During the war in Bosnia there was a lion at the Zoo.  The bombings stressed him out so much he practically chewed his feet off.

They were bloody stubs.  It was awful.  I think eventually, because of the war, the lions and other animals at the zoo died from starvation.  The people didn't have any food, let alone enough for a big cat.  A very sad story but it does illustrate the stress and what an animal will do if he gets too much and can't deal with it.

So that's where you come in.  You're smarter than your dog so you have to think this through and figure it out and with the help of a vet, if it comes to that, cure your dog from chewing on his feet.

If your pet has pink pads on his feet it might be a fungal infection and itches like crazy.

Are your pets paws red or pink with a brown stain on them?

If all four of your pets feet are red or inflamed then you can be pretty sure that he has an allergy or a fungal infection.

If only one foot is red then he has something wrong with that foot.

Most often it’s a tiny sliver or burr or even a yeast infection.

If you can’t find it or your dog is stressed with you touching his paws go see your vet and they will find it and give your pet a screening for other problems such as fleas, mites, chiggers and ticks.

If you’ve ruled out anything that could cause these skin problems, then it’s time to visit the vet.

Every pet should go for his annual exam. It’s well worth it and at this time the vet can check for worms, yeast infections, flea infestation and hot spots.

He will prescribe or recommend a treatment which will get your dog back on the road to health.

I want to stress a new treatment that vets seem to be using without informing the owner that this drug can damage a dogs kidneys and shorten his life.

Prednisone is a good drug to use when in a life threatening situation but is not good as a long term fix for fungal infections. Just as using antihistamines is not a cure but a way to depress symptoms.

If your pet has pink feet then he has something wrong with him, i.e. a fungal infection or separation anxiety. Please address the real issue and don’t settle for the quick fix.

Allergies and food allergies - Learn the facts

Dogs, Pets, Food, Allergies, food allergies, free pet food recipes