Why are my dog's paws red and itchy? Could pesticides be the cause?

Question

All four lower legs of our dog look red just under the fur. He licks them, not a lot, but some. It's just in the back of the paw pads and up the foot a ways. We live in The Villages where lawns are treated with pesticides...could that be the problem? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 10 years and 7 months old | 50 lbs

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

Red skin can be caused by several things including parasites, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy, contact allergies or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica or a skin scrape. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Contact allergies are addressed by keeping pets away from things they are allergic to. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the redness should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Luka wear an elizabethan collar if needed. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Why are my dog's paws red and itchy? Could pesticides be the cause?

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