Soaphie the sophisticated is an angel October 29, 2015

[peggy0]

Re: Soaphie

Hi tami

I did a bit of research and could not find any issues except with another NSAID but I would still check with your vet in the am

[Soaphie & Sydney's Mom]

Re: Soaphie

Thanks Peggy - I found the same thing as well. I'll call in the a.m.

[Soaphie & Sydney's Mom]

Re: Soaphie

Oh...my....God.

Soaphie has been licking her paws for about the last week - more at night then during the day - but it happens during the day every once in a while.

Nothing has changed in her diet.

Benadryl SOMETIMES helps. No so much tonight. Can dogs have claritin or zyrtec?

The licking is driving me insane!

We have washed her paws in hypoallergenic shampoo and rinsed thoroughly...lick lick lick lick lick. ARGH! It's enough to drive you insane!

Any thoughts? I know several of you have had this issue.

Tami

[MaryLea]

Re: Soaphie

Truth is stranger than fiction! When Ruffles would lick/chew at her paws like that, I found that she had matted fur between the pads on (the underside of) her little paws. She would let me trim it with a pair of scissors (more like careful excavation). It was the only time Ruffles would let anyone mess with her feet. Of course this routine began with a back massage and loooong belly rub for relaxation. Followed up with a bite or two of chicken of course!

You might check for something similar with Soaphie.

Leah

[eileen]

Re: Soaphie

Tami,

There is a condition called, Lick Granuloma which starts with the continual licking of the legs and feet as a way to calm themselves.

http://www.vetinfo.com/acral-lick-granuloma-dogs.html

Mildred will often begin licking her front legs when there is another issue bothering her.Several years ago it got so bad that she had to be treated along with wearing a 'collar' so to break the lick cycle.

Last year when she began continously licking her right front leg it turned out she had spindle cell sarcoma of that area which had to be surgically removed, twice.

[Soaphie & Sydney's Mom]

Re: Soaphie

Thank you both!

Eileen - our other dog, Sydney, had that same issue - it's more of a nervous, habit forming thing.

Leah - Good idea on the mats in betwen the toes - we'll inspect carefully today. My husband is convinced it's seasonal allergies as he said he is feeling it as well. We'll see...

Tami

[Patty]

Re: Soaphie

Tami,
Yes dogs can have other antihistamines besides Benadryl. I need to go look up the info on that though. Ali was on Claritin for a time. Benadryl was the only one that worked for her.

I'll look that info up later today. Make sure if you continue to use the Benadryl that you don't have the one with sorbitol in it. Sorbitol can accumulate in the eyes and cause cataracts.
Patty

When Ali got soooo bad licking for a while, I had to buy some kids' tube socks to put on her feet. She hated it and sulked a lot but after about a week her paws healed up. She'd licked them raw.

[Harry]

Re: Soaphie

Tami.

Sometime back, when Fergy was scratching a bit, I thought he had an allergy and I was giving him Benadryl. On a visit to the vet I asked about allergies and he mentioned trying zyrtec, I said I was using childrens Benadryl and he said "same thing." So, I use either now, when needed.


Cheers

Harry.

[CarolW]

Re: Soaphie

My doGNess; I hope Soaphie's licking isn't because of spindle cell carcinoma (however, Eileen, so glad you caught Mildred's and got her fixed up!)

Tami - big help I am - but my vet once said to me that lots of paw-licking might be allergies (ha - what else is new?) - however, I can't remember if she said paw-licking is most common for food or for environmental allergies.

Camellia licks herself quite a lot when she's stressed; she must be calming, as she's licking a lot less. She does have some itchy spots, but not drastic; I need to keep up with the brushing.

I tried a grain-free diet - SUPPOSEDLY - but was also feeding her not-grain-free treats. The grain-free food had too-high protein for Camellia, so I changed her to another quality food that does have grain. Neither food seemed to make a difference to her licking, and occasional scratching (behind and under her arms).

But the tell-tale orange stains (from licking) are gradually becoming smaller, and even some, disappearing.

I hope, hope, hope, Miss Soaphie feels better soon - same for YOU, Tami!

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 06:11:31 (PST)

[Patty]

Re: Soaphie

Ok...I looked up what Ali's been on in the past. She's been between 47-51 pounds over the years.

Benadryl dosing I've been told by a number of vets is 1mg per pound of dog. At one point I had Ali on 50mg 4x/day when she was really miserable.

We've also tried: (obviously each was a separate trial over the years, not given at the same time)
Claritin 10mg - 1 RediTab per 24 hours
Hydroxyzine 2 capsules twice a day
Tavist (Clemastine Fumarate) 1.34mg every 12 hours

Stay away from anything that says non-drowsy as it often has stimulants in it that can harm your dog.

You could also try a tea compress:
Boil 2 cups water to 1 bag of Green Tea/Chamomile. Let stand with bag steeping to room temperature, about an hour. Then use as a compress to soothe her paws. Dry thoroughly.

Hope that helps,
Patty

[Soaphie & Sydney's Mom]

Re: Soaphie

Thank you for looking up the dosages that Ali was on - much appreciated.

So far today the licking has been less (just a little when she comes in from outside). KNOCK ON WOOD! We aren't going to talk her for a walk today to see how she does this evening (having only been exposed to allergens in our backyard for very brief potty breaks). It's killing me as the sun is shining and she would LOVE to go for a walk....ugh.

Merry Christmas everyone!

[MaryLea]

Re: Soaphie

So far today the licking has been less (just a little when she comes in from outside). ...(having only been exposed to allergens in our backyard for very brief potty breaks).

Just curious: have you applied any weed-n-feed or granules to your yard recently? That seemed to irritate Ruffles' paws some; we would treat the back yard and take her to the front yard (on a leash--not fenced) until they thoroughly soaked into the ground.

[Soaphie & Sydney's Mom]

Re: Soaphie

no fertilizer etc has been applied

[MaryLea]

Re: Soaphie

Just an off the wall thought! But I know how distracting all that licking can be, out of concern for the pup if nothing else. Hope you find an effective counter measure quickly.

Mary

[k9diabetes]

Re: Soaphie

Sorry to hear about the licking! Chris got an allergic reaction to a tick bite between his toes at one point and it stirred up a lesion that would come and go over the course of a year... and then just disappeared.

We put a sock on Chris' foot and secured it above his hock with an ACE bandage. After a few minutes, he would forget about his foot with the sock on it. For a while we had to put booties on him and that worked too.

I have a chart for dosing anti-histamines in dogs and I think it's available online...

This chart appears to be the same as the one I have

http://www.alisobeachanimalclinic.co...y-for-Dogs.pdf

I gave Chris, who weighed 60-65 pounds, 1 or 2 25-mg tablets of benedryl a couple of times day. It was rather sedating for him.

Natalie