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My dog has red, itchy, smelly skin & swollen feet. What can I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Catahoula Leopard Dog | Female | spayed | 5 years and 4 months old | 30 lbs

My dogs skin is a mess. I don’t know how to help her. Her feet seem possibly swollen and definitely broken out. Her belly is really red. And the smell is terrible at times. We’ve tried grain free food as per our vet but it doesn’t help. What can I do for her?

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 25th, 2017

Oh my. Poor girl. Only a very small percentage of dogs actually have a grain allergy. Allergies to beef, chicken, turkey and lamb are more common. I would try to avoid these proteins in her food. Also food alleriges are not as common as environmental alllergies or flea allergies. Here is a website link that talks about pet skin allergies in detail. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1535 However, the best thing you can do to help her right away is to take her back to the vet and request actual allergy medication to be prescribed for her. I have the most success prescribing Apoquel to my patients, because it isn't a steroid and is fast acting (within 24 hrs). OTher choices are Temaril P and Atopica. Pet formulated fish oils (from your local pet store) can also be given in addition to the allergy medication to provide some natural skin anti-inflammatory properties. I hope that Maisy is able to get some relief from her skin allergies soon. Best wishes and take care.

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