Sores in between Lola's toes

[harleyshay1]

I have tried chicken and lamb both. She used to eat the Rachel Ray food but we changed to Iams and before the Rachel Ray we bought her beneful. She doesnt get treats excessively, but usually its just milkbones and an extra treat every once in a while. She does get table food though, but she got that before she started getting these. Shes a completely indoor dog except to go outside to potty. I mean i guess if they are common then i should just keep them clean so they will go away quickly.

 

[GatorRay]

They are common but you can find the source if you do enough leg work . Personally, I would consider the food....maybe look at one that is grain free. Chicken and grains seem to be the worst culprits of this sort of thing. Chicken was our issue. At least chicken in kibble anyway. I am sure you will get more advice later. If you think you would like to investigate further, there are articles (click on articles at the top) about food and nutrition for bulldogs.

You are doing right by using the salt water. That seems to do the trick. Good luck and I hope she feels better soon!

 

[harleyshay1]

Thanks! The salt water seems to take the redness away and start working immediately. Ill look into a different food as well. thanks for your help.

 

[GatorRay]

Thanks! The salt water seems to take the redness away and start working immediately. Ill look into a different food as well. thanks for your help.

You are VERY welcome . You may also want to wipe paws after going out. It is major allergy season and it could be something environmental. So hard to tell! You are doing a great job! Give her big hugs

 

[kayrahbear]

I was just coming here to ask this very same question. Roscoe has them between nearly every toe right now. I'm glad the salt soaks are helping. I'm going to give that a shot for Roscoe until he goes for his allergy test next week.

 

[BruceP]

Someone asked:

Magnesium sulfate (or magnesium sulphate) is a chemical compound containing magnesium, sulfur and oxygen, with the formula MgSO[SUB]4[/SUB]. It is often encountered as the heptahydrate epsomite (MgSO[SUB]4[/SUB]·7H[SUB]2[/SUB]O), commonly called Epsom salt

Salt, also known as table salt, or rock salt, is a mineral that is composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of ionic salts.

 

[ssesler]

My Truman also has this problem. My vet has tried a variety of things, but it keeps coming back. Recently, I found the below article on another site. I haven't tried Epsom salt, but will definitely give it a whirl. Truman's currently on a course of antibiotics... I'm hoping it will give him some relief.


"These are often called "interdigital cysts", though a correct term would be furuncles. They are actually caused by ingrown hairs. I usually prescribe six weeks of antibiotics for these. I was taught Ciprofloxacin as treatment of choice b/c of its ability to penetrate the areas. Here's the write up on them from the Merck Veterinary Manual: http://www.merckvetmanual.​com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=ht​m%2Fbc%2F70800.htm"

Interdigital Furunculosis: Introduction
Etiology
Clinical Findings and Lesions
Diagnosis
Treatment

Interdigital furunculosis, dog

Interdigital furuncles, often incorrectly referred to as interdigital cysts, are painful nodular lesions located in the interdigital webs of dogs. Histologically, these lesions represent areas of nodular pyogranulomatous inflammation—they are almost never cystic.
Etiology:
The most common cause is a deep bacterial infection. Many dog breeds (eg, Shar-Pei, Labrador Retriever, English Bulldog) are predisposed to bacterial interdigital furunculosis because of the short bristly hairs located on the webbing between the toes, prominent interdigital webbing, or both. The short shafts of hairs are easily forced backward into the hair follicles during locomotion (traumatic implantation). Hair, ie, keratin, is very inflammatory in the skin, and secondary bacterial infections are common. Less commonly, foreign material is traumatically embedded in the skin. Demodicosis ( Mange in Sheep and Goats) may be a primary cause of interdigital furunculosis. Canine atopy ( Allergic Inhalant Dermatitis: Introduction) is also a common cause of recurrent interdigital furunculosis.

Clinical Findings and Lesions:
Early lesions of interdigital furunculosis may appear as focal or generalized areas of erythema and papules in the webbing of the feet that, if left untreated, rapidly develop into single or multiple nodules. The latter usually are 1-2 cm in diameter, reddish purple, shiny, and fluctuant; they may rupture when palpated and exude a bloody material. Interdigital furuncles are most commonly found on the dorsal aspect of the paw, but may also be found ventrally. Furuncles are usually painful, and the dog may be obviously lame on the affected foot (or feet) and lick and bite at the lesions. Lesions caused by a foreign body, eg, a grass awn, are usually solitary and often occur on a front foot; recurrence is not common in these cases. If bacteria cause the interdigital furunculosis, there may be several nodules with new lesions developing as others resolve. A common cause of recurrence is the granulomatous reaction to the presence of free keratin in the tissues.

Diagnosis:
This is often based on clinical signs alone. The major differential diagnoses are traumatic lesions and neoplasia, although the latter is rare. The most useful diagnostic tests include skin scrapings for Demodex mites, impression smears, or fine-needle aspirates to confirm the presence of an inflammatory infiltrate. Unusual or recurrent lesions should be excised for histopathologic examination. Solitary lesions may require surgical exploration to find and remove foreign bodies such as grass awns.

Treatment:
Interdigital furuncles respond best to a combination of topical and systemic therapy. Cephalexin (20 mg/kg, PO, tid, or 30 mg/kg, PO, bid) is recommended for 4-6 wk of initial therapy. However, because the lesions are pyogranulomatous, it may be difficult for antibiotics to penetrate them; therefore, >8 wk of systemic antibiotic therapy may be required for lesions to completely resolve. These lesions are often complicated by concurrent Malassezia spp infections. Oral ketoconazole or itraconazole (5-10 mg/kg) for 30 days may be indicated. The presence of Malassezia can be documented by cytologic examination of nail bed debris and/or impression smears of the skin. Topical foot soaks in warm water with or without an antibiotic solution (eg, chlorhexidine) and the application of mupiricin ointment are recommended. Some dogs may benefit from antibiotic wraps and bandaging. Antihistamines given for the first several weeks of treatment may partially alleviate pruritus, if present. Glucocorticoids are contraindicated.
Chronic, recurrent interdigital furunculosis is most often caused by inappropriate antibiotic therapy (too short, wrong dose/dosage, wrong drug), concurrent corticosteroid administration, demodicosis, an anatomic predisposition, or a foreign body reaction to keratin. Lesions that recur in spite of therapy can also be a sign of an underlying disease, eg, atopy, hypothyroidism, or concurrent Malassezia infection. Lesions in confined dogs are likely to recur unless the dog is removed from wire or concrete surfaces. In some chronic cases, surgical excision or surgical correction of the webbing via fusion podoplasty may be needed. Alternatively, pulse antibiotic therapy (full dosage therapy 2-3 times/wk) or chronic low dosage antibiotic therapy (eg, 500 mg/dog, PO, sid) may help maintain clinical remission and provide pain relief in dogs with chronic lesions. This therapy is recommended only when the inciting cause cannot be identified (eg, idiopathic pyoderma), treated (eg, anatomic predisposition), or resolved (eg, chronic infection caused by foreign body material or keratin).

 

[karenben]

they can be caused by an ingrowing hair ,when plucked out the cysts go,karen

 

[Maximus]

A deep bacterial infection is the cause of Interdigital cysts, not a Food allergy. The treatment requires an 8-week course of Antibiotic therapy - anything less is useless and ineffective.
Topical foot soaks with Chlorhexidine are recommended. I'm sure the epsom salts could be effectiver as well. My concern is that we keep confirming the cause of everything as being from FOOD ALLERGIES. There really are specific behaviors a dog will exhibit if indeed there is a Food Allergy, and one of them is non-stop Paw licking. Without that, it is highly unlikely that the cause of
anything is from a Food allergy.

I've had Maximus back and forth to the Vet and specialists way to many times with skin problems, wrinkle problems, interdigital cyst problems, and none of the 3 Vets ever indicated it was a
result of his Food.

 

[cowsmom]

well im sorry but i have to say that most vets know nothing about food. ive had 2 vets tell me my cats hair loss was from fleas. i put treatments on her and bombed my house all to no avail. she was missing the top layer of hair from about mid back all down her back legs. for 3 years. i changed her food from the grocery store to blue buffalo and guess what her hair grew back and has been there ever since. last time i took her back i said look she has hair and has not had a flea treatment on her for 2 months. they were shocked so vets really know nothing about food. now cysts dont have to be strickly food related they can be environmental. but i do believe they can be allergy related but not strickly that as ive heard of ingrown hairs and toe nails causing them also. i only know that sarahs cysts on all 4 paws all but cleared up in 4 days when i took her off everything but boiled chicken for food. i have been using peroxide on sarahs for the last couple of days and seems to be helping get rid of the last remnants of them. but yes they are bacteria as the vet took a scraping of one of sarahs and it was bacteria not mange thank goodness. and yes sometimes they do require antibiotics to get rid of them. having a bully is very tricky business sometimes trying to figure out what the heck is going on. but so worth it when they give you a look or a nudge or do something so funny you laugh forever.

 

[lexterwayne]

Lex gets them every once in a while but they don't seem to bother him. He gets a weekly bath in the summer and everytime right before we do a Epsom salt soak for about 5 mins and it helps greatly!!! When I'm sore from workin out or yard work I will soak in a warm Epsom salt bath for about 15 mins and I feel so much better after! Also Epsom salt is good for plant growth as well

 

[Libra926]

. My concern is that we keep confirming the cause of everything as being from FOOD ALLERGIES. There really are specific behaviors a dog will exhibit if indeed there is a Food Allergy, and one of them is non-stop Paw licking. Without that, it is highly unlikely that the cause of
anything is from a Food allergy.

I've had Maximus back and forth to the Vet and specialists way to many times with skin problems, wrinkle problems, interdigital cyst problems, and none of the 3 Vets ever indicated it was a
result of his Food.

Could that be why you keep having to "go back and forth to the vet and specialists"? Bulldogs are a breed unlike any other. There are many, many, many people that have come thru here over the last year and a half who have had these same problems with their bulldogs. A good portion of them have switched food and have had success. Some have had to switch food more than a couple of times. I don't think anyone is saying that it's 100% a food problem. A mere suggestion that it's a food related issue should not be ignored. I've also heard that they can get them by having their nails cut. If they are walking on their pads differently due to shorter nails...it can get irritating, much the same way that a new pair of shoes can on a person.

 

[Maximus]

Could that be why you keep having to "go back and forth to the vet and specialists"? Bulldogs are a breed unlike any other. There are many, many, many people that have come thru here over the last year and a half who have had these same problems with their bulldogs. A good portion of them have switched food and have had success. Some have had to switch food more than a couple of times. I don't think anyone is saying that it's 100% a food problem. A mere suggestion that it's a food related issue should not be ignored. I've also heard that they can get them by having their nails cut. If they are walking on their pads differently due to shorter nails...it can get irritating, much the same way that a new pair of shoes can on a person.

Interesting . I guess my REAL CONCERN here is that there appears to be a genuine FOOD QUALITY PROBLEM if our Bullies are getting sick due to DOG FOOD. What is in the dog foods that is causing so many problems for our Bullies? and causing us to have to CHANGE THEIR FOOD constantly ?

What should we be feeding our Bulldogs to prevent such health problems ? I ran out of options when it comes to Dog foods ........ and I had Maximus on all of the 6-Star Dog Foods on the market.

Any suggestions on what we should feed our Dogs ?

 

[Libra926]

Interesting . I guess my REAL CONCERN here is that there appears to be a genuine FOOD QUALITY PROBLEM if our Bullies are getting sick due to DOG FOOD. What is in the dog foods that is causing so many problems for our Bullies? and causing us to have to CHANGE THEIR FOOD constantly ?

What should we be feeding our Bulldogs to prevent such health problems ? I ran out of options when it comes to Dog foods ........ and I had Maximus on all of the 6-Star Dog Foods on the market.

Any suggestions on what we should feed our Dogs ?

No..but I don't think it should be overlooked. Where your vets have NOT suggested a problem because of food, 2 of mine have. My 4 year old male was diagnosed with epilepsy at 10 months old. After all the testing was said and done, no known reason was found. Now he suffers from a grand mal seizure every 3 to 6 weeks. Every 3 months he has blood work done. Every 3 months is meds are tinkered with. Finally, one of his team of doctors suggested a food allergy. I put it on the back burner. We switched vets offices (we were using it because of it's 24 hour service but they were so spendy) and the owner of the new clinic specializes in bulldogs. HE suggested a food allergy also.

I was stunned, but I'm willing to give it a try. Right now he's gone just over 8 weeks without a seizure. That is a HUGE accomplishment for us. We have him on a spy camera and we have several members on this forum that watch him closely during the day. At night, he sleeps right against my side.

So, for every person who tries a food switch without success..........there are about 20 who have had success. Food plays a huge part on how our bulldogs appear both inside and out.
Feeding them crap food is like feeding a child McDonalds. What are you really feeding them. They don't call the shakes, MILK shakes..........hmmmm, I wonder why.
Feed them a good quality food and it makes a huge difference. There are just too many success stories right here on EBN to ignore it. I really hope Max will find something that works for him.
Poor Max may benefit from allergy testing. It seems as if you've given all the 6 star foods a try...(how long on each???)

Good luck to both of you.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

I have tried chicken and lamb both. She used to eat the Rachel Ray food but we changed to Iams and before the Rachel Ray we bought her beneful. She doesnt get treats excessively, but usually its just milkbones and an extra treat every once in a while. She does get table food though, but she got that before she started getting these. Shes a completely indoor dog except to go outside to potty. I mean i guess if they are common then i should just keep them clean so they will go away quickly.

I just have to add..milk bones are crap! And so is beneful..full of chemicals and preservatives! Table food is also not good for her! Please read up a little bit on the differences in dog food...you will be doing so much for the health of Sadie. Remember..ALL chicken and lamb dog foods are NOT the same...her symptoms are trying to tell you something..but YOU have to figure it out..and speaking from experience it's not easy and every bully is different..but at least start with removing milk bones..table scraps and NO MORE BENEFUL!!