Labrador Retriever Eating His Paws

by MK
(Coral Springs, Florida)

I feed my dog home made food. 60% beef, 20% veggies 20%brown rice.

He had developed allergies prior to switching from commercial food. Can't pinpoint the reason.

He eats his paws, and his skin is red, raw. Red eyes and he has had two ear infections in the past two months. Is it the beef?

Switching to turkey this week hoping it will get better.

Is it environmental or cleaning product chemicals or do you think it is food related?

What can I do to help him?

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Jul 10, 2020
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Labrador With Red Raw Paws
by: Sandra

Hello MK,

Thanks for your question.

It's very hard to know what your dog is reacting to specifically. It could be anything. Even if you spent much money to find out what he's sensitive to, you would be left with a slew of possible sensitivities.

The root cause question though, is why would your dog be sensitive to ANYTHING?

His symptoms ( itchy red paws, red irritated eyes, ear infections ) tell me that his immune function is over reacting to an allergen, but why would his immune system be overly reactive?

Because his gut microbiome is out of balance. At least 70% of his functional immune system resides within his intestinal gut microbiome.

So, then you have to ask yourself...what has happened to upset my dog's gut micro flora.

Here are the 4 main reasons. So you can check that against what's happened to him within the last year or more.

1 - Vaccines

2 - Drugs ( perhaps for the ear infections )

3 - Chemical pesticide flea/tick/heartworm control.

4 - Improper, nutrient deficient, inflammation causing food. Too much carbohydrates...grains, starches, vegetables, fruits should only comprise approximately 5% of total food volume. The carbohydrate component in commercial dog food is usually in excess of 50%. Your homemade dog food is 40%. So you can see where the problem lies.

It might be a good idea for you to review your dog's food, and also the other things on the list that may have exacerbated his problem.

Hope that helps,
Sandra

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