# Help with red staining on feet



## mandym (Jan 15, 2014)

I would like some advice or possible answers for why my malt's feet are red. I am very aware that it is his saliva that turns the hair a red color. He has been "chewing" his feet for about a year now and I can't figure out what is causing it. He does not mess with his feet constantly and I haven't seen any type of pattern or trend to when he licks or chews his feet. Most of the time it seems like he is pulling on his hair rather than actually chewing. He has never caused any sores or any bald spots. I have noticed that his nails have some kind of discoloration that I can scrape off with my nail. My assumption is that it may be from his feet being wet..causing some kind of "gunk" to form. He like most malts does not particularally love his legs/feet to be messed with but he will tolorate it. He argues a little when I clip his nails but LOVES when I file them. So weird. Sometimes I think his feet really do itch, but other times I think he does it out of habit. I can say his name when he is doing it and he will stop. And there are times where I cover his feet with my hand and he wil lick my hand instead. I have researched all the reasons of why he could be itchy but I'm not sure if that's the case for him. It has been constant for too long now to be seasonal..he started this before I switched him to grain free food, and he doesn't seem to have any triggers (like itchy after coming in from outside or anything like that). Does anyone have experience with this or can anyone give me any advice on what I could do? He is going to the vet in a few weeks for his annual shots and I plan on talking to them about it then but I am scared that they will want to put him on medication and I have heard so many horror stories about medications that I don't want to risk his safety or his organs. Here is a picture of what his feet look like. And he does it to all 4 feet..


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## Lou's Mom (Apr 8, 2014)

Initially I would think it might be allergies. Are you walking him in public places? Parks, apartments etc., are notorious for applying chemicals to grass on a regular basis. It could just be the grass, we had a golden retriever who was allergic to just about everything that grows! I don't know about the stuff on his nails, that would concern me a bit.


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

Hi Mandy. Poor little guy!
When we first adopted our dog Buddy, he had red paws too and would like them all the time. I switched him to a home made grain free diet and he eventually got better. I also added fish oil, which seemed to really help. It did take a while to see improvement - maybe six months or so.
When I was researching to try to figure out what it was, I found this article about some dogs having yeast overgrowth on their paws as a possibility.
Just fyi in case it helps.
Eating These Foods Can Cause Dog Yeast Infection


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Sounds like a yeast infection in the nail bed. I use Douxo chlorhex mousse twice a day for 2 weeks then once a day for a week. Keeping the feet shaved and wiping them off after the dog comes in from outside can help.


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

:thumbsup: good advise


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## mandym (Jan 15, 2014)

Thank you for all of your great advice! I do believe it's allergies..just not sure what he is allergic to. I keep his pads shaved and wipe his feet off after coming in from outside or whenever they get wet but I just ordered the douxo chlorhexidine mousse so I am definitely going to give that a try too. I have never heard of that product so thank you very much for sharing that information! I've heard about allergy testing but I don't know of any dermatologist for dogs and I don't know that I would trust a regular vet for something so specific. And what if he turns out to be allergic to grass or something?! Then what?


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

You have the option of allergy injections to try to desensitize the dog to the allergens. Once you know the types of grass/weeds you can eliminate them from his immediate areas. 
Roo gets the goo in the nailbed. I shave his feet like a poodle and use the Douxo as needed. I like being able to treat with a topical.


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