[AngusFangus]

Hi guys,

I hope you can help me. Angus and Simon are having a problem, and I really need some advice. Surely (hopefully) this has happened to someone here before:

OK. Last weekend I noticed that Angus was licking his feet a lot, and had started to leave little bald patches. All four feet. We took him to the vet on Monday, he did a scraping and it came back positive for yeast. He put him on an antifungal medication and Maleseb, an antifungal spray. So far I can't tell that it's helping, really. We also put Angus on Benadryl. Simon was already on it.

I asked the vet if it was contagious and he assured me it was not.

Then yesterday, I noticed Simon has a little bald patch going on one of his front feet.

Simon has always been the one with allergy issues - ears, anal glands, itchy skin, runny nose, etc. Angus has shown no other signs of anything except for the feet in the last week.

I talked to my dog food lady, and she said her thinking is that it has to be a contact allergy if he has no other allergy symptoms. Vet said that it was probably initially an allergy, which he then licked and kept moist, creating a perfect environment for fungus.

Here are some things that are rolling around in my head:

1) I haven't been doing flea meds on Angus this year - we've been using Neem Oil spray instead (which seems to have worked well so far). I was at first suspicious that maybe it was the lack of flea meds and some other insect besides fleas was getting his feet...but now that Simon has it too, and Simon HAS had flea meds, not so sure this could be it.

2) I have been gardening for 15 years, and I have never seen so much fungus in our mulch as this year. It's insane. Every day there is a new crop of mushrooms (which I quickly remove from the backyard). I've had dog vomit fungus and stinkhorn fungus. Fungus in mulch, fungus on feet?

3) Maybe Angus has suddenly developed an allergy to grass. This would totally suck. I don't even know where to go with this.

4) With it being only the feet, doesn't it almost have to be a contact allergy?

5) I tried putting Gold Bond powder on Simon's foot last night, to see if that would help. It was worse (more hair gone) this morning. Then I read on the label of the GB, "If ingested contact Poison Control right away." ?!?! I put GB on a hot spot of Angus' years ago, and it cleared it right up. Please someone reassure me about this!

I am so torn up about this. Crash had terrible lick granulomas, from the time he was about this age until he passed away. I was really hoping not to have these with the boys. And I would have thought after as much reading and research as I've done on general health in the past five years with them, I would feel more in control about something like this. But I still feel absolutely helpless to know what to do for them.

Any advice or thoughts or stories you could share would help me so much. I could really use your collective experience. I know it's not the end of the world, but the lick granulomas with Crash were always something that broke my heart and I didn't know what to do about them. I really want to be able to help the boys, if I can. For Crash, too. You know what I mean?

Thanks.

 

[BucksMom]

wow Connie, so sorry to hear bout the boys feet. I know that tea tree oil is useful to humans, however i think it isn't recommended for dogs unless very diluted. What about colloidal silver, i just bet that would work.

 

[Clanceycanuck]

Sorry Connie no advice, I just hope you find something that works.

 

[zoezoe]

you need to use the malaseb religiously and until it dries, maybe put infact socks on so he cannot lick it off or yep, use a cone. that and washing his feet off when he comes in from the yard. we have had a lot of rain this year; i've had mushrooms popping up every week. my guys really don't spend that much time running around the damp areas; they are too busy digging holes! <rolls eyes>
also, post this in the general health section of lab-retriever.net They have a lot of peeps that are very helpful in this type of thing.

 

[AngusFangus]

Thanks

Thanks for the replies, you guys.

Bucksmom, I have heard a lot about colloidal silver, but I don't really know much about or have a clue how to use it. I do remember reading that Tea Tree Oil could be dangerous for pets.

Sandy, Dog Food Lady was all about the foot-washing too. Ugh - this sounds so high-maintenance, as much as they are in and out! I am on the hunt now for some apple cider vinegar...she recommended a 50/50 vinegar/water solution. I'm trying to decide what is going to be the easiest way to do this. Maybe I can get a gallon jug, mix up the stuff and keep it by the door with...some rags, or a roll of paper towels (paper towels might be more convenient).

The question in my mind is, do I start the foot-washing now, or wait till we're done with the Maleseb? I don't want to wash his medicine off. But as DFL said, if it is something he's coming into contact with outside, the cycle is just going to keep perpetuating, whether or not the Maleseb is working. I'm confused about this. I'm going to ask the vet tomorrow (we're taking Simon and his foot in).

 

[bacatherine]

I know we've had a really wet summer here so far so that might be what is causing the extra fungus around. Mocha has had a spot right in the middle of her belly (between her breasts) that stays wet because it's between the fold of skin and she licks it a lot. I've been putting diaper rash cream on it and putting a t-shirt on her so she doesn't lick it off and it worked wonders. I'm not sure that it would work on their feet but maybe ask the vet. Hopefully you can get it cleared up. Mocha has had a lot of skin issues this spring/summer too I'm not sure what's going on.

 

[AngusFangus]

Rain, rain...

I wonder if you're right about all the rain. It has been awesome for the plants...but it is keeping everything really soggy at a time when it should be really dry. Bugs are worse...I bet fungus is too.

What I am really hoping is that this is just a passing thing that we can get cleared up and move on...not a lifelong issue as it was with Crash.

 

[zoezoe]

I have a cat litter box at my back door and a bucket with water and dawn detergent in it. I don't have a fungus problem but I have a DIGGING problem and they have to get their feet dunked quite often before coming back inside. I also keep towels out there, as well.
I would wash the feet EVERY time they come in and use the malaseb when you leave for the day and at nighttime when they are not constantly going in and out. You can put those infant socks on at night...that is what I used for Dutchie last year.

 

[hollydog]

I was actually told the same thing about the 50/50 apple cider vinegar/water for my yellow lab by my breeder. She said to swish each foot in the mixture EVERY time they come in from outside. (She is curious about it being a grass allergy as well) I thought the same thing - pain in the rear - but I am also just beginning to try it. I'll let you know if I see any positive results...Holly is all about licking the feet when she is sitting still, and gets those little bare red spots from excessive licking. Keeping fingers crossed.

 

[amazongold]

No words of wisdom, Connie, just good thoughts that you can get this under control ASAP. For you, as well as for the boys (Crash, too).

 

[rayluckgoo]

Hi,
Just be aware...fungal problems are generally long term to clear up...unlike bacterial infectsion they generally take 2 to 6 weeks. Maybe you're just hoping for too much too soon and because of the hyphae they put into the skin (like roots) you will probably get more hair loss as it dies so I wouldn't be overly concerned about that. It actually be a sign of healing. The hair should quickly start to grow back once a patch is bald.

 

[AngusFangus]

Thank you! That is really good to know. It makes sense, too. He's on the oral meds for a month, with the option for another month if he's not better. So, I guess I am expecting too much too soon.

Do you think this will be something ongoing, or is it likely that once this is cleared up it won't trouble us again? I'm really nervous about it turning into a recurring problem. Want to do whatever I can to keep that from happening.

 

[zoesmom]

Hi Connie
I haven't read the other replies. Zoe sometimes has issues w/her paws. Don't know if it's fungal or not, but she sometimes licks it raw. : (

I put the "purple stuff" <--the stuff for the ears
with a cotton ball soaked w/it. I leave it between her paws until she feels a bit uncomfortable. Then I remove it, let it dry a bit and put Tinactin (the human antifungal powder)

seems to help

 

[AngusFangus]

Hi Connie
I haven't read the other replies. Zoe sometimes has issues w/her paws. Don't know if it's fungal or not, but she sometimes licks it raw. : (

I put the "purple stuff" <--the stuff for the ears
with a cotton ball soaked w/it. I leave it between her paws until she feels a bit uncomfortable. Then I remove it, let it dry a bit and put Tinactin (the human antifungal powder)

seems to help

That's a good idea. I wondered if the purple stuff would work for this! Since we're talking about it, do you have that recipe? I want to use it for Simon's ears. They're on this Maleseb spray now, so I guess I'll use that for now, but I think maybe the purple stuff would be good to use like you use it for control in the future.

 

[zoesmom]

Connie
here's Labby's site which contains the recipe.
My sister has a springer spaniel prone to ear infections and she swears by it

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/ears.html

 

[rayluckgoo]

It would be hard to know if it would reoccur or not. Fungal infections are opportunistic so it couldn't be a weakened immune system in which case stress or something could provide another opportunity or just environmental conditions just turned out to be perfect and would never happen again. If it does happen again you'll know what to look for in the beginning and it shouldn't last as long.

 

[AngusFangus]

Thanks Linda! I have all the stuff and I'm going to mix it up.

Rayluckgoo, thank you. I am so worried about this. Simon's paws look three times worse today. No hair on one front and one back paw. You can see all toes. It just looks horrible. Angus has not lost that much hair, but it seems to be spreading up his back legs.

This couldn't go systemic, could it?

I'm very worried. I hope this treatment is the right thing. What if it's not, and I'm wasting time?

I am thinking about putting cones on both of them starting tomorrow (I only have one cone...have to get another). Especially Simon keeps licking and licking, which is just keeping it moist, and creating a friendly environment for whatever fungus this is.

I haven't been able to concentrate or do anything else this weekend.

 

[AngusFangus]

...I was just giving Angus a massage. Not knowing what else to do to help him, I was thinking along the lines of increasing the blood flow to that area to help it heal more quickly.

He seemed to enjoy it for a while, then suddenly he stood up and vomited.

He seems to feel fine now (begging for treats), but he hasn't lost his dinner like that in a long time.

Worry worry worry.

 

[AZLAB]

Connie,

We are having the fungal mushroom problem right now. It is important to get the yard as dry as possible. Pick up poop right after it is done as that is a great source for the fungus to feed on. We have also cut our yard to the shortest level on the mower. Yes it looks scalped but it helps it to dry out and the dogs are more important to us then the look of the back yard grass.

Cierra is our pupster with the fungus amoungus. We keep a pop up container of hand wipes by the door. EVERY TIME she comes in her feet and belly area get wiped off. We also wipe her ears etc if she has enjoyed a good roll. She is on her 2nd month of oral meds. She cleared up a lot by the end of the first month of meds but when she stopped the fungus started to show up again.

Can you spray just the mulch area with a Clorox and water solution before bed and let it dry over night? It is my theory that bleach kills must yucky gunk.

Good luck with getting the boys cleared up. I will bet it is just because it is so wet they both have fungus. Like my dad says the solider at war worry about trench foot (a fungus) because their feet were always wet so I would say keeping them as dry as possible would be a good idea.

 

[hark67]

Oh Connie! Sorry Angus is not feeling good. Times like these I sure wish they could talk.