Johnson American Bull

[donnabell]

My dog keeps chewing on her paws and they are red and smelly. HOw can I stop this and what is causing her to do this?

[amabsher]

Frozen packs and cold water can temperarily sooth itching. But, will not cure the problem.
To me it sounds like you are describing Demodectic Mange which is a condition usually brought on by a lowering of your dog's immune system. The natural flora of your dog can get out of control like a yeast infection can do in some people. The mites are natural to the body but, when the body is stressed such as in the early stages of disease, allergies, oncoming heat cycle, smelling a girl in heat for boys... The mites are quick to proliferate and become a big problem. A smelly "sweaty-foot" odor is common with demodectic mange. Baldness can occur from licking and chewing the affected areas and skin infections can happen if irritated areas are left untreated. If this is your dogs first heat... this may be the cause. If your dog is not in heat... I would look for a possible allergy as the cause. If this is bad, your dog may need medications from your vet to help control the situation until the cause can be determined and treated. Dogs with mange (even the natural flora type) will go crazy chewing so I recommend a visit to the vet to make sure this is what is going on. Good luck... some dogs do this with every heat cycle. It doesn't mean your dog is sick... just chemically out of ballance enough for the mites to take over.

[amabsher]

<p>PS... In addition to my last post... I wanted to mention that Demodectic Mange should also be a red flag that your dog's internal flora (bacteria in the intestines) may be out of ballance at the same time. When my dog had this... he also developed diarrhea and some yogurt helped to rebuild natural bacteria. If this condition persists even beyond the treatment of your vet... I would think it was a sort of food allergy and would look into a Lamb and Rice Product and very slowly experiment with other foods in the diet after at least 90 days of no symptoms on the Lamb and Rice foods.</p>
<p>Good Luck... Hope this helps.</p>

[Allin1PetCare]

<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>The last post gave you plenty of good information. But know that licking is also a calming behavior for dogs.&nbsp; American Bulls sometimes suffer from thyroid problems that often manifest in behavior signs of stress or aggression. Before self medicating, be sure to take your pet to the vet and have them perform a derm test, and treat any infections.&nbsp; Also, have them do a thyroid test, if there is an issue then your vet will recommend certain medications that will help your pet have a more balanced thyroid. Also, once healed, start observing your dog to make that the infection was not an underlying result of a behavior issue. If you believe that behavior may be an issue, then feel free to contact me, I can help!</p>
<p>Be Blessed,</p>
<p>Arlene</p>