is regularly injected to desensitize the patient to the offending allergens.

 

[JimboSlice209]

Thank you everyone! I followed up on the Epsom Salt procedure and wet both his paws in warm water, dried them, and have been monitoring the wound ever since.. I really hope he gets better! For now he appears to be fine and I hope he continues to heal.

I dont know exactly what caused the cyst but Ive had him on the same type of diet(dog food) for a while now so i wouldnt associate the allergic reaction with his food. We did just move up to the woods about two or three weeks ago where there are a bunch of redwoods and its more of a forest type setting and the dogs love wandering off in the woods so Im thinking it might be an environmental thing.

Anywho, it would be nice to get the dogs tested for allergies and pinpoint exactly what they are allergic to instead of playing the guessing game.. would anyone know where i would have to go to get a dog allergy test?

 

[2BullyMama]

Thank you everyone! I followed up on the Epsom Salt procedure and wet both his paws in warm water, dried them, and have been monitoring the wound ever since.. I really hope he gets better! For now he appears to be fine and I hope he continues to heal.

I dont know exactly what caused the cyst but Ive had him on the same type of diet(dog food) for a while now so i wouldnt associate the allergic reaction with his food. We did just move up to the woods about two or three weeks ago where there are a bunch of redwoods and its more of a forest type setting and the dogs love wandering off in the woods so Im thinking it might be an environmental thing.

Anywho, it would be nice to get the dogs tested for allergies and pinpoint exactly what they are allergic to instead of playing the guessing game.. would anyone know where i would have to go to get a dog allergy test?

if you think it is environmental.. wipe his paws after he comes back in... I do this with Banks as she is pretty much allergic to all things green. Allergy test can be done through your vet... full blood screen is what to ask for. there are also deeper dive through a dermatologist

 

[JimboSlice209]

if you think it is environmental.. wipe his paws after he comes back in... I do this with Banks as she is pretty much allergic to all things green. Allergy test can be done through your vet... full blood screen is what to ask for. there are also deeper dive through a dermatologist

Ya thats what i have been doing for the last couple of days, making sure his paws stay clean! I really think he picked something up from around the area, since he just barely started getting the cyst.

Have you done an allergy test on yours? Im curious to see exactly how many things these two are allergic to and if the testing itself is expensive to do?

 

[2BullyMama]

Ya thats what i have been doing for the last couple of days, making sure his paws stay clean! I really think he picked something up from around the area, since he just barely started getting the cyst.

Have you done an allergy test on yours? Im curious to see exactly how many things these two are allergic to and if the testing itself is expensive to do?

Yes, had it done, but it was 6 or 7 yrs ago as Banks will be 9 yrs tomorrow. Costs vary but figure on anywhere from 250-500 and makes sure there are no steriods in the system for at least 30 days before the blood is drawn, otherwise you will get false negative results.

Banks is allergic to everything green ... grasses, weeds, mold, trees, etc. Chicken and house flies were the two high allergen... and she low sensitivity to salmon.

Nitschke was highly allergic to rice and all dairy, as well as grass and molds.

 

[bullmama]

Khloe has one of these since yesterday, She has never had one before. I'm 99% sure it's not allergy related. Only thing I can think of is I pulled a little cactus thorn out of her hind leg a couple of days ago. It was nowhere near her paw but may have caused the paw to swell resulting in an interdigital cyst. Her paw is swollen with a cyst, it has ruptured and had a lot of pink puss come out during the soak. Shes not licking it too much at all. If the swelling doesn't get better after a few more days of soaks I'm going to the vet for antibiotics.

However she is acting fine at the moment (eating, drinking, playing), if it wasn't clearly visible I wouldn't even know something was going on.

While I do believe most of these are allergy related, (from bacteria and excessive paw licking), I don't think it's the case here.


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