Interdigital Furunculosis

Hi there, my 4 year old Australian Shepard has been having issues with his paws. I believe he currently has a bacterial infection that is causing Interdigital Furunculosis. Last year during the winter storms he developed an abscess between his paw pads which went away after a few days of cleaning it and wrapping it. More recently I noticed he had small, pimple like bumps on his ankle and he was licking them frequently. Today after the snow he came in and was licking his paw way too much. I checked it and found another abscess between his toes. He only has one and it’s on a different foot from last time. I have a cone on him and have cleaned it and wrapped it. I was wondering what I should do further? If I need to get him checked out after the snow and ice have passed to get him antibiotics I’m happy to do so. Thank you for your time!

Hello!   When dogs are licking their paws far too much, it is because they are itching / sore .  Itching, licked paws become very painful and infected quite quickly.  It seems likely that exposure towards cold ground could be contributing to this (raw feet on cold ground, anyone?)  I'm not sure where you are or what "snow" means for you, but would firmly recommend you to get your dog to the vets now if at all possible, because the sore / more swollen / more painful the skin becomes, the more uncomfortable your dog will be and therefore, the more they will want to lick.  What do people do when they need to get to the doctors in the winter in your part of the world?  Can something be organized?  Talking of which, I wonder if putting boots on your dog to go outside (yes!  It's a thing!) might help in the long-term (may be too sore at the minute?)   Furthermore, talk to your vet because video-consulting may be an option. Furunculosis is an inflammatory condition (the immune system reacting to something around the base of a hair follicle) not necessarily a bacterial one (as in, responds to antibiotics) but it can get infected, so antibiotic (this is different from antibacterial, which is not half as effective) and anti-yeast shampoos are sometimes used.  It is hard to know what has caused it from here - the weather is one possibility;  another is that your dog has an underlying condition, which has allowed Demodex mites to multliply.   More about Demodex coming up.

Demodex are not the same as other 'mites,' which are visible little specs that itch.  Demodex haven't been 'caught';  they live in dog skin all the time in small numbers, kept in check by the immune system.  If they multiply, it is because the immune system is no longer doing that, so a vet appointment can be very important.     To go back to ice as a cause, it's worth mentioning that grit salt can be excruciating on feet (this is one reason we suggest boots).  I understand why you are using a cone - to stop things from getting worse - but if you can imagine having an itch and not being able to scratch it is excruciating, so this needs to be done alongside treatment.