I got Misty from a backyard breeder about 4 years ago (? too lazy to look at my records). She has no papers and she's way bigger than the standard for dobermans, but I'm not interested in show quality, I just wanted something to give me a feeling of safety, as I live here alone.
She's been a great companion, and I love her to death. My problem started a couple weeks ago, when she told me she "has a flea." (When Misty has a flea, she'll bark at her hind end then look at me. I'll go get the flea comb and save her from the dreaded flea, and she is usually right, as the flea comb comes away with a flea or two). I use the spot on flea stuff that lasts about a month, the stuff you squirt onto their back. It works well.
So about three weeks or so ago I discovered a possum invasion and Misty started telling me about her fleas more often that she had been. It was about time to do the flea treatment again, so I did.
Ever since I got Misty she has had an itchy ear. Not both ears, just the right ear. She shakes her head a lot and she holds that ear down. She occasionally tries to scratch it with her (uncontrollable) back paw, and this makes her yelp. The vet can't find anything wrong with her ear.
Last week Misty started licking her front leg (the back of the leg) and the sole of her foot. I always tell her to stop and she does. She also started frantically rubbing her face on the side of furniture or on her front legs. I have given her close inspections and can't find anything wrong. But when I looked at her paw, it's raw. In fact it's so raw that she hates to walk on it.
So I went online and asked my friend Google what makes a dog lick its feet raw. In reading the many answers I came across a dog forum where a woman asked the same question, and included that her dog used to have itchy ears but since adding Dynovite to her diet she doesn't have itchy ears anymore.
Most of the licking the feet answers came back - barring any medical condition, the dog is probably bored. I doubt that's Misty's problem. She has a lot to entertain her, as she's with me outside as I make my rounds with the tortoises and do my outdoor chores. She's very busy outside, looking for frogs in the Aldabran mud wallow, chasing butterflies, looking for critters in the grass, etc.
I ordered Dynovite for the itchy ears, and right now Misty has Neosporin, a gauze pad and a sock on her front foot. You can imagine how much she likes that. My guess is that with the new possum flea invasion Misty is allergic to fleas and it has made her be itchy all over, especially her face and feet. ??????
Anybody???
She's been a great companion, and I love her to death. My problem started a couple weeks ago, when she told me she "has a flea." (When Misty has a flea, she'll bark at her hind end then look at me. I'll go get the flea comb and save her from the dreaded flea, and she is usually right, as the flea comb comes away with a flea or two). I use the spot on flea stuff that lasts about a month, the stuff you squirt onto their back. It works well.
So about three weeks or so ago I discovered a possum invasion and Misty started telling me about her fleas more often that she had been. It was about time to do the flea treatment again, so I did.
Ever since I got Misty she has had an itchy ear. Not both ears, just the right ear. She shakes her head a lot and she holds that ear down. She occasionally tries to scratch it with her (uncontrollable) back paw, and this makes her yelp. The vet can't find anything wrong with her ear.
Last week Misty started licking her front leg (the back of the leg) and the sole of her foot. I always tell her to stop and she does. She also started frantically rubbing her face on the side of furniture or on her front legs. I have given her close inspections and can't find anything wrong. But when I looked at her paw, it's raw. In fact it's so raw that she hates to walk on it.
So I went online and asked my friend Google what makes a dog lick its feet raw. In reading the many answers I came across a dog forum where a woman asked the same question, and included that her dog used to have itchy ears but since adding Dynovite to her diet she doesn't have itchy ears anymore.
Most of the licking the feet answers came back - barring any medical condition, the dog is probably bored. I doubt that's Misty's problem. She has a lot to entertain her, as she's with me outside as I make my rounds with the tortoises and do my outdoor chores. She's very busy outside, looking for frogs in the Aldabran mud wallow, chasing butterflies, looking for critters in the grass, etc.
I ordered Dynovite for the itchy ears, and right now Misty has Neosporin, a gauze pad and a sock on her front foot. You can imagine how much she likes that. My guess is that with the new possum flea invasion Misty is allergic to fleas and it has made her be itchy all over, especially her face and feet. ??????
Anybody???