Well, I got this news earlier this week but have been so busy at work I haven't even had time to write it all down...
The bad news is: We still don't know what is causing it.
The good news is: We know that it is not anything within their system, and it's not a fungus, bacteria, parasite, etc.
All vets involved (mine and the ones at UT) are stumped as to what the cause might be.
The UT vet's recommendation was to start all over with the scrapings. My vet knew I was going to flip over that news, so he immediately followed with, "I don't think that would be the best use of your money (no kidding), so I think I need to refer you to a dermatologist."
He suggested the UT vet (but why, if she has no clue what it might be?). I said I thought the next step would be to try to the board-certified dermatologist who is local. He said that would be a good option too.
We talked about whether to do this now, or later. Right now they seem to be getting better, so we agreed that it might be better to wait until it flares again so she can get an accurate idea of what's going on.
A few days later I was booking the boys for boarding with our training director, and I told her about the foot issues and she gave a positively glowing endorsement for the local derm vet. Apparently she's been to her and so have other club members, and it's gone very well.
So, that's the next stop for Cirque de Foot Disease.
I have the lab report from UT. It said something about hormone receptors, and my vet said it made him wonder if it wasn't people spraying their yards, because often those insect growth regulators are hormone-based. I thought this seemed like a good guess. The time frame certainly seems right (3 months between breakouts). But, if whatever people are spraying affects 100% of my dogs, wouldn't it seem that it would affect the greater amount of the dog population? Then why aren't other neighborhood dogs affected?
After thinking (a lot) about this for the past week, I am wondering if maybe it isn't something that is exclusive to our house/yard. But what?
I've come up with two possibilities:
1) Last year we bought one of those Little Green machines for when the dogs throw up. We use the formula that came with it. This is the only cleaning product we use on the floor besides vinegar and water. I am a little suspicious of it because Kevin used it last week and I noticed right afterwards Simon. who had previously looked like he was healing, had a flare-up on one of his feet.
2) You all know what an effort I've made to avoid toxic plants in the backyard. But, there is one possibility I may have overlooked: plants that are skin irritants. Specifically, Leyland Cypress.
I cannot touch these without getting a horrible, itchy rash. My mom recently planted a few somewhere else, and had the same thing. Apparently they shed a sticky sap that is a major skin irritant. Indeed, their feet seem about like I remember my arms being after I hauled ours around.
But, those have been back there for close to two years. And why just on their feet? Maybe because the fur is thinner there. Maybe they lift their legs and brush the branches when they pee. But they don't lift all four legs. But the branches are pretty low to the ground.
It looks like what this is going to come down to is a lot of detective work, and process of elimination.
Interesting story from my training director:
She had a dog whose belly was constantly breaking out and couldn't figure out why. She finally went to above-mentioned derm vet. The vet asked if any of her bedding was wool. TD said no...but when she got home, she realized that a throw on her couch WAS wool, and right below the couch is where the dog laid every night. She threw the throw (lol) away, and it hasn't happened since.
The bad news is: We still don't know what is causing it.
The good news is: We know that it is not anything within their system, and it's not a fungus, bacteria, parasite, etc.
All vets involved (mine and the ones at UT) are stumped as to what the cause might be.
The UT vet's recommendation was to start all over with the scrapings. My vet knew I was going to flip over that news, so he immediately followed with, "I don't think that would be the best use of your money (no kidding), so I think I need to refer you to a dermatologist."
He suggested the UT vet (but why, if she has no clue what it might be?). I said I thought the next step would be to try to the board-certified dermatologist who is local. He said that would be a good option too.
We talked about whether to do this now, or later. Right now they seem to be getting better, so we agreed that it might be better to wait until it flares again so she can get an accurate idea of what's going on.
A few days later I was booking the boys for boarding with our training director, and I told her about the foot issues and she gave a positively glowing endorsement for the local derm vet. Apparently she's been to her and so have other club members, and it's gone very well.
So, that's the next stop for Cirque de Foot Disease.
I have the lab report from UT. It said something about hormone receptors, and my vet said it made him wonder if it wasn't people spraying their yards, because often those insect growth regulators are hormone-based. I thought this seemed like a good guess. The time frame certainly seems right (3 months between breakouts). But, if whatever people are spraying affects 100% of my dogs, wouldn't it seem that it would affect the greater amount of the dog population? Then why aren't other neighborhood dogs affected?
After thinking (a lot) about this for the past week, I am wondering if maybe it isn't something that is exclusive to our house/yard. But what?
I've come up with two possibilities:
1) Last year we bought one of those Little Green machines for when the dogs throw up. We use the formula that came with it. This is the only cleaning product we use on the floor besides vinegar and water. I am a little suspicious of it because Kevin used it last week and I noticed right afterwards Simon. who had previously looked like he was healing, had a flare-up on one of his feet.
2) You all know what an effort I've made to avoid toxic plants in the backyard. But, there is one possibility I may have overlooked: plants that are skin irritants. Specifically, Leyland Cypress.
I cannot touch these without getting a horrible, itchy rash. My mom recently planted a few somewhere else, and had the same thing. Apparently they shed a sticky sap that is a major skin irritant. Indeed, their feet seem about like I remember my arms being after I hauled ours around.
But, those have been back there for close to two years. And why just on their feet? Maybe because the fur is thinner there. Maybe they lift their legs and brush the branches when they pee. But they don't lift all four legs. But the branches are pretty low to the ground.
It looks like what this is going to come down to is a lot of detective work, and process of elimination.
Interesting story from my training director:
She had a dog whose belly was constantly breaking out and couldn't figure out why. She finally went to above-mentioned derm vet. The vet asked if any of her bedding was wool. TD said no...but when she got home, she realized that a throw on her couch WAS wool, and right below the couch is where the dog laid every night. She threw the throw (lol) away, and it hasn't happened since.