Well, Tidus seems to be going through this. I don't know if it's part of his puggle nature, or if he is getting bit because I find tiny bumps on the bottom of his paws.
I took him to the vet, but one said it was from a dirt patch outside my house and that I should wash his feet every time. And then the other vet, said it was an allergy that could be connected to a tiny fly-insect called no-see-ums.
Anyways the first vet gave Tidus a anti-histamine, antibiotics and a cream for his paws. Well, he only gave me enough for one week, so after dropping a chunk of change, Tidus was still reddened and the vet said he was showing improvement. Jump forward a few days and Tidus was back to the itching.
I scheduled that second appointment with the second aforementioned vet and he gave me two choices. Give Tidus a shot that would clear him up for a few weeks (five weeks to be precise) or pay $400 and find out all of Tidus' allergies and get a prescription for it.
Now don't get me wrong, I love him and I paid for the two visits, but $400 was way out of my college student budget. I opted for the five week solution that would cover, what I thought would be pollen season, but it's coming back.
All I have is a spray that I got from the vet that deters fleas, and a shampoo to relieve the itching. I talked to a friend that works at a shelter and she advised me to used Hydrocortosone (maximum 1%) on his paws and to give him Benadryl at night so he can sleep. I also have bought some wipes that ease the itching and make that bitter taste so he doesn't make it worse.
God this sucks. He's two-years-old and this is the first year this has happened, I am just longing for the season to end. I guess I'll stick to the Hydro and Benadryl til then ... since the vet is basically clueless and only provides me with temporary (a few weeks) solutions.