Any idea what this could be ???? - Page 1

Prince developed some blisters on his pads about 8 weeks ago. I applied some antibiotic ointment to the blisters and it appeared to help. I assumed he stepped in something in the woods while outside during our walks in the fall. He still has blisters around the pads and about two weeks ago I noticed these round hairless spots on his hocks....He has no other spots anywhere on his body. The issue is from the top of the hock down to the pads of his foot. It does not seem to bother him, but every now and then I will see him nibble  this area.....The ground has been snow covered where we play outside and we have not gone into the woods since this developed 8 weeks ago. ....Any thoughts or ideas before I head off to the vet....????     Thanks...

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 The hairless areas may not be connected at all to your initial complaint of blisters between the toes. Those spots look like ones I see on many dogs. Generally, they are indicative of the hair being abraded off from knocking into something etc. Probably not a big deal. 

The blisters between the toes are more an issue. It is possible they simply are something like a contact dermatitis....meaning the dog walked in something that was irritating. Even in the woods that might be possible depending on what grows there (or is dumped there). They could also be something like a pyoderma, a skin infection caused by staph, or indication of a more serious issue. Fungal infection should also be ruled out.

With issues like this, it is best to indeed have your vet take a look at the area. A topical antibiotic, perhaps an oral antibiotic and perhaps even a topical or oral short term steroid may be the treatment. If the vet is concerned about fungal infection, then the treatment will be slightly different with an anti-fungal. For now, it would be important to try to keep the dog out of any wet areas if at all possible.

Good luck.

Ruger got poison ivy in the woods?...I do....and my dogs know all the spots..LOL...it's most likely nothing, my dogs get it from running in the woods and near trees w/ poison ivy...at least thats what I been told...it went away within few months.

I'm with hodie; pyoderma is the most likely candidate although I'm not as certain the spots on his legs aren't related.  If that's what it is, the vet will probably prescribe oral antibiotics but will probably do a fungal culture as well to be sure.

 "Ruger got poison ivy in the woods?...I do....and my dogs know all the spots..LOL...it's most likely nothing, my dogs get it from running in the woods and near trees w/ poison ivy...at least thats what I been told...it went away within few months."

There are a couple of patches of poison ivy in my yard that I keep meaning to get rid of - the dogs aren't affected by it, but I've picked up mild cases a couple of times from them when the oil must have gotten on their coats.

DD....I didn't think dogs get affected either...However  I got a lot of poison ivy in the back.. once in a while especially in the fall they (dogs) come back with small blisters all over their feet and stomach areas, once Misty had it on her muzle...few weeks after blisters would dry up and my dogs would have 'dry" hairless patches in some areas..when i asked one vet he said it's possible that its poison ivy, he said if they were wet and ran through it,  it most likely stuck to the skin...well..sure enough to get to the back of the property they have to cross the creek....so now i have some poison ivy lotion which i use on them if i know that they ventured passed the creek. into the woods...I did have bacterial infection on Bailey at one point but it stayed on her belly and her feet were not effected by it...

         Thanks for all the comments....I have used Hibiclens and Vetericyn a few times and it appears to help a little bit.....I use to run to the vet for the smallest thing, but now I try to find ways to treat things myself ( when it's not an emergency ). Becoming a nurse changed me quite a bit with regard to running to the Dr. right away. ...lol...However, this might just warrant a trip to the vet....Thanks.......

In general, dogs and other animals are not affected by plants like poison ivy, sumac etc. but they do get the oil on their coats and can certainly spread that to humans. I used to live in an area that had a lot of poison ivy. I too was fortunate that I never contracted it, although I was around it all the time. I was apparently not as sensitive as some of my other playmates. Our dogs were with us all the time and I do not remember seeing one of them affected ever, even though they were running around through it. But their owners often suffered from a bout of it.

If it is around, and possible, it is certainly useful to get rid of it ......carefully.........so you or others (people picking up trash for instance) don't contact it. Smoke from burning it can also cause real problems in sensitive people, so it is not always a great option to just burn it.

If it were my dog, and it was not really severe, I would try some of the treatments I suggested if you have some broad spectrum antibiotic around. You can get a hydrocortisone cream to use and also could try something like the athletes foot sprays. But you will then have to keep the dog from licking it off. I think it depends on how severe it is as to whether you have to go to the vet. However, remember, none of us here are vets, and even those of us who are well-experienced and versed do not see what you see, and can only answer based on what you are telling us that YOU see. That may or may not be accurate. So take what we say with a "grain of salt"! If this has gone on now for 8 weeks, I probably would go ahead and make an appointment. Also, remember that neosporin, for example, is sometimes not a good topical antibiotic for some dogs and some humans who react to it.

Good luck. Keep the dog out of wet areas and its paws dry.