What are the Symptoms of Canine Pododermatitis?
It’s important to treat the inflammation as soon as possible, so that you can prevent severe complications in the long run. To do this, you need to keep a close eye on the symptoms of pododermatitis in dogs. Listed below are the signs to look out for:
The treatment for pododermatitis will depend on what caused it. Your vet will first have to determine the underlying condition, so that they can recommend the right treatment plan for your dog.
To detect the cause, your vet may conduct a thorough medical history review, physical examination, and a series of dermatological tests on your dog’s paws. These tests include skin cytology, skin scrapings, hair plucking, bacterial and fungal cultures, biopsies, blood and urine tests, food trials, and radiographic imaging. They will help rule out conditions and precisely pinpoint what is causing the pododermatitis.
Once your vet has diagnosed the condition, they can discuss the treatment options available for canine pododermatitis. Remedies often include systemic and topical therapy to alleviate the symptoms and help your dog recover. To help you make an informed decision, here’s a list of available treatment options based on the cause.
For infectious pododermatitis cases, the treatment strategy will depend on the nature of the infection. As we might recall, these conditions can either be bacterial, fungal, or parasitic.
Bacterial and fungal paw inflammations often require medication. Your vet will recommend systemic antibiotics for bacterial paw infections in dogs for at least six (6) weeks. If the infection runs deep, the antibiotic treatment can last from around 8-12 weeks. In the case of fungal paw inflammation, your vet will prescribe anti-fungal medicine to combat the disease.
On the other hand, parasitic infections require topical ointments, special shampoos, and foot soaks to exterminate the parasites in the affected area. It’s also important to keep your dog’s resting area and toys clean to prevent the infection from coming back.
Paw inflammation stemming from allergies is not yet curable at the moment. But you can minimize the frequency and severity of its symptoms by removing the source of the allergy. For most cases of allergies, your vet will recommend medication such as antihistamines, cyclosporine (for seasonal allergies), and steroids.
Meanwhile, food allergies often require a change in your dog’s diet. To do this, you’ll need to find the source of the allergy via a process of elimination to know what part of their diet is causing the reaction. Your vet will suggest removing one or two food types at a time (e.g., fish and potatoes) and observing their reactions.
If the pododermatitis has cancerous origins, then your vet will suggest treating cancer first. Your options include chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and surgery. The proper treatment strategy will depend on the recommendation of a trusted veterinary oncologist. You can discuss these options with them to find the best choice for your dog.
If the inflammation occurs due to an underlying condition, your vet will recommend treating that disease first. After all, the paw inflammation can be reduced once the root cause is taken care of. Treatment options can include medication, topical solutions, and related strategies.
Allergies Allergic diseases in dogs and cats are very common, and results in inflammation in the skin. This inflammation is very commonly seen affecting the feet, and results in redness, excessive licking and chewing at the affected sites (figure 2). The most common triggers for allergic pododermatitis are food items and environmental substances such as dust mites and pollens, and skin disease usually starts in early life between the ages of 6 months and 3 years.
Foreign bodies Foreign bodies like grass seeds are a very common cause of pododermatitis in dogs. Foreign bodies tend to penetrate the skin of the feet when dogs are out walking/running and then trigger inflammation when they become trapped within the feet. The body often attempts to ‘expel’ these structures resulting in painful and often discharging lumps between the toes. Affected patients often lick and chew at the affected sites. Foreign bodies are particularly likely when one lesion is present on one foot.
Conformation A frustrating cause of pododermatitis is termed conformational pododermatitis. This usually occurs in heavy set dogs with excessively splayed feet. This results in weight-bearing on hairy parts of the foot adjacent to the footpads and triggers inflammation of the hair follicles. Over time, this inflammation damages the hair follicles and results in chronic inflammation with the feet. Dogs with this condition tend to have large areas of pad extension, with painful and swollen lumps around the toes (Figure 4).
Conformational pododermatitis is perhaps the most difficult to treat, as the defect is due to the conformation of the patient. Many of these cases can only be managed rather than cured and require modifications such as protective boots, good foot hygiene and avoidance of rough and uneven terrain. In some of the very worst cases, conformational pododermatitis can be corrected with surgery to fuse the toe webs together.
Deep infections A very common feature of pododermatitis, particularly in dogs, is a deep infection of the feet. This is usually due to bacteria, but can be due to rare fungal organisms, and often results in multiple painful, swollen and discharging lumps. Affected animals usually lick and chew excessively and can become lame in severe cases. Bleeding lesions are relatively common with deep infections (Figure 3).
Allergies
If you’ve recently moved to a new area and your dog likes to play or roam outside, they could be allergic to the grass or other outside matter. The season can also have an impact on what plants are growing outside, and your dog could be allergic to one certain plant or pollen.
This may cause your dog’s paws to become inflamed only during the fall or spring. Your dog’s diet may also be the culprit, especially if you noticed any symptoms after you changed their food. Common food allergens for dogs include fillers and even frequently-used meats, including chicken.
How To Treat An Infected Paw on Dog?
If you have ever seen your pup biting at their paws? Have their poor paws been inflamed, swollen, or otherwise angry-looking? If your dog has ever had trouble with their paws, pododermatitis may be to blame.