Hi can anyone help please my labrador has a dustmite allergy and she is constantly licking her back paws can anyone tell me how to stop it.She is being treated for the allergy by vaccinations but it isnt helping.The licking is constant .

Has she had her anal glands checked?  Constant paw licking is often linked with anal gland problems as well as allergies, and it may not be an allergy if this is being successfully treated.

We found constant paw licking was due to food intolerance/sensitivity after months and months back and forth to the vet
eventually after a food trial as recommended by a skin specialist  there was a huge difference and after a change in food this has never happened since so long as we keep an eye on the foods we feed :(

Pop socks on her.  If she's constantly licking she'll make sores.  It can be a difficult habit to break.

I agree that it could well be the anal glands. My dog was always licking his back paws (never front) and it was due to his anal glands needing to be emptied. In the end he had to have them out and the licking stopped immediately.

Hi everyone i forgot to mention that bonnie has had her anal glands removed

Thanks lara i have put socks on her but she keeps taking them off.So at the moment ive had to put a collar to stop her doing it but it is horrilble now the weather is getting warmer.I am now looking into Burns dog food to see if it will help with the allergy.Does anyone here who has a dog with this allergy tried burns?.I am looking into barf thanks to Lel as well

How long has she done this for?  Did she start before her anal glands were removed?

Hi lel which food did you end up with and was it for a dustmite allergy?

Dustmite allergy was picked up on the allergy test but as I say the food trial was only done just to see if there was any improvement.

We were originally on Hills complete but are now on raw as we can see exactly what we feed him them and eliminate if there are any reactions to certain foods ;)

Did you receive any info re: the dustmites from vet? We were advised to keep the rooms well ventilated , the temp down if necessary and carpets well hoovered etc

Hi Lel thank you for your quick reply no we havent any info from the vet other than them giving her the vaccinations which dont seem to be doing a lot.When you say Raw food what would you give them in an average day?

There is lots of information regarding raw feeding and I dont think any two people feed the same

Mine get beef, lamb, chicken, hearts, liver, tripe, pasta, veggies, tuna, mackeral, sardines, cheese and eggs but this would be in a week and not in  the days diet of course ;)

I know someone who has a EBT who used to chew her paws - turns out she was allergic to red meat.
Sarah

hi lel, i read one of your posts from before, i too am going to the Small Animal Hospital at the University of Liverpool. Please could you let me know roughly how much you paid and what they did...e.g the consultation, testing, treatment etc, and did it work... any info would be much appreciated as i have to pay the lot as my insurance won't cover dermatology. many thanks Faye + Casper :) x

Are you sure your insurance wont pay if the vet refers you ? As this is an extension of your vet treatment really....

Our insurance paid in full- VERY expensive if not as it cost about £380 for just one days treatment

The specialist did an allergy test whereby he shaved a skin patch and tested various pollens/mites/insects etc on the skin to see if they raised a reaction. Also talked through various things with you and your dog - ie contact related issues/food etc. Also did a skin scrape although the vet had already done this and decided it wasnt mites before we went

The food trial was suggested as an after thought- and luckily it worked for us

Hope you find out what it was

But defo try to get the insurance to pay for it- if the vet cant diagnose it then it needs a referral which is a continuation of treatment and therefore the insurance should pay- its not homeopathic etc which they could possibly argue about depending on the policy

hi there, thanks for your reply, my vet has sent me as a referral im going next wednesday, i just hope they find out what is wrong with him. I'll let you knwo how i get on, faye :)

Is it Tim Nuttall you are seeing ? He's very nice if so

Take a list of questions with you so you dont forget on the day
and good luck :)

no it mcewan, he is on the website, he looks like he is very highly qualified. faye :)