itchy feet... - Page 1

Our young male GSD (almost 2 years old) started doing a lot of chewing at his feet and lower legs recently ans well as some other scratching (not excessive). Ear tips are fine. The vet did a thorough exam of his skin (ears, eyes, legs etc.) checking for evidence of mites (mange), but could find none. He said to try 50 mg. Benadryl twice a day which we have done. The itching, chewing etc. seems to have diminished, but is not gone. We had a female years ago that was treated on spec for mange since nothing showed up in skin scrapings and she was fine after that, so I'm thinking we may want to try this with our male. I've read that Ivermectin can be toxic in the doses needed to kill mites for dogs in the Collie family. Any such cautions with GSD's that you're aware of? Based on what I've researched, another possibility is atopic dematitis, but his skin isn't red, not bald patches (at least not at this point) and the Benadryl should stop itching from that, I think. Any ideas/sugggestions on what may be happening appreciated. BTW there are lots of wild coyotes in our area and they are supposed to be suffering from mange. Don't know if mites can survive on the ground or not and then spread to domestic animals.

the diagnosis are to varied -- can be many things -- best not to diagnose on the internet -- and shame on someone oif they think their dog has a problem of lasting duration and do not take the dog to be examined by a qualified Veternarian !! -- and please .. i have a doctorates degree and quite schooled in also canine diseasesd and syndromes - but in respect to myself : having 12 GSds presently if one has something out of the routine i consult my vets -- even something as an ear infection can have several etiologies and the specific correct medication for each is indicated for treatment -- BTW some of the postings on this siote are a little quirky -- sometimes i think these questions are staged just to get conversation .. and if that is the case -- just state lets have a conversation on this topic -- why on earth wopuld one one to ask strangers without medical/vet training/degrees qdiagnostic questions -- ??

... as I said in my post, we have consulted our vet. Since it is Sunday and we plan to go back to the vet this week, I thought I'd look for any input the knowledgeable breeders on this site might have. Based on other postings I've read here, folks seem very helpful and willing to share experiences they've had with their own dogs. This was not a post asking for a diagnosis...

I agree with ALPHAPUP, it could be many things. My friend's GSD was scratching and biting all the time and it turned out to be a food allergy. The strange thing was my friend hadn't changed the dog's diet. The dog just started scratching and biting like crazy one day. If I remember correctly it was an allergy to fish.

czech --my comment was not meant specifically to you --it was a general reply adressing a conmnon observation ---- on this site and many others --i see many people asking for advice --when in fact like yourself before the question was aksed that canine/cat should already have be diagnosed and under treatment --sorry for being vague .. that is why i specifically used the word "someone" --