Hi newbie here need help

Hello all was just researching some info for my bassett hound and found this site..
I sure hope someone here can help or give me some insight..
I have an 11 yr old female bassett hound and for the last 2-3 yrs the pads on her feet stay so swollen and red. I know this is painful for her.
I have taken her to the vet and he has done and said alot....we have thought it was allergies...to what we don't know without running expensive testing..
I have changed her foods and also used different meds.
Right now she is even on Atopica but does not seem to be helping
She is also prone to ear infections too...which so many times she is loaded with antibiotics...
any help will be appreciated...I am a wits end to solve this problem

 

I can't give you any advice, but welcome to the group.

 

I would take her to a holistic vet or a homeopath. You have to be careful choosing a homeopath, though, because not all of them are created equally. Let me know if you need a referral.

Otherwise, I would go ahead with the expensive allergy testing!

 

if your vet feels it is allergies instead of going thru expensive testing why don't you switch her food to a product called hills prescription diet Z/D. it is formulated for dogs with severe food allergies which would be indicative of chronic ear infections. remeber any food change can take 6-8 weeeks before you see a noticeable improvement. you can get this food at any vet's office.

 

Before going to a food like that, I would try something like California Natural, which is specifically formulated for dogs with allergies. The Prescription Diets that vets sell are not the high quality that the vets seem to think they are.

 

A freind of mine has a Bassett with that same problem. She was allergic to grass! Hince why only the pads on her feet were allways bothering her. She would also get rashes on her belly when she laid down outside iin the yard.

I would go through with the Allergy testing to be on the safe side. It could also be arthritis in her ankle joints as well. Bassetts and corgies are prone to this as well.

 

I was told that Benedryl could be used on dogs with allergies. I have not tried it or had a need to do too much more research regarding it. But, if the vet said that Benedryl or some other allergy type med. was acceptable for use w/the dog, maybe try it and see if she has any relief. Someone else who knows more about the med. thing needs to jump in here though as I said I have not had to look into that claim personally.

But, I agree about the food change. The chronic ear infections could be indicitive of a food allergy. And I agree w/Jamiya on the vet recommeded "special" diet food. I know that it is not always as "healthy" as they proclaim. I have heard great things about the California Natural though. Oh, and Welcome to the board!

 

Hello everyone..
I would just like to say thank you for the warm welcome and the responses for my search for solutions for Nell...
:wink:
Most has already been tried or done
I have checked around and alot of bassett owners say they have had this problem or heard of this occuring with them but no one has a solution
I have used the benadryl, antibiotics,predisone, atopica and tried the Hills z/d
The vet even has suspected grass as an allergy!!!
but I am not givin up and I will look into the holistic and also maybe trying the California Natural..:wink:
where can I find this food????..this brand is not familiar to me around my area..may be that I just haven't noticed it..but it is definitely worth the try...I just hate seeing her this way and knowing that it is defintely painful..
Thanks again so much for sharing your ideas and solutions...
I can't wait to get to reading here, you all sound like a great bunch to share with... :y_the_best:

 

It is more common then you think with short legged dogs.My mother had the same problem with her dachshund, short legs over weight and did not walk enough, Problem soft pads. Bought foot ware and walked her more used foot cream to keep pads conditioned and added Missing Link to her food. Also had to have a couple of her nails removed because they had turned or twisted in the socket. Keep in mind just like people, over weight can cause problems with your feet.
Allergies could be the problem but check the fat content in the food if very high this could be a problem and I would consider adding vitamins.
My thoughts.

2pyrs

 

I would try keeping him off the grass and see if anything changes. There is a lady around here that only walks her dog on the street, because her dog is alergic to the grass. California Natural is a very good brand. Also Natural Balance is one worth trying.
For his ear problems I suggest you take a looka t this site. Its about a product called Thronit ear powder. I use it on my poodle and she has not had an ear infection since starting its use.
http://www.championpets.freeserve.co.uk/ears.htm

http://www.championpetsonline.co.uk/pop ... &p_i=35246

 

Atopica. Wow. I took my dog to the vet today for allergy problems. He said Atopica for my dog (big dog) would be about $850 a month. LOL.

http://www.naturapet.com - website for California Natural - they have a store locator

My dog is on, well going back on, california natural. I tried the natural balance. He did NOT do well on that at all.[/url]

 

Oh about the thornit powder. It is a preventative not an antibiotic or anything like that. As soon as you get the ear infection cleared away put a small amount on the ear to lightly dust it. Massage it around. I swear by this stuff. But remember to rid him of the infection first.

 

once again...
Thanks for all the responses,suggestions and advice...
Jody and all for your warm welcome
jamiya...I will look into the holistic side too if nothing seems to work we are trying now
asdmom...we just started her back on the z/d...but man between this and the atopica...it is getting very expensive
samintentions..yep...nell does the same thing with the breakouts...but mainly with her pads of her feet...so the allergy testing is a possibility later too
sargesmom...we have used the benadryl on occasion but only for a temporary solution for the itching side til meds could start taking effect
2pyrs...I also have a dachshund...but so far he has not had the problem with the pads yet..but he too seems to have a rash sometimes on his stomach
puttin510...we have suspected the grasses too!!! But how do you keep them out of the grass when you live in the country :shock: our vet also says it can be a combination of several things and not just one as the culprit, when I went today to the vet suggested the z/d again...but I sure wish that I had known of this California natural...so maybe I could have compared prices because the z/d is very expensive here
thnks for the suggestion of Thornit too..I will try to search some of this out around here too and give it a try..
elizavixen...yep...it definitely is a very expensive way to try to solve this problem...here it is about $150 for a 15 day supply...and so far this is her 2nd month on it and I honestly can't see that it has helped that much..so we are debating as to whether to continue with this.
But once again..I would like to say "thank you all" and if I find a way to solve this problem...I will definitely let my friends here know... :wink:

 

Maybe you could put some doggy booties on him. Just let him live in them, take them off at night adn put them back on in the morning. It would be interesting to see if there is a difference. Good luck.

 

If he is getting ear infections, maybe it is like the yeast ear infection and the feet have it too? I know in people that if you get a yeast infection one place you are prone to get it at the other place, isn'T that what athletes foot is? I don'T know though, just a guess, maybe you can ask the doc to do a culture on both places.