# Pink paw fur?



## 2goldens2love (Feb 8, 2011)

Since we got her Shirley girl is constantly licking/biting at her paws, we've noticed that the fur in between her toes is pink -- we originally had her on Evo large bites, and switched almost 2 months ago to wellness core ocean -- both grain free and now two completely different proteins -- yet she's still licking/biting -- at one point the vet told us to give her benadryl feeling it was an allergy we did that for a few weeks but saw no change.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

I remembered two threads that might be of help to you.

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...rd/79356-questions-lighter-golden-owners.html

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...tomy-physiology-breed-standard/86964-why.html


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

First, it's pretty clear that the paw licking is not food allergy related. Food allergies are pretty far down the list of causes of atopy, and grains aren't the most common food allergens anyway. Plus, if the symptom is mainly on the paws, then it's probably not atopy anyway. Combine that with the fact that you've switched proteins complete in the food change, and food allergies are almost completely ruled out.

Second, pink or red fur is what happens when the fur is consistently exposed to saliva. The lighter the fur, the more obvious the effect.

Third, she's probably stepping in something that's causing her to lick. Fertilizer, salt, toxins on the pavement, rough concrete, household cleaners, insects, etc. are all things that can cause irritation and therefore licking. My guess would be an environmental irritant, rather than a systemic allergy.


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## 2goldens2love (Feb 8, 2011)

tippykayak said:


> t.
> 
> Third, she's probably stepping in something that's causing her to lick. Fertilizer, salt, toxins on the pavement, rough concrete, household cleaners, insects, etc. are all things that can cause irritation and therefore licking. My guess would be an environmental irritant, rather than a systemic allergy.



If it was environmental wouldn't the benadryl have helped even slightly?

If it was seasonal, we have 4 seasons here, she has not had relief during any of them...

I only use diluted vinegar on the floors when I have to
We don't use fertilizer (even if we did she would only be exposed for a short time not year round)
not exposed to salt (again even if she was it wouldn't account for licking all year round) 
pavers around the pool, but she hasn't seen those since last august
No insects to speak of she's in the house most of the day.


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## wakemup (Feb 6, 2011)

For what it's worth, when one of my goldens consistently licked/chewed at her paws, we found that antihistamines (such as benadryl) only had an effect when combined with a high dose, high quality fatty acid suplement. This was recommended by a veterinarian specializing in allergy/skin issues.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

2goldens2love said:


> If it was environmental wouldn't the benadryl have helped even slightly?
> 
> If it was seasonal, we have 4 seasons here, she has not had relief during any of them...
> 
> ...


If it were allergy related, it would probably have gotten better with the benedryl, but if the irritation were already going strong, benedryl wouldn't necessarily have made a noticeable difference.

I can't tell you what it is, since I'm not with the dog all day, but I can tell you that you've pretty much ruled out food allergies. The most likely thing now is an environmental irritant. A flea bite or two gotten outside before the topical (or whatever else you use for flea management) has a chance to work, a few ant bites in the yard, an exposure to a chemical that you're not aware is in your home or yard, etc.

If she's bored or prone to neurotic behavior, it could also be a habitual, self-stimulatory behavior.

Another thing to rule out would be hypothyroid. It's not particularly likely if you're not seeing any other thyroid symptoms (weight gain, coat problems, behavioral problems), but it's a relatively simple thing to rule out.

Just spitballin' here.


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## Stretchdrive (Mar 12, 2011)

Could it be OCD?


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

wakemup said:


> For what it's worth, when one of my goldens consistently licked/chewed at her paws, we found that antihistamines (such as benadryl) only had an effect when combined with a high dose, high quality fatty acid suplement. This was recommended by a veterinarian specializing in allergy/skin issues.


I think this may be a good idea. Sometimes the addition of good fats to the diet can really help with itching and coat problems. Just be careful with high dose fish oils, since they can interfere with blood clotting.


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

Environmental allergies can be to about anything like dust, grasses, heck even vinegar. It can be OCD started by a real irritant and I know of some dogs who go into a licking frenzy just by their feet getting wet.

I am another big fan of fish oil (although not too much) it does good stuff for so many parts of a dogs health.


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## 2goldens2love (Feb 8, 2011)

Stretchdrive said:


> Could it be OCD?



We thought at first it was nerves -- she's been doing it since we got her in August -- but it hasn't let up -- maybe just a bad habit at this point?? but how do you break it?

BTW both doggies get fish oil daily


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## Otter (Feb 23, 2011)

*Find an allergist in your area*.
One visit to an allergist solved so many of our late Giggles' problems. Turns out a lot of her itching and chewing of her feet and so on were related to yeast. Not related to food allergy at all like everybody and regular vets recommended for years.

She finally had relief from her problems and seemed comfortable. Unfortunately she was diagnosed with lymphoma and died a couple months ago after having only a few months of relief.


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## sharlin (Feb 26, 2007)

It's allergies
But not food related.
4 seasons, 3, 2, doesn't matter too much. The benedryl only works to an extent.
Have your vet take a blood sample and send to Greer Labs in North Carolina for a testing. I've been giving Kady shots every 5 days for the past 4 years and it makes a world of difference. Her dermatologist also has her on anti-biotics & probiotics to fight a continuing yeast problem and that has helped clear up the pinkness a lot.


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## 2goldens2love (Feb 8, 2011)

hmmmmm was talking to dh about the hypothyroidism and we were wondering if dogs are like humans in that giving birth can sometimes trigger it -- we got her not that long after her last litter - when we got her, her coat was bad, her tail was like a rats tail etc -- she's been back to her old family one or twice and they had remarked at how mellow she was now and how her personality had changed -- we had asked about paw licking and they said she never did that before hmmmmmmm


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## Stretchdrive (Mar 12, 2011)

2goldens2love said:


> We thought at first it was nerves -- she's been doing it since we got her in August -- but it hasn't let up -- maybe just a bad habit at this point?? but how do you break it?
> 
> BTW both doggies get fish oil daily


Let me know if you figure out how to break it!

I have tried St. Johns Wort with my guy, and it helped, just not 100%. I need to go back to it. I also use fish oil, but ran out of probiotics and enzymes a few weeks ago. Luckily more will be here this week.


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

Our Logan was a paw-licker for many years. His was due to environmental allergies. Running on grass, changes in seasons Oak pollen, outdoor mold spores, etc. We found giving him probiotics in his food helped. Natures Farmacy has a Dogzymes product we like. Also, strangely enough, we started giving him a big squit of honey in his food (we read about it in Whole Dog Journal) that also helped. When Claritan became over the counter - generic is Loratadine - you can get it at Walmart. That also helped. We were having to give 3 chlorpheniramine (generic for Chlor-trimeton) twice a day. Now with Loratadine we only give 1 pill 2x a day and you don't have the drowsie side affects. You can use both together when the attack is severe and you just want them to sleep it off. Yeast is the big culprit that makes them lick their feet. The more they lick, the more they need to lick because the saliva also makes their fee itchy. When we had severe attacks, and the yeast got out of hand, we would make a trip to the vet and get antibotics and usually some sort of topical stuff to help kill the yeast. Good luck.


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