Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 8/10/2005

Question
My dog has redness in his pads of his paws and to make matters worse he constantly bites and chews at them. My vet sold me some shampoo called Chlorhexiderm. I also bought some "sulfodene first-aid" for it and they don't seem to work. I have used them as directed. I didn't miss treatments and it persists. Is there something that I can ask my vet for that will cure this as he bites them raw and I always can't be here to watch him?? I also tried hydrocortizone. Is there anything that humans use that I could use on his pads? Thank you for time and attention to this matter.

Answer
Dogs that lick and chew at their pads often have allergic dermatitis.  Sometimes this is complicated by either a yeast infection between the toes (the chlorhexiderm should have helped that) or demodex mange in the feet. Ask your vet to do a skin scraping to check for that. You should also  ask your vet to give your dog a shot of some cortisone to see if it will help stop this itching.  If it does, then you might need to give some cortisone tablets to keep the skin from overreacting.