Theresa,

My first suspicion is yard chemicals, yours or the neighbors. Mosquito Spraying. Residual chemicals. Carpet cleaners, insecticides.

Dietary, In order for his body to fight back, his body needs the tools to do it. I imagine you vaccinate, the ingredient in vaccination over a dogs life, the adjuvants do not leave the body. Heavy metals especially aluminum, add in fluoridated water his body cannot fight an infection. His thyroid activity may be diminished.

Real meat and fats. I probably would cook meat lightly. In bone broth to power his gut. Good meat with fats. Maybe add 1/4 cup of pumpkin to help his elimination stay normal. Empty his anal glands, no intervention needed. Because of the staph, raw meat would not be ideal. In a crock pot. Bone broth, sea salt, pot roast, or some other cut. A few carrots for vitamin A. Or some chicken or duck. Then you do not have to cook every day.

When you feed him, to his food add 2 tbsp of non GMO lecithin. This will boost his overall health and keep his liver in tip top shape. Every third day, with 1/4 tsp of cilantro to help remove heavy metals gently. 1 canned sardine in water for fish oil. 500 mg MSM for sulfur and diminish his symptoms. Add a scoop of liver powder or brewers yeast, this will improve his amounts of b vitamins, needed in each step of health. In an older dog, just like people, digestion is less than optimal, nutrients from food need some help to be absorbed and utilized.

Raw meaty bone to chew every other day. Cleans his teeth, and further improves nutrition.

To really make an impact on his health, add Teds alkalizing drink. 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, add 1/2 tsp baking soda, let fizz. Add 1/2 glass of water. Divide this into 2 doses. Pour one over morning meal. One over evening.

This will do the work of alkalizing, improve circulation, sleep, clean up his digestive tract. A miracle in a glass.

Defluotidate his life, spring water to drink. To remove it from his body you can add Teds 20 Mule Team Borax remedy. This will improve his ability to heal. To make it, 1 liter of spring water add 1/8 tsp of Borax. Add 1 tsp to his water when you change it.

Now to kill the infection, 1 drop of lugols iodine on his feet, rub in. Alternate feet each day. This will wake up his thyroid. You could even wash them with a few drops of iodine in water. To kill the infection. If he is jowly this solution to wipe his lips and mouth

The internal remedy,

In a 1 liter bottle add spring water. Leave an inch or two at the top. Buy l lysine, l threonine, sodium ascorbate powders on amazon

A human adult dose for 130 lb person is this remedy. If he is a big guy, this will work for him. You are making 4 doses a day for 3 days. In the am, every hour, syringe in one dose. For 4 hours.

In your bottle, 500mg sodium ascorbate, 6000mg l lysine, 1000mg of l threonine. Shake, cap, store in frig. Mark the bottle with 12 equal marks.

Topically. Teds mite spray. Often.

I also soak our dogs in Epsom, they need lots of magnesium. So in a kiddy pool or the tub, ankle high water. 1 cup Epsom 1/2 cup if borax, have dog stand in it as much as you can.

You may repeat the lysine remedy another 3 days. But I think this will do it.

Wash his spots and areas and bedding in borax and Epsom . No softeners or scented products. Spray with mite spray. I spray our yard with a gallon sprayer 1 x a month in warm months. Detoxifying and kills offenders. Or diatomaceous earth. Mix with some soil in a spreader. Renew after rains.

Janet

Hey Theresa!

Demodectic pododermatitis/pododemodicosis = demodectic mange mites. You have done scrapings and found no mites: I agree with Janet, this sounds like a contact allergy. If this were my dog I would consider standing him in a tub of Ted's Mange Remedy - not for mange mites but for its cleansing power - for half an hour, maybe working with a soft brush around the nail beds. I would also do a soak with Dakin's solution. So one night Ted's remedy, the next night Dakin's solution; you can pour either of these solutions when soaking the feet over the sores on the back. If the feet become dry then you can slather them with a healing cream or salve from the health store - calendula with lavender might be a choice - and then have him wear doggie booties so he leaves the lotion on them to do its work. If you suspect an allergy to the grass or something outside, then he should wear the booties when outside.

You might also consider upgrading the diet - even though you may have fed the same diet for years, allergies can be aquired with age so it is one of the first places to start. You might consider a home made diet or RAW type diet. For sure avoid grains and fillers in whatever you feed and try to get a single source protien and feed on a rotation to see if you can determine a food allergy. So buy small bags of food and try a chicken diet and monitor results and then next bag beef protien, and so on.

If you have access to a doggy chiropractor or even a human one, you can use Applied Kinnesiology and test many foods that way and save a bunch of time. You can also use AK to see if your boy has an allergy to the soil or grasses in the yard, or laundry detergent or new carpet, etc. It is also helpful to keep a journal of what your dog eats by mouth - any foods or treats or chews - and see if you can find a pattern to the break outs. And new carpet can be an issue, as well as changing laundry detergent or new dryer sheets. So keep a journal and you may find a pattern.

Allergies of any sort may be helped with the addition of turmeric to the diet, along with quercetin and also colostrum- these need time to work, so long term supplements. Also alkalizing the water with baking soda will help, along with Ted's Borax protocol for dogs.

Finally, you are using Bravecto - I would run from the hills from that one, however you are in a bind with the constant infections and inflammation/antibiotics and steroids. You might consider colloidal silver for the MRSA or read up on EC's pages for MRSA.

Please report back!

Vetricyn? I think they make it for dogs as well.