# Murph's feet :(



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I am so frustrated and upset about the condition of Murph's front paws, specifically, his left front. He sucks/chews on them so much that he's now missing small patches of the fur. I have medicated wipes the vet gave me but my holistic practitioner friend said NOT to use those if they are alcohol based (which I don't think they are?). It seemed like they did help when I made sure to use them each day. My friend said to soak his paws twice a day in warm water and epsom salt, and then spray green tea spray on them. I'm so so so frustrated, any ideas?












The wipes I was using and still have plenty of...

Amazon.com: Douxo Chlorhexidine 3% PS Pads (30 Count): Pet Supplies


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

Are they yeasty?? I also battle the foot itchies with one of my girls. We thought it was food related did a bunch of food trials, no improvement. She was fine with her feet until she hit 1 yr old. The vet said its a contact allergy such as grass, pollen etc. I am thinking its dust and grass. This is how we treat it and it seems to be working well for her, the hair has grown back on her front feet completely, the back feet are still a bit red looking but not as bad as before.

We dipped her feet for 7 days in ACV and warm water a 50/50 mix, then just gently patted dry and let air dry. I wanted to make sure we got rid of any yeast if it was present. At night time I spray them with Collodial Silver and allow to air dry. We dont do this every single night, only when I notice they bug her. We also purchased some rubber boots Pawz Dog Boots and I place them on her feet whenever she goes outside. At least I try to, lol. If I notice she is licking or chewing her feet I pop her in the tub and give her feet a washing with Tropiclean Hypoallergenic Puppy Formula and make sure to rinse thoroughly, then I towel dry them. I have to do this about once a week. For me its about maintaining itch free feet. I know tht she has contact allergies and this will be a life long thing but at least I am not dealing with infected, oozing skin and a dog that is going insane trying to rip her toes off. 

There is a mange mite that affects the toes and sometimes ear tips only, its not demodex or sarcoptic but another type so you could have a skin scraping done to rule that out if the above treatment doesnt work for you.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

If all else fails why not try...betadine

We use Chlorhexiderm Scrub weekly for Yogi due to his allergies

Hope Murh's little paw gets better!


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

They are yeasty inbetween and underneath inbetween the pads.

The problem is...I can't tell you what came first...the yeast, which caused him to lick at it...or the licking and subsequent moisture from that action caused the yeast.

Sorta like the chicken and the egg debate lol :-/


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

And I actually am considering buying him boots, but was more so thinking of them for the purpose of stopping him from touching his feet. But maybe he should wear them outside.


Oh boy, between his tank tops, bandanas...and then shoes? People are really gonna think I'm nuts LOL


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Rocky was a constant paw chewer. He had the insides of his paws so red and raw that he was actually limping so I finally gave in and took him to the vet. He gave me these medicated wipes that worked miracles. They contain chlorhexidine and ketoconazol. They are in an alcohol base, but it cleared up his feet in just a few days. Occasionally he will start licking them again and I will just use a wipe once or twice and it clears it up immediately. I have since found that you can get the wipes anywhere without going to the vets. 

Ketoseb-D Wipes | Buy Non Prescription Pet Medications Online

(I think it is the Ketoconazol that is the important part to get rid of the yeast).


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Those look similar to the wipes I was using with Murph (and still have a whole container of...)


Your wipes ingredients:

Chlorhexidine 20 mg, Ketoconazole 17 mg, and Phytosphingosine 0.4 mg in an alcohol-based solution

Mine:

Active ingredients: Chlorhexidine, 3% Climbazole, 0.5% Phytosphingosine Salicyloyl, 0.05%

Amazon.com: Douxo Chlorhexidine 3% PS Pads (30 Count): Pet Supplies


Hmmm...


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I dunno why my damn link isn't working ;(


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Interesting..... I had to do a bit of research on that and it seems they are both in the same antifungal family, along with all of these:

*Bifonazole Butoconazole Clomidazole Clotrimazole#, Croconazole Econazole Fenticonazole Ketoconazole Isoconazole Miconazole#, Neticonazole Omoconazole Oxiconazole Sertaconazole Sulconazole Tioconazole*

So, it would be a question of which one works the best in each situation. Like Miconazole is the ingredient in most womens' yeast infection products because it targets that the best. You could try a different one of these antifungal/antiyeast products until you hit on the one the works the best on Murph's feet. Or, get your local scientist (Re!) to do a culture of his feet and the dap a little wipe on it and see which one kills it! 

Can you tell I'm in the middle of a biology class in college!!


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

Call Nzymes, see what they say, it can't hurt.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Yeah, it seems that our two diff products have two of the same ingredients, and then one different one. I'm thinking maybe I should try to do the wipes 2x a day CONSISTENTLY and religiously and see how it goes...maybe add on the green tea spray?

Also going to make sure he gets a daily probiotic.


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## Roo (Oct 17, 2010)

Lola started licking in between her toes on one of her front paws till it got raw, red, and had fur loss and dark stuff deep in, she just couldn't leave it alone, it wasn't an allergy, it was more like yeast/bacteria. I tried washing it with various stuff, antibiotics, but it kept coming back. Finally I tried giving her a daily dose of coconut oil and a kid sized pearls (human probiotic- I know it doesn't have the bacteria that supposedly works for dogs, but every time I've used the pearls with my dogs it has always seemed to make a difference digestive or skin wise), washed her foot, dried it out really well (hair dryer, low, cool setting) and put a drop of liquid oil of oregano on it topically, then wrapped it with the sports beige ankle wrap bandage stuff and taped it. I tried to let the paw air out for a couple hours each day.

In a about a week of doing this everyday, it all cleared up for good and I haven't had an issue in months, after almost a year of dealing with it. I'm not sure what exactly did it, but I'm just happy I'm no longer dealing with it, it was so frustrating. 

I hope you can figure out something that works for him soon.

The oil of oregano and probiotics I used in case anyone is interested. . . 
Amazon.com: Source Naturals Wellness Oil of Oregano, 1 Ounce: Health & Personal Care
Amazon.com: Probiotic Pearls for Kids 30 Pearls: Health & Personal Care


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Oregano oil is a very strong natural anti biotic. It is what I would use, but very sparingly as you will smell it for a while.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

I took Tux to a holistic vet to help sort out his yeasty feet. You HAVE to kill all the yeast for him to get any relief. The holistic vet prescribed Ketoconazole (2 weeks with a refill which I filled, so he was on it a month total), and she also gave me a Miconazole (s/p) spray. I sprayed his feet three times a day, right between his pads, and he also had the comfy cone put on for an hour after each spray so the medicine could soak in good without him licking it off. It took a full month to clear his feet up. At the same time he started the medications, he was also put on an all natural antihistamine (Antronex by Standard Process), a probiotic (Proviable-DC), and I started giving him 3 squirts of fish oil a day. Now with all the pollen out, his allergies are getting bad again, which causes him to want to chew his feet. I am keeping a close eye on them….


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

I have a shar-pei, I can advise on yeast! ha I suggest a good probiotic yogurt twice a day (about a table spoon each time) virgin coconut oil rinse in warm water, Omega 3 supplemtent (my pei gets salmon oil gel caps from trader joes), and apple cider vinegar in his water. About 2 tablespoons pet liter of water. The yogurt and vinegar are the best they naturally reduce yeast growth from the inside.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

i've heard good things about a soak of 1 gallon water, 1 cup peroxide and 1 cup white vinegar...


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

Meg, you call NZymes?
I wish Boone could take the Trader Joe's salmon oil but it has soy in it, which he can't have.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Not yet, had some things that came up before work and couldn't really do it at work.


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## Little Brown Jug (Dec 7, 2010)

I've seen and heard awesome feedback from people who have used Nzymes. Worth at least a call.


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