i have searched down this post to update it,
it has been a year now since making my initial post and we are still dealing with the same issues
sway has been seeing a dermatalogist for the past year,
environmental allergy testing was done and she was found to be allergic to over 20 different items...
he initially put her on
ATOPICA, then she has been moved over time to a generic brand of
CYCLOSPORINE, as that was cheaper for me (50mg every day).
sway tolerated this and after 3 or so months, we had a breakthrough and she got better...
THANK GOD at this point she no longer had to wear the cone and could be trusted not to lick her paws at all, even with me gone for long periods of time...
this went on for about 60 days and it was great.
unfortunately she began to have
GI tract issues and violent diharrea episodes one night where her stools began running out uncontrollably, some even with intestine inner-linings...
she could do nothing but squat and wait, going all over my apartment and it was an extremely helpless feeling, seeing her :/
i had to take her in to 24 hour care ASAP and get her set up with fluids etc.
after a 2 day stay she was out and i began to feed her boiled chicken and rice and worked our way back into her dry food that at the time was CANIDAE.
we never took her off the cyclosporine.
a month later this happened again, where the stools began coming uncontrollably and she had to go back in for fluids a 2nd time.
my dermatologist suggested we immediately pull her off of the cyclosporine,
and a week later the skin problems had resumed...
this was around feb of this year.
he was concerned the cyclosporine was what was causing the GI issues...
he asked me to switch sways food, so i did...to NATURAL BALANCE POTATO & DUCK.
for the last 3 months (while off cyclosporine) i have tried a holistic approach, with my new family vet prescribing
GUI PI TANG & EXTERNAL WIND, which are both chinese medicines...and have seen little to NO results in helping the biting and chewing of the feet.
the 1 good thing over the last 3 months is that there have been no GI issues since...
we are now at the point where my dermatologist has requested we attempt another run at the cyclosporine (cut back to 50mg every other day).
she has been on it now for about a week, and no GI issues yet, but it hasnt began to knock out the allergies yet either.
my dog has continually had to suffer with having to wear the cone when i leave my apartment...
that is still the only way i can somehow curb her habit to rip her padding off her feet.
1 episode of the padding being ripped open or all the way off and it causes my dog to be in pain for up to 2 weeks at a time, while it reheals...
it is truly a dilema that sucks both ways
i am at my wits end with this and am just begging for a result or something that can help and give her relief.
does anyyyyyyyyyyyone have any new ideas or information?
im thankful for anyones knowledge or wisdom!!!