Expert: Silva Mirovics - 11/9/2007

Question
Hello, my name is Alexis and I have a pit bull male around 1 1/2 years old, I feel so bad for him his paws are bright red and he is always itching and bitting them. I have tried everything from bacitracin to benadryl to steroids and nothing works. Please help he bites them till they bleed and I can't see him suffer anymore.
                          Thanks- Alexis

Answer
Hi Alexis,
I am sorry to hear about your young dog.  I want to first ask you some questions:  does he do it out of boredom, or to get attention?  What is his diet like?  What other natural remedies have you tried?
There are two problems that need fixing:  his obsessive behavior, and a system detox to rid his body of any allergens that may be causing the itch in the first place.

My first piece of advice would be to get 2 Bach Flower Remedies - Cherry Plum and Crab Apple.  These are both excellent for working on relieving obsessive habits and continuous licking and other self-destructive behaviors.  Simply give him 4 drops of each, three time per day, for a two week period.  Then reassess.  The drops are perfectly safe and for best results you should simply lift up his lips/jowl at the side and drop in.  Try not to touch the dropper to his mouth so as to not contaminate the essences.
If you find it completely impossible to administer this way, then you can drop onto his food just before eating (although he will need 3 doses per day).

My next thoughts is that he is either suffering some allergy or other type of immune system problem.  I would change his diet over to a more natural one (raw/cooked meats and raw fruits and veggies).  He would also benefit from some probiotics, so you can either give him a couple of tablespoons of natural plain yogurt each day, or give him a probiotic formula. Make sure to read the ingredients lists as you should NEVER give him anything containing sugar such as artificially flavored yogurts or drinks like Yakult.

There are also many herbal remedies I can suggest to relieve allergies, but these can become expensive.
You can also purchase some WheetGrass cream and rub this into his paws in the evenings.  This will help to heal the paws and provide some relief from the itching.
Have you tried small rewards for when he stops licking?  Stop him from licking and make some noise or say "Stop" in a stern voice.  When he does stop, reward him with a pat and a single liver treat (or similar).  Do this a couple of times until he understands that the licking is an undesirable behavior and he gets treats when he is good.
See how you go with all of this and please do get back to me so we can work together to bring him peace and calm.

Take care.
Silva.
www.roxysworld.com.au