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keeps getting foot infections

Hector

Well-Known Member
I just wanted to show some off some recent pictures of Hector. He's now down to 99.5 lbs which is too thin for him because now I can see some of the lower spine bones protude when he is sitting. Anyway, this gsd I am fostering really keeps him in top shape with lots of rough housing. The problem is that there is one spot on one of his foot that keeps getting rug burned. Then the other day I found an infection on his rear foot. If any of you remember, he was on a long bout of antibiotics for almost 3 months to clear a furuncle on one of his front foot and we had only finished like mid or end of Jan. Anyway vet put him on 3000 cepha and prednisone this time.

I really don't think it's an allergic reaction to anything he is eating. He has no signs of allergies - clean ears, no itching, no signs of yeast infections. I wonder if he stepped on something in the yard or got pricked by the thistle weeds and then just opened up an opportunity for infection? Any insights or experience?







 

marke

Well-Known Member
is it always in the same spots ? might be his gait ........... did they give you a topical ? if not try silver cream
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
is it always in the same spots ? might be his gait ........... did they give you a topical ? if not try silver cream
No it's a different foot. First time was on the surface of the front foot and now it's on the back of the rear foot where the bulbous part is. I tried topicals, but didn't seem to help. Will look into a sliver cream. I have many topicals, but once it gets wet looking and oozy then he needs antibiotics which it was already oozy when I saw it.
 

glen

Super Moderator
Staff member
A friends dog had similar, it was yeast she had to wash the paws in an anti fungal shampoo, it cleared up very quick as well.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
A friends dog had similar, it was yeast she had to wash the paws in an anti fungal shampoo, it cleared up very quick as well.
His last infection was bacterial and not yeast or fungal. Now this is probably also bacterial, but we are just doing meds for now. This is not yeast I'm sure. Topicals tend not to work when it gets to this point. Just so sad he keeps getting these infections, not really sure how to make him not get them.
 

marke

Well-Known Member
I always found gentamicin topical spray dries up oozing sores really quickly ..... you could also try chlorhexidine , it's pretty good stuff ...... I may be mistaken , but I think the blood flow in those areas is not really good , I think a topical along with the systemics would be a good idea .... the gentamicin would be the most bactericidal of the three , I don't believe it works on fungal infections ........ the silver cream may keep it moist , but it is bactericidal and fungicidal , it also seems to penetrate really well , they use it on burn patients ........ chlorhexidine is also fungicidal and bactericidal ..........
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
I always found gentamicin topical spray dries up oozing sores really quickly ..... you could also try chlorhexidine , it's pretty good stuff ...... I may be mistaken , but I think the blood flow in those areas is not really good , I think a topical along with the systemics would be a good idea .... the gentamicin would be the most bactericidal of the three , I don't believe it works on fungal infections ........ the silver cream may keep it moist , but it is bactericidal and fungicidal , it also seems to penetrate really well , they use it on burn patients ........ chlorhexidine is also fungicidal and bactericidal ..........
I have the chlorhex spray and rinse. I will look for those two other things. Thanks marke. This foot stuff just started in the last 6 months.
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Any chance you have some nettles in your yard? This is about the time when they start coming out, isn't it?

Denna's put her nose into some nettles before, and they really made her blow up (puffy face/eyes). Benedryl was our go-to for that one.

When I've added Vit E to Denna's regimen (she's on 400 IU daily now), her paws really smooth out (less cracking)... seems to make them less scratchy and might help in keeping out stuff that should stay out?
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Any chance you have some nettles in your yard? This is about the time when they start coming out, isn't it?

Denna's put her nose into some nettles before, and they really made her blow up (puffy face/eyes). Benedryl was our go-to for that one.

When I've added Vit E to Denna's regimen (she's on 400 IU daily now), her paws really smooth out (less cracking)... seems to make them less scratchy and might help in keeping out stuff that should stay out?
No, I have no nettles. I have thistle weeds.
 

7121548

Well-Known Member
Sorry to hear about Hector's recurring foot problem. I took Dozer to the vet today for a bacterial infection on the bottom of his paw that looked very similar to what Hector has. The vet prescribed an antibiotic called Simplicef, and also gave us a chlorhexidine solution to soak his paw in twice a day. I told her it was possible that he stepped on glass or a wood chip, but she didn't seem too concerned about anything other than foxtails (which is not a likely possibility around here). Is thistle weed similar to foxtails? I got the impression that organic matter was more likely to cause an infection than inorganic matter, and should probably be removed.
 

7121548

Well-Known Member
Here's a picture for comparison. Hopefully it works.
 

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7121548

Well-Known Member
Also, I forgot to add that Dozer has a furuncle on the same foot that was healing. She said it was possible that bacteria got in through that open wound and infected the paw in a different spot. Has Hector had a furuncle on that same paw where there is currently an infection? Or some other open wound that maybe hadn't completely healed?
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Sorry to hear about Hector's recurring foot problem. I took Dozer to the vet today for a bacterial infection on the bottom of his paw that looked very similar to what Hector has. The vet prescribed an antibiotic called Simplicef, and also gave us a chlorhexidine solution to soak his paw in twice a day. I told her it was possible that he stepped on glass or a wood chip, but she didn't seem too concerned about anything other than foxtails (which is not a likely possibility around here). Is thistle weed similar to foxtails? I got the impression that organic matter was more likely to cause an infection than inorganic matter, and should probably be removed.
No, thistle weed is like a weed that starts off like a dandelion on the ground but has sharp prickly thorns all over the plant. Those suckers can grow to 4 ft high and I know because I had a couple in my yard last year LOL. The whole prickly plant grows and forms purple flowers. They also root pretty deep. Foxtails shed the seed shell and those nasty things can get into and under animal skin with little effort. Thistle plants are just prickly and don't have that hazard.

The thing with foxtails is that it will move through the body. That's why it's so scary.

Oh lord, that pic of Dozer's foot looks all too similar. That is how Hector's foot looked when it started the whole foot infection last year. Then the whole foot got swollen from chewing and licking. Then that went away and the furuncle formed on the surface of the foot. I must have deleted the pics when his paws was all swollen before we had gone to the vet. It had all started underneath and in between the toes. The first pic is the furuncle and he had just got a biospy. Second pic is where I had to wrap the foot because because he wouldn't leave it alone and I had no cone. You can see how the infection spread. The area of the furuncle was hardish like a mass. Even when it had healed the area was still a bit hard to the touch and we just had him on 2 more weeks of antibiotics to make sure. It's all healed now. This was his front left. The new infection is the back left right on the biggest part of the pad (last pic).





 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Also, I forgot to add that Dozer has a furuncle on the same foot that was healing. She said it was possible that bacteria got in through that open wound and infected the paw in a different spot. Has Hector had a furuncle on that same paw where there is currently an infection? Or some other open wound that maybe hadn't completely healed?
No, the two infections are not on the same foot. However when I soaked, applied topical, wrapped his foot a lot, the infection did spread to the other part of the foot as shown in pic 2 in above post but once I could stop wrapping it, it went away very fast except for the furuncle. Was a biopsy done to determine the furuncle? We had a biopsy done to find out what the heck it was or what could have caused it. Furuncles are deep bacterial infections that requires a long period of antibiotics. Hector was on antibiotics for 3 months (3000 mg of cephalexin a day).
 

7121548

Well-Known Member
Ugh, these guys can't catch a break with the foot problems! We didn't do a biopsy on the furuncles (he's had two now), but they actually responded well to just spraying them with Vetericyn. The vet didn't think it was anything to be alarmed about. (Pictures here: http://mastiff-forum.com/index.php?threads/bump-on-bottom-of-paw.29612/#post-369524.) They were probably not as bad as Hector's in that first picture above.

How is he doing on the cephalexin? The vet gave Dozer 350mg/day for 15 days of Simplicef, which looks to be similar to cephalexin. After his first day on the medication, the swelling looks like it's gone down a lot.

As for what to do about preventing these foot infections, I wish I knew! Aside from wearing dog booties every single time they go outside, I guess we just really need to be careful about where they're stepping? Between the toes and paw pads seem like such an easy place for things to get stuck, and also the right environment for bacteria or yeast to grow. Annoying.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Ugh, these guys can't catch a break with the foot problems! We didn't do a biopsy on the furuncles (he's had two now), but they actually responded well to just spraying them with Vetericyn. The vet didn't think it was anything to be alarmed about. (Pictures here: http://mastiff-forum.com/index.php?threads/bump-on-bottom-of-paw.29612/#post-369524.) They were probably not as bad as Hector's in that first picture above.

How is he doing on the cephalexin? The vet gave Dozer 350mg/day for 15 days of Simplicef, which looks to be similar to cephalexin. After his first day on the medication, the swelling looks like it's gone down a lot.

As for what to do about preventing these foot infections, I wish I knew! Aside from wearing dog booties every single time they go outside, I guess we just really need to be careful about where they're stepping? Between the toes and paw pads seem like such an easy place for things to get stuck, and also the right environment for bacteria or yeast to grow. Annoying.
Hector does well with cephalexin. Even though he's on a high dose, his stomach can handle it with a regular dose of the probiotics. He handles steriods well too. He tends to hold lots of pee in if not let out regularly and he won't get up to tell you either. The meds do take some time before they start working. His pad is dried and is starting to scab and this is the 5th day of meds. We'll just have to keep dealing with foot infections as they come I guess. Not going to put boots on him every time he goes out lol...


Right, I do remember seeing those pictures now. Hector doesn't have fleshy bumps like that, it just appears as an oozing mass from under the skin. It is firm and gets more and more infected without oral meds.
 

7121548

Well-Known Member
Hector does well with cephalexin. Even though he's on a high dose, his stomach can handle it with a regular dose of the probiotics. He handles steriods well too. He tends to hold lots of pee in if not let out regularly and he won't get up to tell you either. The meds do take some time before they start working. His pad is dried and is starting to scab and this is the 5th day of meds. We'll just have to keep dealing with foot infections as they come I guess. Not going to put boots on him every time he goes out lol...


Right, I do remember seeing those pictures now. Hector doesn't have fleshy bumps like that, it just appears as an oozing mass from under the skin. It is firm and gets more and more infected without oral meds.

Well I hope he is not too bothered by it, and that it clears up soon! I'm going to look into ways of boosting the immune system. Maybe a strengthened immune system will help prevent infections, or at least decrease the severity of them.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Well I hope he is not too bothered by it, and that it clears up soon! I'm going to look into ways of boosting the immune system. Maybe a strengthened immune system will help prevent infections, or at least decrease the severity of them.
I don't know anymore!! I bought a jar of immune boost powder, but didn't buy anymore after the whole jar was gone. Seriously thinking about turmeric paste again but with way less coconut oil and ground pepper.