My dog is shaking and wining. He seems to be in pain from his feet which have been giving him a lot of trouble for the last few weeks. He doesn't want to walk anywhere. He has been to the vet twice now but they just sold me some wash. His feet seem crusty with dark patches between his pads. I have cut away as much hair as possible (He is maltese 14yo) and used the wash. Didn't help. Then I tried salt water and blow drying. He is eating fine and the vet says seems relatively healthy but Id like to give him something for the pain if that's what needs to make his life a bit better. Is there anything I can give him from home as I know they can take human antibiotics

More about his paws: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/s...et-580108.html

Generally, it is better to ask your vet's recommendations since he/she knows the animal's history. Also, human painkillers can be very dangerous for our four-legged friends.

Call your vet for advice (It's usually free if you have a kind vet) and ask if Benedryl would be suitable for him.

Benedryl is commonly used with dogs for allergies and itching so it may be beneficial to relieve some discomfort.
However I strongly urge you to consult your vet first before using it as the dosage for dogs is very different to humans and you will need to know the correct amount for his weight.

If it is irritated skin pain meds likely would not give much relief.

If your dog appears to be in pain, then take him to the vet. You will be prescribed doggy advil (rimadyl) to help take care of his pain and inflammation... And.. even find out why his feet hurt. It could be more then just his feet, his legs, joints or muscles might be hurting.

The material between the toe pads may be coincidental to the reluctance to walk.

At 14 years of age, there may be some musculoskeletal changes occurring with his feet. Over time and with only mild use of the feet, like walking on flat surfaces like grass, sidewalks, and rugs, the foot loses some of it's strength and begins to 'relax. Most house dogs have poor confirmation of the feet from this reason.

Dogs, and most animals, walk on their toes, The large pad behind the toes corresponds to the heel pad on your hand. What is properly called the 'paw' corresponds to our hand, and the first joint up from the floor, the carpal joint, would be called our wrist. By relaxing, I mean the muscles weaken and allow the foot to rotate back, so the dog is walking more on it's heels, and in severe cases it's 'wrist' rather than toes. Show dogs, especially the large breeds, are often exercised in long runs with pea gravel as a base. This causes them to flex their feet with each step as the gravel gives way beneath them, which builds muscle in their feet and thus keeps them walking properly on their toes.

Humans have a foot condition called 'plantar fasciitis', which is an inflammation of the ligament running along the bottom of our feet. The condition is from abnormal positions of the foot like poorly fitting shoes and lack of arch support. This causes severe pain in , usually, the heel as the inflamed ligament shrinks in the nighttime, while sleeping. The condition is usually relieved/corrected by exercises which stretch the ligament and strengthen the muscles of the foot.
While dogs don't have this structure, they do develop lameness from excess rotation of the foot, presumably from pain.

I suggest you have him reexamined with this conformation approach in mind rather than the dermatological condition.