Recently, I received an e-mail from my friend who had a customer’s dog that was diagnosed with what she called “a nasty case of fungus on her feet, which started as fungal, but went into bacterial infection.”
The owner was soaking her dog's feet in hibitane and was wondering if my SkinSpray Formula would work for foot Fungus.
I almost answered her question privately and then I thought, this is a perfect opportunity to get a few things off my chest, write a blog and hopefully help many of you at the same time.
Over the course of the past few months of blog writing, I have found a new passion for writing and bringing more clarity into animal healing. I like to question and challenge the beliefs of others and myself. This allows me to keep my ego in check and keep on learning. In the big scheme of things, we humans know very little.
My friend has a bumper sticker on her truck that says: “Don’t always believe what you think.” I love this quote because it reminds me how often we construct false beliefs about many things in life.
Veterinary medicine is no exception
So how shall we approach life and make important decisions, even about foot fungus? You can either approach it from “a rigid smart-ass” point of view or be flexible by combining a reasonable degree of knowledge, experience, observation and intuition.
Here is the scoop on nasty dog foot fungus:
- HIBITANE (chlorhexidine) SOAP IS TOXIC to bacteria and it is also toxic to other cells especially if applied on regular basis. It slows down and sometimes prevents healing.
- Many dogs who suffer from front foot lesions actually have issues with their NECK. They often suffer neck injuries from pulling on the leash, inappropriate collars (barbaric restraint collars such as choke collars or even prong collars), carrying heavy logs or hitting their head.
- Dogs that have hind foot lesions usually have suffered a LUMBAR SPINE injury.
- What follows such neck or back injuries is muscle tightness, which leads to restriction of nerve function, energy and blood flow to extremities and especially the feet.
- This often creates unusual sensations, such as referred pain, pins and needles or numbing, which can make some dogs lick their feet. However, even if they don’t lick, the skin on their feet is weaker and more prone to infections.
- Frequently, bacteria or fungus has been detected however, they are usually SECONDARY and because the primary issue comes from the spine, antibiotics and antifungals are usually ineffective in clearing the issue.
What is the Natural Healing Solution?
- Stop using Hibitane and start using SkinSpray, aka Healing Solution, to promote skin healing naturally.
- See an experienced animal physiotherapist or chiropractor for a neck assessment.
- The most important part is to get any pressure off the neck by replacing your dog’s collar with a well fitted harness.
- For dogs with hind feet issues, any sprinting, ball retrieving and back stressing activity should be avoided.
- Ideally, your dog's general health, diet and supplement schedule should be reviewed as well.
Thank you for making a difference and sharing this article with others.
