Hi again

My usually gleaming white dog is starting to go pink in patches where he has licked himself when giving himself a good wash.

His back feet in between his pads are also pink and smell like dirty ears.  He has not had a ear infection but I have some Otomax drops from my other dog - could I use these on his feet?  He doesn't really chew his paws and they do not appear to bother him or be sore.

A spaniel at training used to really chew his feet and the owner was advised to put lavender oil on them to stop him.  It worked a treat but as my boy is not really chewing them would this work (he could be nibbling when I'm not about ;-))

Why is he going pink - I guess it something to do with the saliva - and how can I turn him white again??

You could try Hibiscrub to wash his feet in. You can buy it from chemist shops. Nizoral shampoo is another possibilty if the problems fungal (it is a human shampoo also available at chemist counters).

What breed of dog do you have?It sounds a bit like somesort of allergy.

He's a boxer.  He's not itchy or chewing/licking excessively and his skin looks fine so I didn't think it was an allergy.
I might try the hibiscrub as it won't do any harm but I don't get why he's going pink!!!!!

>but I don't get why he's going pink!!!!!

Ear infections are often spread to feet because dogs scratch their ears with their feet! Usually treatment is needed for both areas simultaneously to stop continual reinfection.

The pink in other areas is just saliva staining. Wiping it a couple of times a day with a bicarb solution (a teaspoon in about half a pint of water) will help reduce the stain.

Thanks!

I know the ear probs can be transmitted to the feet but I was puzzled as his ears are squeaky clean and he definitley doesn't have an infection in there.

Will try the bicarb and see if I can turn him white again.

Thanks all!

Could be that his anal glands need emptying ? Just a thought.

He's not licking round there though more like just down his sides - although he has now stoppped entirely since yesterday so maybe it was just one of those things!!

He is bendy enough to reach round to the back if it was that that was bothering him (how do boxers manage to bend like that LOL?)

My dog started with pink patches, his feet were pink, part of his legs, and on his forehead - he wasn't licking either, and skin looked fine - then someone fortunately told me it was due to the acid in the food he was on.  I changed his food straight away after that, and he is no longer pink now, two months on.  When I tried to clean off the pink, nothing worked!

what food was he on and what did you change to?

>My dog started with pink patches, his feet were pink, part of his legs, and on his forehead - he wasn't licking either, and skin looked fine - then someone fortunately told me it was due to the acid in the food he was on.  I changed his food straight away after that, and he is no longer pink now, two months on.  When I tried to clean off the pink, nothing worked!

Flamingoes are pink because of what they eat as well

Their pink colour is due to the high concentration of carotenoid pigments in their diet (from shrimps, insects, algae etc), in the same way that people can turn orange with excessive consumption of carrots due to the beta carotene

What food are you feeding, georgepig?

He's white again now and his feet are no longer stinky so whoknows what it was!!
I feed Kirkland Signature and have had no other problems with it but maybe it was the food as I changed to it about 6-8 weeks ago. 

He does get some tear stains but he has had these no matter what he is fed.